This year was an impressive year for Denver fashion. Starting the year with an extension of the Dior Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum due to high demand and capping the year off with the largest Denver Fashion Week to date. Additionally, numerous boutique openings have all worked together to continue to establish Denver’s fashion clout.
We rounded up our top boutique opening profiles from the past year to highlight these shop owners and boutiques, in case you need some holiday shopping inspiration or didn’t do enough damage on Black Friday. We’re always in support of shopping local, especially among these local boutiques.
Beauty & Beast
The Lowdown: Located in downtown Denver, Beauty & Beast Fashion House considers itself a one-stop-shop, carrying anything from women’s and men’s clothing, featuring salon services and even providing a bar and patio area. Beauty & Beast also occasionally acts as an event space where brunches and parties are hosted.
Originally from Miami, Dani Love opened the boutique with a mission to find a way to seamlessly mix Denver’s casual and urban style with Miami’s suave aesthetic. Using her knowledge of Miami style, she incorporated it into Denver to bring in a new sense of style to the city. Having been an entrepreneur since the age of 20, Love created one place where both men and women could go to fulfill all of their fashion and beauty needs. Her plans to radicalize Denver’s fashion scene began with her styling services. Love stated, “Styling and closet overhauls are where I excel. I want people to think differently about confidence and self-expression and to be bold about it.” Beauty & Beast is described as, “where 305 meets 303,” featuring “eclectic pieces, funky denim, retro menswear, sexy women’s night on the town pieces, career, stylish casual, romantic items and styles that represent the fashion of Miami and Denver,” according to Love.
Beauty & Beast Fashion House is located at 800 East 6th Ave., Denver and is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 12 to 5 p.m., and is closed Sundays and Wednesdays.
Foreign Form
The Lowdown: RiNo’s Foreign Form is not your average boutique. The team — comprised of three partners, Mike Delaney, Sammy Steen and Jason Siegel — sought to flip the retail game on its head and formulated a pop-up art and retail concept that continues to recreate itself. Case in point, thanks to the support from the community, Foreign Form’s one-month pop-up turned into five months and starting December 7, it will be opening a permanent, two-story location just a few doors down from their original space. Speaking about the art and retail offering in their new location, co-founder Sammy Steen explained that the “human connection and personal relationships are a lot more important to us [than including the latest trendy brands].”
This summer, alongside their retail offering of everything from high-fashion jackets to jewelry and wooden masks and figurines, Foreign Form hosted immersive experiences including DJ sets (which spilled out onto the streets of RiNo) and a dinner series hosted by chef Sandoval Cruz. Foreign Form has created a platform where friends and creatives can come together and express what it means to be creative in Denver. So far, they have achieved just that and we can’t wait to see the boundaries they push next year.
Kicking off with a grand opening event on December 7, Foreign Form will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with extended hours on the weekends. Their new location is 2719 Larimer Street, Denver.
Luna and Jasper
The Lowdown: After the success of Luna and Jasper’s first location in Denver’s Broadway Market, founder and owner, Shana Colbin Dunn — who also founded Kismet Boutique and True Boutique — wanted to take her position in fashion to the next level. Previously known as Kismet, the store was recently transformed into a Luna and Jasper store, however, it continues to carry the same brands and products that all Kismet customers know and love. From women’s apparel and accessories to baby clothes, the newly transformed boutique remains one of Denver’s most prominent one-stop-shops.
The reveal of the rebrand kicked off with an event on August 17 and featured customer’s favorite brands and designers with a trunk show. Cocktails were also provided — in addition to a selfie area and “fairy” hair extensions — and the event even hosted jewelry designer, Mercer and Jayne. Now, Luna and Jasper continues to provide customers with familiar brands and designers in the heart of the Highlands.
Luna and Jasper is located at 3640 West 32nd Avenue in the Highlands. Hours are Monday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.to 6:30 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
NOVL
The Lowdown: In a recent interview with 303 Magazine ahead of Denver Fashion Week, NOVL owners Taylor Sandona and Tyler Harwood were asked “What is street style?” Their reply was “anything goes.” The owners went on to explain that street style means everyone should be unique and true to themselves and it’s evident that this concept is threaded through NOVL’s South Broadway shop that opened its doors early fall 2019. According to Sandona and Harwood, NOVL is a space for the Denver community to network, shop local and national brands and come together to support local community artists through retail experiences.
On their website, NOVL describes the brand as a “fusion of fashion and community.” The team achieves this by seamlessly blending larger brands from both coasts, collaborating with local brands and artists to create custom pieces, along with a wall of vintage items and their in-house brand, NOVL. Denver has definitely gotten a little cooler since having these new kids on the (South Broadway) block.
NOVL is open Tuesday to Thursday from 12 to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 12 to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 12 to 6 p.m. and is located at 66 South Broadway, Denver.
Tulaire
The Lowdown: Tulaire is described as, “a vintage-inspired boutique with a contemporary edge” by Alexis Drennan who set out to create a store that displays her fascination with all things vintage. Having a lifetime of practice searching for the best fashion from every decade, Drennan successfully opened Tulaire, her first boutique which opened in Wheat Ridge. “I’ve always felt connected to France. That’s the vibe I worked to create for the store, like a quirky little shop in 1970s France — funky, filled with art, alongside beautiful clothing and goods,” said Drennan in her description of the boutique. Drennan is committed to filling her boutique with brands people haven’t seen or shopped for before.
Tulaire features lines from the UK, Japan, Canada, France and the U.S., while maintaining reasonable prices. After Tulaire’s successful opening, Drennan continues to set out to try new things with her business. She uses the boutique’s parking lot to host small markets and events like holiday shopping nights. The unique and timeless boutique feels like home as Drennan always offers a cup of coffee to all who enter the space, making them comfortable and inspired to shop her styles.
Tulaire is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is closed on Mondays. Tulaire is located at 6195 West 44th Avenue, Wheat Ridge.