season your wardrobe with TSALT

Welcome to TSALT (sôlt), the newest boutique and design studio to hit the streets of Old Town! We’ve been putting this business together for more than a year and, after a soft opening in mid-December, will be officially opening on March 2nd. As the saying goes, nothing worth having comes easy. TSALT began as a concept for a clothing line… what a difference a year makes! I thought I would give you a behind-the-scenes account of what has transpired, which will help explain how TSALT is evolving into a new type of retail destination.

Tamara Saltonstall called me last year and asked if I would be interested in helping her market a new clothing collection she was designing. The idea was immediately intriguing and it didn’t take long for me to jump into this project. Tamara and I were neighbors on Fairfax Street and our kids all went to Lyles Crouch together. It wasn’t until I started working with Tamara on a regular basis that I found we shared a kindred spirit with an appreciation for design and creation.

Tamara had already added Rebecca Dannenberg to her business. Tamara had purchased a dress from Rebecca’s own label years ago and wanted to replicate the qualities she loved about the design. Rebecca’s background with her own label along with working for well-known companies such as Seven for all Mankind and Guess make her an integral part of the design process. Utilizing all areas of our backgrounds — design, production and styling — makes TSALT a very thoughtful effort.

The original concept of the TSALT label stemmed from a travel collection: clothing that can be packed easily and taken with you as well as easily incorporated into your daily life. This idea resonated with me as a stylist who is often hired to pack for clients. As I thought about why it’s difficult for women to pack for trips I realized that as we have evolved into living in larger homes with larger closets, we don’t put boundaries or constraints on our purchases. Thus, we end up with having more than we can use effectively. How many times have I helped purge a closet and heard…”I have never worn this” or “this still has the tags.”

One could make a case that the airline industry finally put constraints on us! If you are limited to one bag, what makes the cut? When developing pieces for the TSALT collection, we considered how our client would utilize pieces. Another integral part of what prompted Tamara to design clothing was her own difficulty in finding pieces that fit her. She is not an off-the-rack fit and knew there were other women who struggled with this same issue.

It was during the summer when Tamara started looking for warehouse space around Alexandria. We had gone into production which meant that there would be a lot of inventory arriving within 6 – 8 weeks. Where would it all be housed? TSALT was currently in a little two-room studio on Fairfax Street and busting at the seams! So the three of us started going on field trips to look at spaces. Initially, the idea was to place TSALT in boutiques and be a wholesaler. We would have line sheets to send out to a variety of boutiques that we had researched and perhaps go to market with the collection. The locations we started to look at around town didn’t feel like warehouse spaces however…they felt like retail destinations. A lightbulb moment occurred. I urged Tamara to consider holding TSALT within her control instead of releasing it to places where we would not be able to understand how it was being received. Time has a way of helping guide your process. Understanding our needs guided Tamara to discovering an ideal home for TSALT. 106 N. St. Asaph Street (some of you may know it at the old Patrick’s location) will have a retail floor flooded with natural light from the majestic Palladian windows, with our design studio and offices on the second floor.

Purchasing a building in Old Town comes with…wait for it….patience! After a long and arduous process, Tamara finally closed on her new business location. I wish I had created a time-lapse video of the 10 days that followed. Talk about making up for lost time. Paint, floors, the actual move from our old space, all occurred in time for our unofficial opening on December 4th. Having an unannounced presence during the holidays was a great way to work out some of the kinks and create a little buzz amongst those that stumbled in.

We are now putting the pedal to the metal again as we announce our official launch on March 2nd. Next week we are hosting the long awaited Focus Group. If you are interested in attending, we still have space and would love to hear your thoughts. We will be discussing some of the following issues surrounding retail and curating a wardrobe that works for your lifestyle.

• What guides you to the pieces you choose?
• How do you currently shop?
• How would you prefer to shop?
• Does time factor into the ‘cost’ of your clothing?
• Would follow-up advice be helpful when you purchase clothing?

I’ve been following market trends in retail and feel we are transitioning into a new era. TSALT has a unique ability to formulate a process where we are not limited to what we purchase at market and answer quickly to the needs of our customers. Custom clothing will be another facet of the business which we are offering (I will follow up in a future post as to how that will work). We will be carrying other brands that complement the collection, along with great travel essentials.  How do you feel about free alterations on our private label styles to ensure you receive the proper fit? Most styles are designed to fit a variety of women and can be personalized to the customer with a few minor adjustments. Currently our turnaround time is only 2-3 days.

We are currently hiring for a number of positions.  I will continue to work with my clients through TulleBox and will also be available for private appointments with TSALT. Tamara and I have put a lot of thought into this concept and want to assure that our clients have pieces in their wardrobe that they love and where they have invested wisely. For example, a perfect black blazer, a black or nude heel, a denim jacket, a white shirt…TSALT will work with your basics to season them…make them unique to you! We are currently busy establishing our other vendors. Sign up for our Facebook page and Instagram feed as new pieces arrive. I’ll be sending bi-monthly emails showing how to style our collection and announcing our events.

As a special offer to our Alexandria Stylebook readers, we are offering our first production piece — the TSALT sweater that retails for $145, at a discounted price of $85*. It is available in two sizes (S/M & M/L) and five colors. Seen here in Taupe, it has a relaxed fit with a detailed split vent back. I styled it with a boy’s oxford only to show that you may already own pieces that will work with this machine washable, easy-to-care-for staple!

• About the author
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Alicia McCaslin

Stylist | The Tulle Box

http://www.thetullebox.net/

aliciamccaslin@me.com

Alicia was born and raised in Alexandria, and married a local boy. She is happily married and the mother of two amazing children and one adorable and terribly smart border terrier named Dixie. Alicia has always known she was a creative. She collected editions of Vogue from junior high on and has always loved clothing and design. She studied interior design at VCU and parlayed that degree into commercial interior design, the web design, and ultimately found herself managing a local boutique and serving as a stylist to many Alexandrian women. She now has a successful full-time styling business, The Tulle Box, and makes it her business to make her clients feel great about themselves and the way they look.

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