A Unique Boutique and a Sneak Look At Next Season’s Trends

Whenever we’re in the West Village we have to poke our nose inside the tiny and perfectly stocked boutique Otte.  Considering it’s a bijou space, they seem to carry every up to the minute piece of clothing your heart desires.  There’s something about the way the store is curated that you always find things in here that you just don’t see anywhere else.

We recently learned the store is so successful that there are now actually  2 more stores in the City, one in Tribeca and one on the Upper East Side.  Needing to know what the secret to this success was we sat down with the owner Kay Lee.  Kay has that perfect combination of style with an eye for spotting trends before the rest of us do.  This didn’t just happen over night, originally a designer at a fashion company, Kay branched out on her own with a tiny store in Williamsburg in 1999.  She talks with passion about those years of literally sewing the scarves so she’d have enough stock as well as being the person on the floor helping customers find that perfect item.  Kay credits those years with developing an innate sense of what women want.

The thing we were dying to find out was what will we all be wearing next season?  The answer according to Kay is burgundy, burgundy, burgundy and yes, color blocking is here to stay for another season. She explained her focus now is finding the perfect colors to compliment it.

When we asked what designer she was most excited about her eyes lit up and she said without hesitation, Acne.  Their clothing for fall/winter is off the hook with rich colors and lots of luxurious leather.  In fact, leather is the other big story for fall.  In the way that fur took over a few years ago, next season expect to see lots of gorgeous leather leggings and jeans, but not your classic bad girl rock and rock leather, we’re talking deep navy and rich jewel tones.

We asked Kay why we always seems to find amazing things in her store that we just can’t find anywhere else and full disclosure here, we’re serious shoppers.  That’s easy she said “I buy differently than others”.  She went on to explain that while she loves seeking out new and emerging designers, when she buys from well known brands like Rag & Bone and Helmut Lang, she buys the super unique pieces that she’s drawn to, but coincidentally are totally different from what most other buyers go for.  We love that she does this, it makes for getting those special scores that you covet.

They’ve branched out and now carry their own line of classic basics called simply Otte.  We like their silk t-shirts that just go with everything and their easy breezy long summer Ellen dress that you can belt and throw on a pair of high heals and wear to a dinner or wear casually over a swimsuit.

As well as being home to all of our favorite designers, they sell amazing accessories like the divine  jewelery from Joomi Lim as well as a wonderful selection of handbags, shoes and gorgeous underwear.  Like we said, a tiny boutique that literally has everything you want.