36 | TOWN&style | SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

NeedlepoiNt etc. 314-991-2145 | 9785 Clayton Road | 63124

Tue –Fri 10 – 4 | Sat 10–2 | www.needlepoint-etc.com

NANTUCKET SWEATERS ARE BACKNANTUCKET SWEATERS ARE BACK

TRUNKSHOWSEPEMBER17 thru 21 Come and

see them!

Excludes prior sales & special orders, in-stock merchandise only.

We’re 60!Celebrate at our store-wide sale

September 11~1825 to 50% off

Lingerie & Swimwear

8103 Maryland Avenue | Clayton 63105 | 314.725.4033

cover story

Pace Farias]by stephanie zeilenga

acquiring goods From exotic locales is one of the pleasures of traveling, but with the spring arrival of Pace Farias Collections, an international-flavored boutique, St. Louisans don’t need to board a plane to make their wardrobes more worldly.

Fashion might not seem like the obvious choice for someone with a career history like St. Louis-raised Suzanne Pace, who co-owns the boutique with her husband, Ricardo Farias Nicolopulos. She lived all over the world as a successful businesswoman, then transitioned to the art world, representing Mexican artists in New York and even directing St. Louis’ Sheldon Art Galleries in the late 1990s before returning to St. Louis for her son’s education. But Pace Farias is the culmination of her interests and talents. “Fashion is a way to combine an interest in culture, history and art,” she says. “When it uses ethnic and cultural traditions, fashion is another way of presenting art, especially if it’s designed by artists.”

And wearable art from all around the world is precisely the boutique’s niche, says Pace. “One can easily go to China and pick up mass-produced, beautiful clothing, but our collection’s mission is to work with designers whose products are made by hand and carefully selected,” she says. Pace Farias’ merchandise includes Italian leather handbags from Francesca Evangelista, Greek goddess sandals from Eleftheria and Greek jewelry from Mary Samoli.

The boutique’s primary collection is from Mexican fashion house Pineda Covalin, which uses traditional Mayan, Aztec, Oaxacan and Colombian patterns and symbols. “The pieces feature amazing designs from Mexico and beautiful silk scarves, tunics and accessories,” Pace says. “They’re just exquisite.” (Pace and Nicolopulos also own a store in Athens called Anneta Farias, which also carries Pineda Covalin.)

It’s not just international designers who have captured Pace’s interest—her store also will be collaborating with local artists, starting with naturalist painter Mary Sprague. “We have a scarf coming out by Mary in the fall that’s based on her rhinoceros paintings,” Pace says. “It’s a way for more people to have access to her images in a very fun way. That’s kind of the direction we’re moving in—finding renowned artists and transferring their work to wearable art.”

Bringing together far-flung, high-end designers makes the store unique to St. Louis, says Pace. “We are the only shop in the U.S., apart from one small store in Miami, to carry Pineda Covalin and we’re the only shop in the Midwest to carry Francesca Evangelista handbags,” she says. “You’re not going to find a lot of our merchandise anywhere else in St. Louis, or the rest of the country.”

This month, Pace Farias is showcasing haute couture pieces from Pineda Covalin and Sona, a Milan-based cashmere designer, in the St. Louis Fashion Week fashion show at Plaza Frontenac. “It’s very exciting to have this in St. Louis,” Pace says. “Events like this certainly didn’t exist when I grew up here, so it’s fun to see St. Louis taking fashion seriously.”

ashley Fletcher models a Pineda covalin wraP and jewelry by mary samoli

PhoTo By robert l brown PhotograPhy

Pace Farias is located in Plaza Frontenac. For more inFormation, call 314.983.0781 or Find the store on Facebook.

CovER dESign By gayle van dyke | CovER PhoTo By robert l brown PhotograPhy

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