A margarita glass falls to the floor smashing into dark wooden panels and Doretta vibrantly shouts from behind the dressing doors, “It’s a Party Now.” Perhaps the glass was somewhat of a christening for Bettina’s new location along Grant Avenue in the heart of North Beach.
For a long while, the store resided in Pacific Heights, and this change has been a breath of fresh air. Started several years ago as a lingerie store, two sisters Doretta and Bettina decided to make it their mission in life for women of all shapes and sizes to walk out their door feeling more beautiful than they did before. I walked in wearing jeans and a shirt and walked out clad in a black dress, incidentally named Michelle.
No one (not even me) describes Michelle better than Doretta: “The Michelle was part of our first collections of Bettina. Jersey. Our all-time most popular silhouette, she continues to be one of our most beloved dresses. Michelle is incredibly flattering on many different body types. She looks gorgeous on a 2 to a 14, busty or small, curvy or thin. Michelle is also super-versatile, able to be worn a myriad of ways. Our amazing ‘chubby jersey’ has a wonderfully soft hand and a divine drape. Michelle has been worn to gala cocktail parties and casual beach parties. She is the ultimate ‘Party Girl.’ ”
Dressed in Michelle, I left that evening feeling like Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s on her way to some glamorous affair. How could I not feel that way when I had already been the belle of the ball at a dress up party called Bettina?
Bettina; 1400 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA; Photos by Wendy Moya; Dresses Courtesy of Bettina; Make-up by Sadya Senior
This post originally appeared on ModelinaMichelle
