Small 4 Style: Small 4 Style Interviews John Piermarini of Piermarini Boutique

Piermarini Boutique is getting ready for spring, but this “old-time boutique with new designers” isn’t anything ordinary. The owner is John Piermarini, an almost 21-year-old entrepreneur who knows how to set his fashions apart from the mainstream.

Walking into Piermarini Boutique is unlike any other shopping experience. The boutique is actually a charming 1904 house in a Dallas neighborhood. The original stained glass and wood floors gives you a feeling of hominess and comfort, like you’re “shopping in your best friend’s closet.” Since each there is only one size of each piece, customers are encouraged to buy it for a more unique and exclusive fashion experience. Piermarini is usually the first store in Texas to carry new and up-and-coming designers, who end up in stores like Neiman Marcus after being sold at Piermarini Boutique. So, his customers get their hands on these pieces before they hit the mainstream market.

After graduating high school, John felt he needed to “start the business at a young age and not go the traditional route.” Always interested in the industry, John started designing at 15, and began working with his mentor and business partner, Dallas fashion designer Abi Ferrin, toward the end of high school. They now collaborate on a line of modern slips and basic tanks called Abi & John, which are wildly popular. John has such great advice for those who hope to work in the fashion industry (I still can’t get over the fact that he’s only 2 years older than me!). You need “experience, and you need to understand your own style, and take risks.” It’s a huge industry, and it isn’t always glamorous, so “you need to know and love every aspect of it.”

According to John, spring is all about “sheer layering, mixing textures, and accenting with seafoam.” Regardless of trends, John says, “I think it’s great when you feel really great about what you’re wearing, and it’s effortless.” Trends from around the world from places like Korea, Sweden, and Brazil, come together at Piermarini. Undoubtedly, it’s a unique experience for dressing exceptionally. John “appreciate[s] people who take risks in what they’re wearing,” and can’t be tied down to one specific style icon. The Olsen twins, as well as Nicole Richie, are so ahead of their time, and take risks. John likes it when he looks at someone’s clothing and can tell “this is them in a nutshell.” And he loves fashion designer, Mason Martin Margiela, who is all about simple silhouettes, but doing something completely new and different with that.

The store gets new shipments often and is always changing, so it’s fun to stop by every once and a while and she what’s new. Spring is just beginning at Piermarini Boutique, and as always, the offerings this season will be “clean, simple, and have a little bit of an edge.” John also helps his clients get back to the basics and finds what makes them feel great, because “trying too hard is the worst thing you can do.” He adds, “We all have those moments where we are getting ready for an event and taking things on and off and on and off, and we’re sweating!” Finding your “go-to” is important. His own style in two words is “fitted and effortless.”

John hosts private events at the boutique for you and your stylista friends. This is perfect for sorority parties or style club events. Not a Dallasite? Don’t freak, because Piermarini Boutique is now selling online! You don’t need a plane ticket to Dallas, just shop like you’re in your own home from the comfort of your own home at Piermarini’s online store! An extra bonus, SMU students get 15% off at Piermarini Boutique!

Make sure to catch John Piermarini at the Business in Fashion Panel during SMU Fashion Week TONIGHT at 6:00 in the Crow Building, room 175. You won’t want to miss him!