This fall, the designs at Cibeline, Davis Square’s designer boutique, are all about brocade.

by Amber N. Johns

Women’s sportswear designer Cibeline Sariano, owner of Cibeline, located at 85 Holland St., said that among the designs she is in the process of working on for her fall collection, two blazer designs in brocades stand out most. The fabric, which she had specially shipped from Italy, comes in several patterns and colors.

She said several of the blazers can be worn as matching suit sets or alone, with jeans or flat-front pants.
Besides the brocade blazers, she is also coming out with a halter-top dress in matte jersey fabric. “It reminds me of Marilyn Monroe,” she said.
“The dress is just beautiful. It’s simple, classy and it’s sexy, but not overly sexy,” said Julia J. Cruz, who has worked as Sariano’s fit model for the last three seasons.
Sariano is also making more of her best-selling halter-top dress, which is featured in the shop window this summer, for the fall. She said she is making it in several more colors.
She said she thinks the reason the dress is so popular is in the cut. “It looks great on anyone who tries it on.”
In late fall or early winter, Sariano has plans to come out with duster jackets, which go to the ankle, in heavy brocades. She said she styled it after a jacket she owns and gets many compliments on. “It will never go out of style.”
“The fall collection is fantastic. I’ve always been enamored with Cibeline’s designs,” said Cruz.
Sariano said she is looking forward to her fall collection for both herself and her customers. “It’s phenomenal and I’m really excited about
it. I am going to wear the black brocade jacket all winter long.”
Sariano said that all of the designs in her store, which can run anywhere from $42 to $358, are original and designed with real women in mind. Every item in the store runs in Small (sizes 4-6), Medium (sizes 8-10) and Large (sizes 12-14), with the recent addition of Extra-Small (sizes 0-2) due to popular demand. “I build my clothes for real people and I’m focusing on people that have shape.”
“Her clothes are made for the average woman. You don’t have to be a super-skinny super model to look great in her stuff,” said Cruz.
When she opened her doors in September 2002, Sariano said she knew that making her designs in the full size spectrum could potentially put her out of business, but that three sizes that are more general could reach as many people as possible. In order to do this, she set up an in-
store alteration service. “That has been a huge selling point,” she said.
She said another reason she has the service is that she wants her clothes to fit to her customers’ different body types. “I can’t stand when I try something on and it doesn’t fit. When something fits perfectly, you feel feminine, powerful and confident. I love making my customers feel that way.”
Sariano, who grew up in Manhattan and went to Syracuse University’s school of design, worked for such designers as Richard Tyler, Calvin Klein and Liz Claiborne. She moved to Davis Square after marrying her husband, a Massachusetts native. She worked for designer Sigrid Olsen in Wakefield before opening her own store after hearing at random that retail rental space was opening up on Holland St. “I was itching to do my own thing. I got fired up about starting my own
business.”
Sariano said after her husband immediately agreed they took their life-savings and opened the store. “It’s a great location and I’m lucky to have it. I love Davis Square; it’s the up and coming hotspot in the Boston area.”
The success at Cibeline is due to her passion for design, said Sariano. “I love what I do and I have a passion for it. When you have a passion for what you do, you succeed.”
Cruz said she thinks Sariano’s success is due to her talent, which comes through in the fall collection. “Cibeline is extremely talented and her star is definitely on the rise. Her designs are so original and metropolitan; it’s like she’s bringing a little bit of New York to Somerville.”