Though relatively brief, artist Frida Kahlo's time in Detroit from 1932 to 1933 continues to be a source of inspiration for many Detroiters. During that period, she and husband and artist Diego Rivera stayed in what's now called the Park Shelton, and it's there where Rachel Lutz, proprietress of that same building's Peacock Room, will open Frida, a clothing store that draws inspiration from Kahlo, her style, and the time she spent in Detroit.

Frida is the everyday extension of Lutz's vision, expanding her women's clothing collection to include jeans, leggings, shirts, and sweaters. Lutz uses words like 'eclectic' and 'modern,' 'boho' and 'ethnic' to characterize her new store, saying that just as it's hard to put Kahlo in a box, her new store can be hard to describe. She has big plans for the space itself, too, and promises it to be unlike any shop in the area.

It was a single sweater that inspired Lutz to open Frida, spotted at a trade show while picking out clothes for a new season at the Peacock Room. It was bold, fun, and lively, she says, multi-colored and very textured. It wasn't, however, something you'd find at the Peacock Room, so she passed. She regrets that decision now, having never been able to find that sweater again. But it did get Lutz thinking, and it's what inspired her to open Frida.

“It's a lesson to myself and to customers. What's here today is gone tomorrow,” says Lutz. “But that's what makes shopping fun. You have to get it while it's here.”

Frida will replace Lutz's other store, Emerald, a gift boutique that sometimes sold men's accessories. The Woodward-facing storefront was supposed to be a 6-month pop-up, says Lutz. It ended up staying open for two years. Popular products from that store will continue to be carried at the Peacock Room.

Lutz had a soft opening for Frida during this most recent Dlectricity festival. A grand opening is planned for Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. Brief openings and appointments may occur in the interim.

Source: Rachel Lutz, proprietress of the Peacock Room, Frida
Writer: MJ Galbraith

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