Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/209310
Gretta Monahan opened her boutique, Gretta Luxe, for style-conscious Bostonians. TASTEMAKER Dressed for Success GRETTA MONAHAN, THE BOSTON STYLESETTER AND OWNER OF GRETTA LUXE, RELEASES HER FIRST BOOK. BY JULIET IZON PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE EDSON I t's hard to believe that anyone would say no to Gretta Monahan, whose first book, Style and the Successful Girl (Gotham, $30), hit shelves in October. But the rare instance of someone declining her request does happen. In 2001, while gearing up to open her first boutique, Gretta Luxe, the energetic brunette called on some of her favorite designers—Prada and Chloé, to name a few—to see if she could stock their brands in her store. "They would say, 'No one buys fashion in Boston; we're not going to sell to you,'" Monahan recalls with a sigh. But not even European fashion houses should underestimate Monahan's vision or grit. "We were a huge success the first year. After that, all the brands said, 'Hey, we want to be in your boutique! We get it—there are [fashionable] people in Boston. You found them,'" she relates triumphantly. 102 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 102-103_BC_SS_StyleSetter_Holiday_13.indd 102 10/31/13 5:46 PM