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Show Rugged Elegance sells art that will wear well , , -OT i .. .. ...... ...? j- -, - " , " "I . , r--v . M 5 k . - i - " w V V v V ' I . 7 ; t .... ' . ; . ' i ' I ' y--' :..-,.;-r ;i . -,.. . r . .j v-? . iOi?--r''.f v. Miff - V K I , ' SV : by Randy Hanskat The scenario: A girl is born and raised in Kent, England, later gets a degree in art and economics, and learns to ski. Then she travels to New York to pursue her career, but doesn't like it So she heads west and opens a sportswear shop in Park City which utilizes her unique artistic designs. Now she can do all the things she likes to do art, skiing, tennis and she lives happily ever after. Quite the Horatio Alger story, eh? Sort of, but in this case it's told with an English accent. Such is the story of Sheila Haloff, the owner of Rugged Elegance, a sportswear store which will open next week in the Lower Hills Building on Main Street. Haloff says her store specializes in "unique ac-tivewear ac-tivewear for the sports en thusiast." The "unique" comes from Haloff's artistic background. back-ground. She says she designs 90 percent of the prints which are on the clothes in her store. The silk-screen designs adorn jackets, tops, miniskirts, sweats, leg warmers, headbands, and even panties. And there are shoes, boots, jewelry, and Carrera sunglasses and goggles gog-gles to add to the assortment. assort-ment. All, says Haloff, are coordinated to go together. She explains that none of her designs can be found elsewhere, since they are . trademarked. One such item is an apron. Not too original, you say. Ah, but it is, because Haloff claims she makes a divine chocolate mousse. So what? you say. Yes, but the homemade recipe is silk-screened onto the anrnn oivinf it. a bit of ai nil in mm murium i i Hi "m'H 1 Sheila Haloff displaying one of her creations. They give the shop a good atmosphere, she thinks. And her accent makes you believe be-lieve they are authentic. So just when you thought Park City was overflowing with shops that deal in sportswear, another one comes along. But this one, Rugged Elegance, puts a bit of personality in its stock. Haloff thinks it will be just the difference needed. Rugged Elegance will be open seven day week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Haloff offers a' W percent discount to all locals. " o o spice out of the ordinary. But not all the designs are Haloff's. She says she and assistant Karen Stuck have travelled to New York and Los Angeles to supplement the store with other original designs by other artists. "We picked up a lot of unusual lines," she says. ' And now all is on display in the 700 square feet of her ' upstairs; location in the still incomplete Lower Hills Building. The slow pace of construction of the building has been the only disappointment. disappoint-ment. It is already one month behind schedule, she says, and she is fighting to open next week, her certificate of occupancy delayed de-layed by the unfinished building. But why get into the retail business? "I've wanted to try something new and different which was chal lenging," she says. "Plus, it's exciting when you design something and someone wants to buy it." But what happened to New York? "I didn't like being stuck in a studio all by myself.-1 like to be around lots of people." ffi , j So after spending 11 years NewTorlf, Haloff moved to Alta, Utah, and got into retail. Last year she worked at the Powderhound at Snowbird, since June she has been working on Rugged Elegance, buying and making mak-ing plans. Through the years she hasn't forgotten her English heritage. That is obvious when looking around the store. Interspersed throughout through-out the colorful clothes are English antiques. A chande-leir chande-leir here, an oak hutch there. |