Heather Caswell, right, owner of The Wardrobe, helps customer Fumie Reid — who is wearing something she bought at The Wardrobe a decade ago — look for new styles for her collection. Bob Schultz/Courtesy photo

Heather Caswell grew up in Philadelphia, but she had an attraction to California from an early age. She remembers reading about a place called The Blue Mango with healthy organic food and a thriving live music scene in Davis.

She moved to Davis after graduating from college in 1986 and, within a few months, she was the outreach coordinator at the venerable downtown restaurant, overseeing the live music and other events.

After her time at The Blue Mango, Caswell took a job at a 10-year-old store called The Wardrobe, located where Sophia’s Thai Kitchen now stands. By January 1988 Caswell was the owner, and as the years went by, the store moved twice and shifted from consignment clothing to vintage clothing and costumes to its current incarnation as a style haven at 206 E St.

Another key element of The Wardrobe has become dressing people in style for weddings.

Caswell found that her background in theater and her experiences as an event coordinator, a deejay at KDVS, a writer and an editor made her ideally suited to run the business that The Wardrobe has become.

The Wardrobe has its own newsletter, a blog, a YouTube Channel and regular events like trunk shows. Caswell also is very involved with programs to support local charities; her last was the Serotonin Surge Annual Fashion Show in March, which brought in $300,000 to support 20 clinics that provide more than 250,000 patient visits for people who are uninsured or underinsured.

Defining her role at The Wardrobe, Caswell sees herself as the “editor” who chooses just the right clothing from the best of local and national designers to fit the needs of those who are drawn to her shop. Experience has taught her much about what the people of Davis do, and don’t, want.

Once she has the racks filled with the right options, she becomes the “style coach,” exploring the various color and style options to align with each customer’s unique needs.

Two signs on the walls of The Wardrobe say a lot about Caswell’s philosophy. One says “Art Couture,” which she says describes what her store has evolved into: “West Coast style meets European chic.” The second says “The Art of Becoming You,” which she talks about in a video at The Wardrobe’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWardrobeBoutique.

Caswell shares more of her ideas in the “Fashion for Thought” section of the free newsletter available on her website, www.thewardrobe.com, and don’t be surprised to see a book about “The Art of Becoming You” in the not-too-distant future.

Caswell loves matching stylish clothing with powerful women who are making a difference in the world. If you go to her website at http://thewardrobe.com/the-wardrobe-blog, you will find her “Muse of the Month,” which in March spotlighted Lesli Chuck, co-producer of the Serotonin Surge Charities event. In April, the focus is on former California Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin.

Speaking of influential women, Caswell likes to quote first lady Michelle Obama, who said, “If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion.”

Caswell credits Carol Klesow, founder of Aura-Jin and practitioner of Aura-Soma, for helping her to better understand what Klesow calls “the language of color.” Another mentor, with a focus on literature and travel, has been Phil Cousineau, author of The Art of Pilgrimage.”

Caswell joined Cousineau for a trip to “The Mythic Light Heart of Ireland,” and you can learn more about that trip and about her suggestions for packing for travel at The Wardrobe’s YouTube channel.

As her way of paying back her mentors, Caswell has launched more than 100 designers, many of them local, in her shop. She also has provided more than 100 internships and has been pleased to watch the designers find success and the interns find jobs in the fashion industry.

Caswell also has become involved in local organizations and currently sits on the board of Davis Media Access.

She praises her staff and recently brought them together on a day the store was closed to develop an intentional shared vision that includes being “thankful for the help of others,” and trying to “inspire those around us.”

The mirrors around The Wardrobe, including one that looks like Alice in Wonderland’s Looking Glass, let customers see themselves in a new light, and Caswell and her staff love watching customers of all ages come alive with a smile when they find their color, their style, their “voice,” among the collection of styles in the store.

Shop Davis

The Wardrobe is one of many retailers and service providers in Davis who are part of the Shop Davis campaign. Why shop Davis? Sales taxes help pay for infrastructure, schools and city services; local business owners support local charities and causes; convenience; jobs; creating a city brand helps grow tourism and attract other businesses; and it’s eco-friendly.

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