And tall.
"There are not a lot of places in Salt Lake City where people can buy funky, trendy young clothes, and this will be a nice place for them to come," the former Russian pop star said Tuesday as she and employees worked to prepare the boutique for its opening. Set hours have not yet been established for Fleur de Lis, 124 S. 400 West.
As for "tall," her experience is that a basketball player who is 6 feet 9 inches tall - like her husband Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko - has trouble buying clothes at, say, Nordstrom.
"His suits are custom-made. Casual clothes are hard. Some stores carry double XL shirts, but still, they look like fitted shirts on him. And jeans? Forget jeans."
Her answer is a line of hoodies and T-shirts from designer Life&Death and others that will fit and look good. All the vendors she uses carry extra large sizes, and will do special orders.
"This is not a 'big and tall' shop. Those shops are usually conservative. This is not," said Kirilenko, who wore a funky and very short pink dress handmade by designer Hayley Starr.
She acknowledged some things in her boutique are going to be ridiculously expensive. At present, the clothing runs from $35 to $2,500. Some of the designers are friends of Kirilenko and some, acquaintances. She likes up-and-coming designers and wears the clothes she has in the boutique.
"These are things that celebrities wear in real life. Comfortable, fun clothes," she says.
Kirilenko hopes Jazz players will come in and hang out - "They don't have to buy anything" - and also hopes other NBA players will shop while they are in town.
She plans to entice nonshoppers to stay around while their significant others shop.
"I've done my homework. I know that guys like to play video games and watch TV. We have a PlayStation, and comfortable chairs."
While opening a shop at a time when the sidewalk in front is bordered by an orange safety fence separating people and a pit may seem daring, Kirilenko says she feels a sense of accomplishment in getting it finished. And she intends to spend a lot time at Fleur de Lis.
"I have been in business before. The most important key thing is that you have to be there. During the season, I will be running back and forth from the EnergySolutions Arena. This is a good location for me to be," she says.
