Clothes might make the man, but local clothier has a woman's touch
In a town whose streets are lined with women's clothing boutiques--some new, some on-consignment--Monte Sereno resident Jahan Dokht Hill is making a name for herself by catering to another demographic group that also needs to wear clothes: men.
Located in the Opera House, Jahan Dokht Inc. is an upscale men's clothier. It's also the realization of a goal Hill has had since her childhood in Iran, where she dreamed of owning a clothing store and living above it. Hill's father--unlike many Persian men of past and present generations, she says--was very progressive in his opinion of women.
"He always told me I was no different from men," she says, smiling. Even her name, Jahan Dokht, is a reflection of her father's liberal ideas: it means "daughter of the world."
The name became a self-fulfilling prophecy. She moved to England for a handful of years to study business and economics and earn two degrees. She later moved to California, where she spent nine years in marketing, merchandising and dressing windows for a major clothing manufacturer. "All the time I was doing merchandising, I had a heart for fashion," she says.
She had an eye for fashion, as well--especially for what it took to make a well-dressed man. During her 14-year marriage, Hill says she frequently shopped for her husband. "I can look at a guy and tell just what size he is!" she says, adding that, years before opening Jahan Dokht Inc., she used to strike up conversations with people in clothing stores and help them make purchases.
"Sometimes salespeople even asked me if I'd like to work there!" she says, laughing.
In her new clothing shop, Hill puts her fashion flair to good use. Again living up to the meaning of her name, she travels every few months to Europe to shop for and buy name-brand men's clothing and accessories. Most are Italian; a few are from Germany or other countries. A portion of her merchandise is American-made, as well, mainly denim, she says.
Once it's in her store, Hill says she makes sure each piece of apparel is well-matched to the man who's going to wear it. If that man is shopping himself, she asks him about his fashion tastes and needs. If the man is being shopped for, Hill gathers appropriate information from the wife, girlfriend, or mother, doing the shopping.
"This is a man's shop, but with a woman's touch," she says, with a smile. "I'm here to dress up men and help them find what makes them look and feel good."
Jahan Dokht Inc. is at 140 W. Main St. For store hours, call 408.354.1112.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
