Boutiques that feature chic clothing and hip eyewear come to King Street

Come early February, King Street can add yet another boutique to its repertoire of hotspots for fashion-forward women to shop.

Offering designer duds and high-end handbags, k. morgan is the latest in a slew of trendsetting shops to come to the Charleston area, aimed at women who aren't afraid to spend a pretty penny on the perfect cocktail dress or pair of jeans.

But that's not to say each of these boutiques — k. morgan included — isn't unique in its own right. Sure, King Street is bursting at the seams with shops filled with top-of-the-line threads, but each brings its own twist to the table.

So what's k. morgan's twist?

Besides offering the collections of well-known designers such as Charles Nolan, Badgley Mischka, Pink Tartan, Carmen Marc Valvo and Chaiken, the swanky shop at 255 King St. — where Simply Divine resided until it moved down the street earlier this month — will feature several lines that can't be found anywhere else in the Charleston area: Tufi Duek, Elena Perseil, Hilton Hollis and Mouska.

"K. morgan satisfies a need in the area for shoppers who are looking for sophisticated, elegant and stylish pieces, which are not only current trends, but will meld seamlessly into an existing wardrobe," said owner Kristin Williams, who spent the last 10 years working with fashion houses such as Neiman Marcus and Nicole Miller.

Most recently she was the manager at a well-known King Street shop, until she decided to combine her experiences to realize her vision of what an upscale women's boutique should be. Visit www.kmorganboutique.com.

SEE the world

While k. morgan may not fill a void in the King Street shopping district, SEE — short for Selective Eyewear Elements — brings Charleston its first optical boutique specifically geared toward the fashion-conscious.

With 19 stores in cities across the United States, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston, SEE President and CEO Richard Golden said, the company chose King Street because of its "charm and true character — more than most other streets in America."

Everything from the store's sleek and modern design to the trendy sales associates screams couture, allowing it to fit snugly among King Street's other swanky shops.

Touting the phrase "hip without the rip," SEE has omitted European wholesalers of fashion eyewear, enabling the company to sell its product for one-third of the price of comparable frames.

Having been in the market for new sunglasses, I tested the waters a few weeks ago and wasn't disappointed.

SEE expects to open another 70-80 stores in the next five years. Visit www.seeeyewear.com.

Reach Abi Nicholas at 937-5524 or anicholas@postandcourier.com.