Erica Tanov

I’m vacillating between 3 and 3.5 stars. Beautiful shop with difficult-to-find brands I enjoy, but service is hit-or-miss. Very recently I visited and the staff were aloof and somewhat cold. I purchased a high-cost item but regretted it after since the service was so lukewarm and experience so underwhelming, ugh! Make shopping feel more special and personal (more warmth please!) and I’ll return.

I really love the selection of clothes and accessories in this store, but I find myself leaving with a bittersweet feeling almost every time I go in. As the only (in my opinion) upscale fashion store in Berkeley, it’s my go to place for inspiration and good quality. But sadly I rarely buy anything, because the lack of service and unwarm environment has me feeling reluctant to pay the high prices. I want to spend some time finding the perfect fit, but it’s just not very welcoming.

Love the staff...they are authentic and friendly. Elina is wonderful. Come here for a thoughtfully edited collection with a very clear artistic viewpoint and attention to detail and quality. Small local businesses deserve support more than ever!

An amazing collection of hip, high end clothes and footwear. ..and the most lovely staff.

Great selection of French clothes. Makes me sad to leave Berkeley

lovely clothes

Beautiful, high-quality clothing and accessories. However, the sales associates are unfriendly and snobby. Really wanted to support a local designer, but will be shopping elsewhere.

Wow... Husband bought me a $450 sweater from this place for Christmas. He encouraged me to exchange it for another style so I went in there this afternoon. Talk about snobby! The 2 young girls looked at me like I had no business to be in the store. They did the bare minimum to help and spent the rest of the time staring at their phones...I was the only person there. Someone should remind the girls they are sales people. So little inventory at this place it was boring and overpriced. Stay away!

Always a pleasure to stroll 4th street with a bff and visit one of the most beautiful stores, Erica Tanov. The sales people are kind and gracious and yesterday was a pleasure to purchase 2 treasures that are functional, beautifully crafted and fun! Signed up for emails and received 15% off my purchase which made my day!

Lovely boutique, high end and high priced, but the quality is there. And so is the service, pleasant and seemingly genuine :) . Bought several items from them in the last couple of months, definitively a place I will continue to keep an eye on in the future for clothing and general items that help make life fun :)

I have to echo the grievance other customers have expressed in regards to the stuffy, unfriendly, and downright rude atmosphere of this store. I reserved a time slot online for the big Labor Day weekend sale for 5:30pm. I was not greeted, but had this been the only offense, I would have been perfectly fine. It was 5:53pm when, carrying several items of clothing to try on, I was approached by a sales associate and told that the store would be closing in 7 minutes. (Could have given me a heads up a little bit sooner, no?) I hurried to the dressing room to try on the items I selected. Five minutes into trying t them on, I get a seemingly annoyed inquiry from the same sales associate as to whether or not I was almost finished. (?!.) When I bring a couple of items to the counter to purchase, I ask the sales associate about a piece of jewelry in the case - was it vintage or by an independent designer? First, she tells me the jewelry items are not included as part of the sale (not my question.) Then she hurriedly rings me up all the while being dismissive, indifferent, and frankly unprofessional. I head towards the exit, and while there had been several sales associates on the floor and one even closest to the door, not a single employee thanked me for coming or for my purchase. I love Erica Tanov's taste. I even own her book Design By Nature. But it was truly shocking to experience first hand how unaccommodating and unwelcoming the sales associates of this luxury boutique were.

Wow - I have to review given the reviews I see below. These reviews are brutal. What is the world coming to when you give a place a bad review when the store clerk doesn't say hi to you. Who cares - the clothes are great. I love this store and the clothes. The designer is local and clothes are well made and beautiful. The clothes range in sizes for a high end designer. I am a full figured woman and have a few of her dresses. I have never had a bad experience with staff at all! Every piece of clothing I have bought I love and always receive compliments on them. The 2.5 stars review is in no way fair and in no way reflects the business. This is a high end boutique and yeah people are quiet as they are most likely given people space to shop. If it is an issue, maybe but just try saying hello. The staff has always been friendly to me. I feel these reviews reflect the reviewers more than the store. It is absolutely worth going to! Check it out

This store has some of the most beautiful clothing, however the staff is so unfriendly. I love how they glare at you. That's the most awesome feeling. I've actually bought a few investment pieces from them, but I will no longer shop there. The staff is just too unfriendly. All you have to do is say hello. Seriously. I grabbed a coat to try on and the sales women shouted, "do you have the right size?" I am not sure what that was about. I know how to read a label and I know what fits me. And it did, fit. Ugh

Unless you love pretentious, pricey, preciousness, spend your hard-earned dollars or ill-gotten gains elsewhere. Christ! What a lot of mediocrity parading as chic. And the scandalized looks the checked-out sales clerks give you if you're not wearing just the just-so ensemble adorned with tiny expensive fey jewelry are enough to wilt your blow-out. I would rather see a Dress Barn here ;-)

Coquettish is the key word. A girlish store for the urban ingenue with a longing for the bucolic...and a storm cellar filled with cash. {insert vaselined camera lens & ATM card here} Erica Tanov is a petite, detailed-minded woman who designs....generally speaking, for not bigger than a thin, sm-med busted, size 8. Her clothes are well made (and hold up). A lot of fine detailing/tailoring. Her fabrics are exquisite, some handmade short run textiles from a mill in France. She is approachable and responsive, at least by email, for both compliments and complaints. After countless hem+hawing over the price for a sweater coat I'd eyed for weeks, I went ahead and bought it. NEVER regretted it. The texture is so fabulously baroque (furry tendrils of lustrey moss green wool boucle with thin ribbons of hand stitching and embroidered abalone-metallic sequins, lined with silk). Does clean-lined baroque (a derrida oxymoron) ever go out of style?! (I've had it for 6yrs, it continues to look great and still inspires jealous cooing from strangers on the street.) Yes, the store is spendy. The underlying subtext being: but....is it worth it? The answer is...a strong sometimes. Frankly, the winter, lined-thicker, and/or more heavily tailored "durable good" items are better worth the money. (that's the practical hedonist in me talking). I've outgrown the coy stylings (for myself), but I would still recommend the line for the quality and attention to detail, if you're into the vibe and size constraint. She also has a store in Nolita (NYC) and one in SF now.

The shop itself is very pretty. The clothing well its hit or miss, either really great or horribly tacky... Unfortunately, the prices are ridiculously high and they aren't even well known brand names or designers. Even worse, the attitude of the lady working here!

My favorite boutique in the Bay Area. I've been shopping at the Berkeley store for years and Erica Tanov clothing now comprises about a third of my wardrobe. I love her textiles, and appreciate the modern romantic artsy aesthetic. I always feel good in her clothes, and am glad she isn't willing to compromise on quality and uniqueness in order to satisfy the consumer who wants to pay less. You can be sure that you'll end up with a timeless piece when you buy something here, and know that you'll look great in it for many seasons. I also enjoy the salespeople hired by Erica. They are typically art school graduates, unpretentious, kind and helpful. I am frequently pleased with the pattern, color and texture mixtures they suggest. I'm also very appreciative of the low-key sales approach.

I am a huge fan of your beautiful Larkspur store! Love the staff and there are always new,beautiful jewelry and clothing. It is always a difficult decision to make between the two. Today, however, I am thoroughly impressed by your closed doors and commitment to this very important day...A Day Without women!! Go Erica Tanov! Go Women!!!

The women are always nice to me and I'm ordinary in every way. The clothes are beautifully made from gorgeous textiles. I always feel stylish and confident wearing ET clothes. I wear them year after year and new accessories always make them feel fresh and exciting. Yes they cost more than a lot of places but the garments are simple and luxurious. I picked up a chocolate cashmere pencil skirt $175 last weekend that goes with everything and I'm going back for a little beige graphic print thin cotton dress $175 that I will wear with any number of sweaters for a new silhouette. I probably shouldn't mention this but I think they are extending a good sale tomorrow.

Earlier I posted the review below. Since then they have graciously returned and refunded the purse. The staff I worked with were friendly and helpful. Thank goodness there is a happy ending. Today January 6th at 10:20 am I bought A messenger bag I believe my daughter had wanted. I called my daughter after I left the store and she indicated she already bought the messenger bag. I turned around and went back into the store asked if I could return it. I let the sales manager and sales assistant know what happened. Although only 10 minutes had passed since I bought the bag but I was told the store only took exchanges. The sales manager said the point of sale system could not retrieve me my money. I asked why they had not told me about this policy when I bought the bag and why there was no sign. They said it was a small store and it was the culture of such stores not to take returns. I said I would have respected this policy if I had been informed and that it was arrogant and pretentious to tell me if I knew the culture I would have already known. I kept the bag since there was nothing I liked in the store. I really felt it is a form of cheating customers of not letting them know the policy and putting them in this situation with no sign or information. I am going to research whether this was legal and appropriate and who should know. At least if you read this you will know.

We desperately wanted to love the products but the staff... rude, curt and condescending. No greetings, no smile, no service. Where, and more importantly, why, does Erica find these employees. Are they part time models or think they are and do not need to assist a customer in selling their products because it should sell themselves? There is a definitive sense of entitlement and feeling that they are too good to be working there. We will be taking our hard earned dollars and service elsewhere and will recommend friends and families to do so likewise.

Fabrics are beautiful (yet ethereal...how many vintage tea parties do we REALLY go to?? These clothes only seem suited for this...)...Here's my dilemma: the store is gorgeous and beckons invitingly, then, once inside, the bored chatty salespeople ignore me. Once they deign to acknowledge me I am sized up and deemed worthy( or not) of assistance.If I'm going to drop the equivalent of the rent money on one item (!!) which may be locally designed, but I am pretty certain not locally made, shouldn't I be treated, well...at least cordially?? If this had only happened to me, then perhaps I would give a different review. This sort of "insider clubbiness" has happened to almost all of my friends. Seems you are either in the group, or decidedly out...and the retail staff here let you know very clearly when you are out...feels like a rich girls' version of junior high...but with very high end clothing. There are lots of places where I can spend less, still get beautiful things, and be treated really well. At this point, if I simply HAVE to have something from Ms. Tanov's shop, I look on e-bay. Good luck to those of you who venture in...

This is a beautiful store! I have been to the Nolita store in NYC but I love this location on 4th street in Berkeley. I am always inspired when I browse this store and yes, it's pricey but their sales make the clothes affordable. The jewelry is always laid out so sweet in the cases and over all, the jewelry is pretty affordable but nice quality. I always like to check this store out when I am in the Berkeley area.

Please be warned not to shop for anyone else -- my husband bought me an expensive item I did not want, although it was sweet of him to try. I tried to return it, and was informed, like a previous reviewer, that I could only get store credit, even though I had the receipt. When I complained, I was looked like I was the creature from the Black Lagoon who had somehow wandered into the wrong universe. Of course they could not give me my money back, they were a small store, and I should have known, etc. The same BS mentioned elsewhere. I said okay, give me store credit and I will look when I have more time -- they handed me a scrap of cash register paper which quickly deteriorated in my wallet and by the time I got over my funk I couldn't find it. My fault, but the whole present thing turned to ash in my mouth as I mourned the wasted $200. The worst part, however, is I let the store clerk make me feel lesser, like if I really belonged there I would have known what the rules were -- if I were a knitter I know whose name I would be adding to the scarf.

These are the businesses you want to support. It's a treat to shop in this lovely boutique with locally-designed clothing that provide some unique pieces to offset all that generic stuff I usually buy. Everything in this place (including the always excellent service) is gentle and lovely.

The store is beautiful with unique, sometimes worth the spurge items, but the sales woman at the Berkeley store makes me feel so uncomfortable that if I want to actually buy something then I'll go to the store on Fillmore Street where the woman are actually pleasant and helpful, even though I live in the East Bay.

This is hands down the best place to shop for the most treasured pieces in your wardrobe. Made in Oakland with beautiful fabrics, there is really no beating what you will find here. It's true, the prices are on the high end, but not when you consider what you are getting -- elite design, incredible fabrics, local production, and timeless style. Just go over to Anthropologie a few stores down and you'll get it. When you see how Anthropologie marks up their prices for overseas manufacturing, mass produced, low quality craftsmanship (in rayon, no less!), clothes that don't last... you'll find no more qualms with shopping more mindfully and selectively at Erica Tanov. It's the locavore equivalent of style. Eat mindfully, shop mindfully. Love Erica Tanov.

Roughly 1/3 of the clothes in my closet are Erica Tanov items. However, yet another visit to a store where I am made to feel so unwelcome is turning me away from being an Erica Tanov girl. In my hands I held two jackets priced over $600 each yet the counter staff could not pull themselves away from their personal conversations or trying on clothes themselves to notice me. I gave them time, I tried on things and looked at them for about 40 minutes then left empty-handed, despite being willing to be talked into purchasing BOTH. I don't know what happened--do they not work on commission? After Luisa left, they had a similar staff problem and I boycotted the store for about 4 years but then things seemed to perk up again. Looks like they have been following the poor service norms of neighbor Rabat. In any case, I'm not saying I'll never buy these beautiful clothes again, but I'll save my shopping for the NYC store instead of my own neighborhood because at least there I've been made to feel like the staff cares whether they have customers or not.