Matrushka Construction

by jenn l.

Like the other reviewer I have no idea why this says tobacco shop next to it? This place actually seems anti-tabacoo!  This place is absolutely adorable. Stores like this are what keeps the east side still cool. Located on the corner of Talmadge and Hyperion/Fountain, you are almost not sure what this store is expect there is a mannequin with a adress out front. When you walk into this quaint store you can tell that the clothes are made on site. They are unique and you will definitely not find someone wearing the same thing that you buy. What I think is best about this store is that if you find something that you love but it doesnt fit, they will make one that fits you! They do not discriminate on the people who are bigger than a size 2. They have cool creative clothes that are not terrbily overpriced. They also carry some unique handbags, cards, and decorative items. Support your local retailers and check this place out instead of driving to the Grove.

by Lili C.

There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. Don't visit the website (the photos do not do any of these clothes justice).I urge you to physically walk into this store and try something on. I dare you to walk out of this store again without spending a cent.Whatever you try on I bet you will be amazed at how sumptuous the fabric feels against your skin or how figure-flattering the cut of garment. No, it's not the slimming mirror in the dressing room. These dresses really are amazingly constructed for a gorgeous fit. You will not regret the experience.Or maybe you will when you leave the store with a unique, handmade, perfectly fitted (they do alterations!) dress that costs $100-$200.I am coming back for more when I next get paid.P.S. There was a hole in the seam of my new skirt. I took it in.The owner (who was sitting at her sewing machine) fixed it in less than a minute! I am so impressed with this store.

by Tina L.

I'm going to do my best to give an impartial review despite being insulted at the end of my second visit to this place by the clerk.Okay, Matrushka is adorable for out there original dresses that are sewn by the staff there. The patterns are different and you can at least be sure that whatever you pick up there you won't find (very likely) on another girl versus a situation at the local Forever 21.Downsides: the price tag. a 130 for a dress is a norm for the place. In fact, that's what I paid.The clerks can range from extremely disinterested in you to rather helpful but overly familiar. Familiar in a way that they think it's okay to joke around about certain characteristics you carry with as much distinction as possible.Ok, ok, I slouch, okay? I slouch a LOT. Granted, it was worse when I was a kid but I don't even let my friends get away with making fun of me to my face about that little problem.The comment arouse when I said that it was a little loose in the back of the dress since she bragged how they did custom tailoring. While all the pieces she picked out for me - while not my desired color that I asked her for (purple, red, pink, warm colors) - were wonderful looking on me, I didn't appreciate her little sense of humor. I was too polite to catch her in it and purchased my overpriced dress in any case.I'm not shopping here again. The first time I came here the staff basically ignored my existence. The second time, I'm insulted however goodly intentioned.Whatever. Come here if you want to blow a fortune and you can brush off that sort of attitude. I'm going back to just shopping at Shareen's Vintage. I could've gotten two to three dresses for the price I paid for one at Matrushka. Best of all, Shareen knows better than to resort to those sort of comments. Or at least pick a classier way of saying it to my face.

by Claire H.

This is a great place to shop for dresses if you've just gotten paid! Their dresses are quite pricey ($100 - $150!) but you get what you pay for. You are supporting a shop where dresses are lovingly made within these walls and tailored to fit you, if necessary. What a breath of fresh air from a world full of sweat shops.I happened upon a very pretty dress on sale for only $50 and I couldn't resist! It fits me to a T and the lady who helped me was very friendly and cool. I'll come back.

by Dsx S.

My fave clothing store in L.A.! The clothes are totally unique and flattering, and the owners will alter anything for you, right on the spot. When you make a purchase, you get a little hand-sewn bag instead of plastic...I reuse my Matrushka bags as little purses and always get compliments on them. The only downside is that the prices are too high for me to make Matrushka a regular habit, although they are quite reasonable considering that you're getting handmade, custom-tailored clothes. Cute guy stuff too - silkscreened button-down shirts and jackets.

by cathy d.Jaclyn S.stephy s.Liz P.Adrian L.

I am a curvy girl and while their adorable dresses pretty much fit me, it was the kind of situation where at any other store I just might suck it up OR SUCK IT IN and pay a lot for a dress that is cute but ultimately not that comfortable. Not as Matrushka! They instantly told me it would take a week or less to custom fit the dress to my bootylicious body. A week later and I now know what it looks like to feel comfortable in what I'm wearing BECAUSE IT FEELS SO GOOD (literally, this is the softest material ever) and is SOOOOO flattering. I want to treat myself to one of these dresses once a month. They should seriously start a dress of the month club!xoIt wasn't a convenient time when I walked by this store. I hadn't slept in two nights and had approximately 20 million more pages to write on an already late journal review. But there it was. In the window. This deep emerald green strapless cocktail dress in raw Thai silk. It had a slight sweetheart neckline and a beautiful green silk sash. I actually stopped in my tracks, looked up at this dress and uttered 'Be still my heart." (flutter) I went in and looked around - the beautiful dress came in several other iridescent colors and the store was awash with interesting hues and vintage looking prints. The owner makes everything there and will custom alter anything you buy to a perfect fit, free of charge. Btw - she said the name means Russian nesting dolls, very unique for a boutique. My roommate bought a couple dresses and within two minutes, the owner had sewn her two adorable and funky cloth bags to carry them in. How much better than a plastic or canvas bag is that!Next time I have a little cash, this is my first destination. Love!Yay for my friends, because they are apparently NOT liars! :)For months and months, two of my best gal pals have been raving about this store... "Oh my gosh, Steph, you have to go!""The girls here are so cool and the stuff is soooo cute!!""You haven't been yet, what the hell is wrong with you, Steph?!!?"Well, I finally went this week and I will say that I was impressed with the fashionable creations that are being sold here. All seem very simple (in a good way) and classic and the fabrics and prints they used were darling. There was this long green dress that I totally flipped over, but sadly it only would have held one of my boobs and seeing as how flashing is considered gauche in some circles, I had to pass. But man, had it only been a tad larger, it would have been MINE!!Apparently they also do custom clothes for you here, so if you see a style that you like, ask them and if they have fabric left then you too may be the lucky owner of a snazzy cool dress! The prices lived in a pretty broad range and some of the things really surprised me how cheaply priced they were, but others were on the higher end.All in all, it's a delightful little addition to the Silverlake scene and I will definitely be popping in on the regular when I'm in the neighborhood :)I needed a dress for my brother's wedding.  He writes for GQ and his fiancee is a fashion blogger for Yahoo.  They live in New York.  Pressure?  Yeeeahh.After a search that took me from the mall (hell) to Melrose (worse) I ended up with a way too expensive dress I already regretted and  would never wear again after the wedding.  On the way home, I decided to see what the neighborhood had to offer.  At Matrushka, I found the perfect replacement dress:  a simple, elegant, emerald green shift that Laura tailored to fit perfectly.  And supporting a local shop (for less money than my 1st dress) made the fit even better.A weird little store, hit or miss, I suppose it depends on your personal style. The sales person was listening to something like NPR, which was a downer to say the least. I wasn't really helped until it came time to swipe my card, but I can't complain because she wasn't rude or anything, just not especially chatty.I found a very cute halter top there on sale, which was still like 50 bucks, but I found a lot of things were made for somebody with a larger bust... like, a lot larger... Can't win em all, I guess.Anyhoo, cute stuff, wacky as hell. Come see it for yourself, I'd say.

by Thao L.

"Fashion for the People" is Matrushka Construction's moto.  I feel like a  fashionable non-proletarian when I put on my Matrushka Construction dresses. (For the record, I am very much sympathetic to workers' issues). Some may find that moto to be funny since the dresses sure aren't priced for a proletarian.Some of the clothing have tags on them that say Matrushka Construction, some don't,  and some have an additional tag that says "Stop Bush."When I finally went inside Matrushka Construction last November,  I was immediately taken by the sales clerk. She had a "womanly" figure and was friendly but left me alone to browse. I was pleased to learn that the owner and designer, Laura Howe, made the limited number of dresses in sizes that range from, what I refer to, as "small" to "realistic." (I fall in the "realistic" size). Most of the dresses are wash and drip dry which I like. I bought my first dress in November for my birthday. I found that I liked the dresses so much that I know have 6. I was able to buy 3 more (on sale) after I joined the mailing list for art openings and  special sales. Laura Howe, the owner and designer, sews the clothes herself so you know that it's not made in a sweatshop which is a big problem with the clothing industry. FYI: Howe is now on the Board of the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council.

by stephy s.

Yay for my friends, because they are apparently NOT liars! :)For months and months, two of my best gal pals have been raving about this store... "Oh my gosh, Steph, you have to go!""The girls here are so cool and the stuff is soooo cute!!""You haven't been yet, what the hell is wrong with you, Steph?!!?"Well, I finally went this week and I will say that I was impressed with the fashionable creations that are being sold here. All seem very simple (in a good way) and classic and the fabrics and prints they used were darling. There was this long green dress that I totally flipped over, but sadly it only would have held one of my boobs and seeing as how flashing is considered gauche in some circles, I had to pass. But man, had it only been a tad larger, it would have been MINE!!Apparently they also do custom clothes for you here, so if you see a style that you like, ask them and if they have fabric left then you too may be the lucky owner of a snazzy cool dress! The prices lived in a pretty broad range and some of the things really surprised me how cheaply priced they were, but others were on the higher end.All in all, it's a delightful little addition to the Silverlake scene and I will definitely be popping in on the regular when I'm in the neighborhood :)

by Jaclyn S.

It wasn't a convenient time when I walked by this store. I hadn't slept in two nights and had approximately 20 million more pages to write on an already late journal review. But there it was. In the window. This deep emerald green strapless cocktail dress in raw Thai silk. It had a slight sweetheart neckline and a beautiful green silk sash. I actually stopped in my tracks, looked up at this dress and uttered 'Be still my heart." (flutter) I went in and looked around - the beautiful dress came in several other iridescent colors and the store was awash with interesting hues and vintage looking prints. The owner makes everything there and will custom alter anything you buy to a perfect fit, free of charge. Btw - she said the name means Russian nesting dolls, very unique for a boutique. My roommate bought a couple dresses and within two minutes, the owner had sewn her two adorable and funky cloth bags to carry them in. How much better than a plastic or canvas bag is that!Next time I have a little cash, this is my first destination. Love!

by Lorraine Y.

Whenever I come here I always find something.  I like the fact that all the clothes here are all very unique and that they will do custom alterations on the spot.  The last time I went there (it was my first time going to the new location) Laura found this great wraptype tunic/dress and I love it!The T-shirt making nights are a lot of fun too.  So if you have a chance to go one, you definately should.