Sonia and Greg Trepetin say the recession is overhyped and there are still plenty of people out there with money.

Their new lingerie boutique puts that theory to the test.

Art de Femme opened Nov. 2 in the Village of Cross Keys shopping center, selling "ultra-high-end" lingerie, including bras, panties and swimsuits.

Some bra-and-panties sets sell for $250 or more.

The name of the store translates from the French as "the art of being a woman," the Trepetins said.

Their focus is on top-drawer lingerie and personal service.

"It's a very personal product, and it requires very personal attention," said Greg Trepetin, 41.

He and Sonia, 40, of Reisterstown, opened the retail store after 10 years of doing business online.

He said the online business will continue, but the Web site, www.artdefemme.com, is offline for the next few weeks, so as not to compete with the retail store, the couple's first.

Filling what they said is a void of "ultra-high-end intimates" in the Baltimore-Washington area, the Trepetins are selling more than 20 brands from the world's leading designers of lingerie, including La Perla, in Italy; Lise Charmel, in France, and Marlies Dekkers, in the Netherlands.

Brands of swimwear include Aqua di Lara and Poko Pano. Some have been modelled in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issues, Greg Trepetin said.

Shaking up the mix

Hanging on the racks will be items ranging from entry-level to limited edition.

The entry-level items introduce Victoria's Secret shoppers to a whole new world, Greg Trepetin said.

He called Victoria's Secret "junk lingerie," compared to the stock at Art de Femme.

"We'll give you really, really quality stuff. You don't have to pay $30 for a junky bra," he said.

The Trepetins opened the store at Cross Keys because of its upscale stores and "charming feel," Greg Trepetin said.

Cross Keys specializes in smaller, boutique-style stores, of which many are aimed at women. It also has a spa.

Samantha Harris, general manager of the Village of Cross Keys shopping center, said it caters to an older crowd, and that merchants, in many meetings with management, have long clamored for "retailers that shake up the mix."

But Harris thinks even older customers will appreciate the new lingerie store.

"The customers here are looking for something a lot more initimate than Victoria's Secret," Harris said.

From chef to chic

The Trepetins met at an international party as students at the University of Maryland, College Park.

She he was majoring in French language and culture, and he was an electrical engineering student and Eurodisco deejay from Azerbaijan.

Ironically, Victoria's Secret had a major influence on Sonia Trepetin in college.

"Those catalogs kind of lit my fire," she said.

She fantasized about being a "glamour girl," but settled for being a sales associate for Victoria's Secret for five years, during and after college.

She later became a chef, but started the online business while raising the couple's two sons, Joseph, now 11, and Joshua, 8.

But although she has a soft spot for her former employer, she said Victoria's Secret lingerie pales compared to Art de Femme's.

"I do like the finer things," she said.

Gambling on the economy

The Trepetins don't think their luxury lingerie will be a hard sell in a soft economy.

"Maybe if I would be opening 50 stores, but I'm not," Greg Trepetin said. "It is a gamble, maybe. But I believe there are enough people out there who believe in the finer things in life."

And he said 40 percent of customers online are men.

"I think the money is still out there," she said. "Will they buy five sets (of bras and panties)? No. They'll buy one."

Plus, she said, the holiday season is coming up, and then Valentine's Day.

"People are still getting married."

Harris thinks the store has a shot.

"The reality," she said, "is that there still are some people out there who can afford a $200 bra."

Art de Femme is located at 94 Village Square. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, and by appointment. Call 410-433-1818.

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