Family fashion

Samantha Lurie is one of three sisters who own Enaz in Northfield and Highland Park. Lurie holds an Olivia Harris metallic foldover messenger bag at $278. | Karie Angell Luc~for Sun-Times Media

Three area siblings are doing it for themselves, running a pair of boutiques started by their mother.

Raised in Highland Park, sisters Samantha Lurie, Melinda Kaplan and Lena Blitstein are the proud owners of the Northfield- and Highland Park-based Enaz boutiques. Enaz stands for energy, nature, attitude and a zest for life, which the sisters have in spades.

“We’re all sisters,” said Samantha. “We’re a very dynamic trio ... Lena and I are actually the buyers, Melinda does the accounting,” said the creative Lurie. “We’ve got good chemistry, but all of our tastes are very different, so it’s nice to get different opinions to work off everyone’s style.”

Their mother, Susan Lurie, started the business 20 years ago.

“She was a leather goods artist,” explained Lurie, of the family’s boutique Highland Park business roots. “We opened up a second location in Northfield three years ago and it’s been incredible.”

Today Enaz customers are nowadays treated to a spa bar which features more than 25 scented oils, which also are sold online at www.enaz.com.

Expect to find colored jeans and more.

“Enaz definitely has more of an earthy vibe,” said Lurie. “You probably won’t see a lot of ripped jeans but you’ll see something a little bit more tailored, casual, every day, this is more of a mother/daughter store, so I would say (Enaz offers) things that are very wearable.”

Accessories to span generations include funky jewelry with 1970s bling to fun tie-dyed patterns and distressed chartreuse autumnal fabrics to round out any look.

“We’ve been able to expose our clothing to different areas of the North Shore to target all types of women and their impeccable styles, increasing their confidence,” said Lurie.

“The women of the North Shore have outstanding taste,” she asserts.

You don’t have to travel to New York City to experience Big Apple September Fashion Week design. At Enaz, expect to see pieces such as a fuchsia ombre texture Echo Design scarf at $48.

The Olivia Harris metallic foldover messenger bag at $278 is a perfect complement to this fall’s trend of super skinny jeans.

The cornucopia of colored denim splashes against the interior, which features chic chandeliers.

“I just think that the person has to kind of look within themselves and see what’s true to them, look at the trends, you know, to see what they can get away with,” Lurie said. “I think it doesn’t matter how old you are, I think you can embrace any trend that you think feels comfortable to you. One thing is layering, you know, we’re doing a lot of vests, long sleeves, so you can kind of get creative with your layering.”

Perfect for autumn and winter, Enaz will be a part of the Pioneer Press Fall Trend Fashion Event 2012 held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 11 at Northbrook Pinstripes at Willow Festival Shopping Center, 1150 Willow Road.

“I think the fashion shows are always fun, you get to kind of see who’s there, see the people you know, find out what other stores are doing.”

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