WHEN Gretchen Braun’s Bank Street apartment went up in flames a month ago due to an electrical fire, she and every other tenant made it out of the six-story building without a scratch.
What didn’t survive were Braun’s designer clothes.
Gucci, L.L. Bean and Tod’s bags, gone. Diane von Furstenberg and Katayone Adeli dresses, gone. Jimmy Choo shoes and Alain Miki sunglasses: gone, gone, gone.
Standing barefoot in front of the burning building in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt – she was reading in bed when the fire broke out around 10 p.m. – Braun called her insurance company, State Farm, on the cellphone she managed to grab on the way out, along with her gym bag.
“I invested in renter’s insurance in December, thank God,” she told The Post. “Everyone was so helpful. The Red Cross was there, the firemen were so cute and my agent was on the phone with me till 2 a.m.”
In addition to replacing her CD collection and a Dooney & Bourke bag, the agency found Braun and her roommate a Greenwich Avenue apartment (with three months’ paid rent) and wrote her a $2,000 check to cover her lost clothes – all for a $250 annual premium.
For two days after the fire, Braun switched between pajama bottoms and running pants, along with an Old Navy sweater and jacket someone gave her that night. (“I don’t even know who,” she says.)
But for a 29-year-old p.r. exec who plans events such as the “Legally Blonde 2” premiere, pajama bottoms wouldn’t cut it for long. Where to start?
“I hate to shop,” says the Savannah, Ga., native. “I’m not good at it.”
“Everyone in my office shops and loves it. I am the one who is in jeans and a T-shirt all the time, always in a ponytail. I take cues from them.
To help plan a wardrobe that would get her through office, nighttime and beyond, she consulted Stacy Vale, a personal shopper for the Scoop boutiques.
“We wanted to rebuild her wardrobe,” said Vale. “We needed to get her some basics, some fun pieces that she wouldn’t have had before.
“She really wanted to go for stuff she could wear out to cocktail events. Something she can go to the office in and then wear out. So that’s what we tried to do here.”
The two spent a day at shops including Scoop, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Braun and Vale chose sensible but cute pants, tops and dresses. The one splurge: a $545 Marc Jacobs purse.
“If you have your basic things, it’s OK if the price is a bit extraordinary,” Braun said.
Like chocolate cake washed down with Diet Coke, the bag was easier to swallow after Braun bought a $19.50 flower camisole and $3.50 earrings from H&M.
At day’s end, Braun had five versatile looks that make her feel “great and trendy and comfortable at the same time.”
“These are great basics that I will wear over and over again,” says Braun. “I’m not the type to sport a Dolce & Gabbana corset. These two dresses make me feel like I’m on top of a cake, and the two pairs of Theory pants will last me 10 years.”
Total spending: $2,135
Black Marc Jacobs dress $288
Marc Jacobs black bag $545
Armani makeup $192.50
Total: $1025.50
“The truth of the matter is that you bring your bag with you everywhere. I didn’t create the rule, but everyone looks at what bag you have. It’s the one thing I’m willing to spend money on. This is a basic must-have event dress that I can wear to anything, anytime.”
Polka dot Marc Jacobs dress $288
H&M chandelier earrings $3.50
Total: $291.50
“It’s my fun summer dress that I will have to retire until it becomes vintage again.”
Diane von Furstenberg shirt $155
Black Theory pants $220
Total: $375
“It’s a great date outfit, but you’re not trying too hard, and you still look decent. I feel like Nicole Kidman.”
White Theory top $145
Total: $145
“The most comfortable outfit ever. I can wear it to work or out, with just a bra underneath or a camisole.”
Brown Theory pants $220
H & M Créme corduroy blazer $59
H & M Asian-inspired top $19
Total: $298
“It’s great because I can wear the jacket to work and take it off for night, and have a really fun outfit.”
– shoes by Delman, hair by Charles Worthington, makeup by Brenda Ramirez for Giorgio ArmaniTotal: $2,135