Roya Bayat in her new shop, Posh Photo Sophie Braccini

What would a cosmopolitan woman with the looks of a model and an artistic taste in fashion do in Lafayette when she decides to create a new career for herself? Roya Bayat's answer to this question was easy: Posh, a retail apparel store for women. Located at the corner of Mount Diablo Boulevard and Brown Avenue, the little cottage she opened five weeks ago is filled with sophisticated, and very feminine, outfits and accessories that should easily find a market in Lamorinda.

Bayat was raised in Iran and lived in different countries including Turkey and Italy. "I love living in this country because I don't feel like a foreigner here," she says, "People can be very friendly in other countries, but if you have a foreign accent you will never be considered one of them. It is not the same here - people embrace you, where ever you come from."

Bayat used to be a fashion buyer. She is the mother of two young children and is also an artist -some of her paintings and sculptures are displayed in her store. "I cannot really make a living with my art," she says, "but opening this store is a great way to combine my love of fashion and contributing to my family." Bayat says that she loves making women beautiful.

Her worldly education shows in the choice of unique clothes she sells. "I fly to New York showrooms at least once a month to see collections and order interesting things," says Bayat, "from my previous job as a buyer I know all the distributors in person." Her favorite creators are from New York, Italy, France, Los Angeles and sometimes Spain. "I like clothes that are fashionable, luxurious and at the same time, comfortable," she says, "something you can wear to go pick up the kids at school and look marvelous in."

The result is an assortment of diverse outfits, from some that exude simple elegance to others that are more romantic or bright.

"I have chosen a place that's still quite affordable and I keep my operating expenses low," says Bayat, "I want people here to have access to unique fashion that's not outrageously expensive." The store is small, and Bayat puts only a few sizes on the racks, while holding the rest in her storage room - she carries sizes 2 to 10 (for some items) - priced from $8 accessories to a few hundred dollars for pieces of clothing.

"I feel fortunate to have found the cottage, with a faáade on Brown where the business owners are so friendly, and the opposite front on the plaza that's so charming," says Bayat, adding that she feels blessed to have been warmly welcomed in the neighborhood.

Posh is located at

The Forge

3416 Mt. Diablo Blvd.

Lafayette.

925-962-9691