Laurie B. knitwear designer keeps it casual

You've probably never heard of East Bay knitwear designer Laurie Brazeau.

But her Laurie B. line of cozy cashmere-cotton blend cardigans, merino wool, alpaca and linen sweaters has been around for 20 years, available in every Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's in the country as well as more than 400 specialty boutiques, including Dema in the Mission District.

"I've always thought of myself as that boutique hotel down the alley that's always booked," said the designer and mother of two small children who's never agreed to be interviewed before.

Business has bounced back well, she said, after a challenging two years. "It's not that; it just seemed like time to do some press." At the urging of her wife, they finally put up a website a few months ago.

"I'm a late bloomer," she admits. "I guess I'm doing it backward. Now that I've had children, I want to expand and explore more, rather than pull back. But I've always been very private about my life."

Seems like a pretty nice life. Brazeau, her wife, Kristeen Gentemann, and their kids, 1 and 4, live in an unusually spacious, newly renovated 1930s-era three-story brown-shingle house perched atop a hill in Oakland. What seems like a mile of wide wooden steps lead to a giant red door and into an open, skylight-filled beamed ceiling living area she calls "a cross between an urban loft and a tree house."

The designer does her sketching here (eight new styles every two weeks) on a stark white shabby-chic couch. Her sweater samples are made locally, then produced by the tens of thousands in China. Made from Italian yarn, they retail for about $160 to $180, and are as easygoing as Brazeau: flowing long sweaters with asymmetrical shapes, double contrasting color layers and attention to details, like hand-stitching or Japanese ribbon trims.

"I'm designing for the woman who would love to walk into Barneys and buy Margiela or Row, but doesn't have the $2,000," she says.

Boutique owner Dema Grim has carried the line since she opened in the late '90s. "My current favorite is the new boxy shape in cotton-cashmere. It's a deep slouchy V-neck with little pockets in a heathered blend of oatmeal-mushroom flannel. It's the perfect thing over skinny jeans or a little tweed miniskirt with tights and boots," she said.

"I'm drawn to Laurie B for her attention to detail and unusual mix of yarns. She's not strictly cashmere only, which often makes a line prohibitively expensive. Her style is modern but not fussy."

Laid-back style

Brazeau is much like that herself. Looking far younger than 45, she's blessed with flawless skin. She answers the door wearing a lightweight black layered, draped cowl-neck top and leggings. She has no-fuss short hair, wears no makeup, no jewelry save her wedding rings - and on this chilly winter's day, no shoes, either. She is exceedingly laid back.

Well, you can take the girl out of Oaxaca ... "I grew up in Mexico with hippie parents, where I learned it's OK to take a nap, have a long lunch and weekends off from working," she said with a laugh. After fashion school in Los Angeles and time living in Paris, she started her knitwear line, originally called Brazeau Tricot, in 1991, with a three-quarter-sleeve combed cotton cardigan with buttons down the front. "For 10 years, that style supported me," she said.

Chunky knits for fall

Fall's latest looks, in stores now, include both flat and chunky knits, like a charcoal cotton cashmere military-inspired cardigan with two rows of big buttons and exaggerated ribbed cuffs (about $175 at Bloomingdale's). A current favorite is a long grayish-green nubby merino wool cardigan with a shawl collar that curves seamlessly into pockets ($178 at Nordstrom).

For next spring, she's happy with a gray combed cotton sweater set in "three shades of fog," with a floaty tulle under layer, Japanese ribbon trim down the front and tiny metallic snaps along the V-neck.

Yearly trips to Japan or Europe keep the creative juices flowing. "After 10 days in Japan, my heart is beating so fast, I'm so inspired," she says. A new asymmetrical cape (for next fall) with a shawl collar and small leather buckle strap details at the shoulder was inspired by young people on the street in Tokyo.

Why work with fabric when yarn is so much more interesting?

"You start with a single thread of yarn, and there are no limits," she says. "You can twist it, turn it into tweed, add texture. You can do virtually anything, create any shape, any thickness. You just can't do all that with a flat fabric."

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This article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle