Friday, October 16, 2009

Houston

Coquette (1848 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77098/ 713.527.7377)

The Montrose corner spot still has the chic red door, but inside, you’ll find a boutique and bistro. They offer snacks from Krafts’men Bakery that you can enjoy perched at one of the tiny tables amongst well-priced sequin leggings, snug blazers and funky jewelry. -- Houston Tidbits

Labels: Doucette Duvall, LNA, Wildfox

Store Hours:
M-F 10-6
Sat 11-6
Sun 12-4

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Harajuku Loft (9104 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX 77036/ 713.771.7733) $

This little gem has been a well-kept secret, but I think the secret's out. I've been visiting this store since it first opened about 5 years ago when it was under a different owner. The owner would constantly be visiting Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong to pick up trendy and quirky pieces to sell at his store at very reasonable prices. Since then, new owner, Patrick Chan, has picked up from where the old owner left off (original owner moved back to Hong Kong) and sells cute clothing and accessories imported from Hong Kong. You have to come often because the selection is constantly changing and there are usually at most, 2 of each piece. Styles range from the modern to uber girly. For the girls, they have a huge earrings wall with ridiculously cute ear flair and for the boys, a skinny tie wall with all colors imaginable.









Hemline (2505 Amherst St., Houston, TX 77005/ 713.942.2016)

A hot New Orleans import, Hemline has easily settled into its Rice Village home. The boutique boasts all sorts of very current and highly fashionable lines from Custo, Betsy Johnson, Diane von Furstenberg, Charles David, Damage and Steven. Like most boutiques, the sizes stop at a six or eight, but if you're looking for something unique and trendy but not too ‘tween, stop by. --Chron.com

Labels: Free People, Miss Me, Fluxus, Melie Bianco, LA Made, Nicole Miller, Hale Bob

Store Hours:
M-F 9-7
Sat 10-7
Sun 11-6

Leap (2314 Bissonnet St., Houston, TX 77005/ 713.526.4580) $$$$

This store epitomizes the style I would like to embody- clean, modern, comfy, and a little edgy. Leap has a great mix of both European and American lines and has labels that are hard to come by. With a pretty open 2-room space with sofas, chairs, and tons of eye candy, you may never want to leave. Leap veers away from the trendy and focuses its attention on clothing with clean lines and unique details that will last a lifetime.

Labels: Isabel Marant, Humanoid, Zero, ReSet, Hache, Virginia Johnson, Eileen Shields, Maria Cornejo, Let Me Be, Majestic

Store Hours:
M-S 10am-6pm
Closed Sun





DESIGNER CONSIGNMENT:
You can't really go wrong with designer consignment. Gently used clothing from mid- to high-end designers at a fraction of the original cost. That's my kind of store.

Couture Blowout (1621 Westheimer Rd., Houston, TX 77006/ 713.520.7585) $$$
Owner, Fatou Fall, went from working at a high end retail store to style consulting to now owning her own designer consignment stores. When curating closets for her high fashion clients, both Fatou and the clients wondered what they were going to do with all the extra clothing being cleaned out. A sheer stroke of genius hit Fatou, and she ran a couple of "blowout" sales at her friend's art gallery with all the excess clothing. The sales went so well that she decided to open a storefront. Not a moment to soon because items at her store are going like hotcakes. While there, I saw a lady snatch up a limited edition Gucci purse brought in by a client who purchased it in Paris. The lady was worried that someone else would come in and put it on layaway. Yes, Couture Blowout even has a 30-day layaway policy making it easy for those of us who have to do a little monthly saving before we can purchase that Jil Sander dress we had our eye on.






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