City Shop Guide

Los Angeles

2010-04-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Satine (8134 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048/ 323.655.2142)

Satine is a unique luxury retailer inspired by owner Jeannie Lee’s love for both the quirky and the sophisticated. Influenced by the fashion forward street styles of Japan, Paris, Australia, New York and Los Angeles, Satine stocks major international fashion brands alongside hard to find indie labels. Lee’s global perspective, combined with the carefree whimsical freedom of Southern California style, has made Satine the must-shop boutique that all of fashionable Los Angeles turns to for its wardrobe. --Satine website

Labels: Balmain, Brian Lichtenberg, Christopher Kane, Commes des Garcons, Doo.Ri, Erin Fetherston, Future Classics, Kaylee Tankus, Thakoon, Vanessa Bruno, Zero + Maria Cornejo

Store Hours:
M-Sat 11-7
Sun 12-6

Portland

2010-04-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

Frances May (1013 SW Washington, Portland, OR 97205/ 503.227.3402)

A carefully curated boutique blending modern silhouettes with nostalgic charm. The joint venture between Grandmother, Connie Codding, and Granddaughter, Pamela Baker-Miller, strives to bridge the gap between form and function, trend and timelessness, elegance and edge. After graduating from art school in Brooklyn, NY and working as a gallery assistant, Pamela moved to Portland, OR to forge a new path. The savvy businesswoman, mother of five, and grandmother to everyone; Connie wanted to use her skills to fulfill an heirloom dream. With a shared love for design, Pamela and Connie combined their efforts to create a fashion haven for both men and women. --Frances May website

Labels: A.P.C., Aesa, Church & State, Dunderdon, Dusen Dusen, Lover, Lewis, Nomia, Surface to Air, Samantha Pleet, Sophomore, Steven Alan

Store Hours:
T-Sat 11-7
Sun 12-6
Closed Mondays

San Francisco

2010-04-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Carrots (843 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA 94133/ 415.834.9040)

Labels: Acne, Alexander Wang, Matthew Ames, Genetic Denim, Goldsign, Rick Owens Lilies, Yigal Azrouel, PHI, Proenza Schouler, Kimberly Ovitz

Store Hours:
T-Sat 11-6

Brooklyn

2010-04-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

Alter (109 Franklin St.-Men's Shop & 140 Franklin St.-Women's Shop, Brooklyn, NY 11222/ 718.784.8818 [men's]; 718.349.0203 [women's])

Labels: Alex + Chloe, Cheap Monday, Preloved, Kill City, Matt and Nat Bags, Rojas, Dear Creatures

Store Hours:
T-Sat 12-8
Sun 12-7
Closed Mondays

Bird (3 locations: 220 Smith Street; 316 Fifth Avenue; and 203 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY/ 718.797.3774, 718.768.4940, and 718.388.1655)

When friends Belle Benson and Marla Walker set up Bird in 1999, the boutique was one of the first of its kind—a collection of fine and subtly funky women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry, and accessories—to take flight in Brooklyn. Management has since shifted to Jennifer Mankins (formerly a buyer for Barneys), but the idea behind Bird remains the same: to bring an array of international, national, and local designs from high-end, affordable, and emerging names to the neighborhood, creating a must-hit spot for the ever-increasing numbers of stylish Park Slope residents. — Christine Ajudua for NYMag.com

Labels: 3.1 Phillip Lim, A.P.C., Bodkin, Apiece Apart, Band of Outsiders, Current Elliot, Comme des Garcons, Eberjey, Generra, Isabel Marant, Mociun, Loeffler Randall, Shipley & Halmos, tenoversix, No.6, United Bamboo

Store Hours:
M-F 12-8
Sat 12-7
Sun 12-6

NYC

2010-04-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Assembly (174 Ludlow St., New York, NY 10002 (Lower East Side)/ 212.253.5393)

Started in 2008, an artisan hub for designer information and fashion resource, Assembly New York is a mens and womens boutique focusing on international and otherwise hard-to-find luxury labels alongside curated vintage and art d'objet. Many of the articles are the result of collaborations with designers and are exclusive to our New York location and website. --Assembly website

Labels: Complex Geometries, Mary Ping, Robert Clergerie, Chronicles of Never, Repetto, Raquel Allegra, Salvor, Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Store Hours:
M-Sun 12-9

Maryam Nassir Zadeh (123 Norfolk St., New York, NY 10002 (Lower East Side)/ 212.673.6405)

Maryam Nassir Zadeh is a gallery like boutique just on the outskirts of the guided-tour heavy Lower East Side. The boutique/gallery offers a well-curated array of independent designers. Clothing for men and women hang adjacent to modernist sculpture, while tables of sculptural jewelry site alongside with vintage accessories and ephemera. You can feel Zadeh’s direct connection to store with her textiles that fill the space with warmth and dismiss the conservative ultra modernist appeal of bigger stores. --Lyndsy Welgos for Jargol

Labels: A Detacher, Cosmic Wonder, Bernard Willhelm, Castaner, Vena Cava, Rachel Comey, Hussein Chalayan, Golden Goose, Electric Feathers

Store Hours:
M-Sun 12-8

Mick Margo (19 Commerce St., New York, NY 10014 (West Village)/ 212.463.0515) $$$$

Nadine Ferber’s artful clothing boutique is named after her grandfather, a London toymaker and proper British man-about-town. The theme of playful elegance also informs her selection of breezy womenswear gathered mostly from emerging designers in New York and Paris. A free-form composition of gauzy blouses dangling above tailored pants and buff leather flats peeks through the iron-gated storefront, offering a hint of the delicate pieces within. Sunshine & Shadow silk dresses, Alexandra Wang coats, and Repetto shoes cozy up with Cacharel separates and Isabel Marant wispy tees. Karen Walker sunglasses and Jerome Dreyfuss bags put the finishing touches on a tousled, carefree sophistication. -- Alexandra Vallis from NYMag.com

Labels: Rachel Comey, Jerome Dreyfuss, Gryson, Alexander Wang, Lutz & Patmos, Apiece Apart, Catherine Holstein, VPL

Store Hours:
M-W, F, Sat 12-7
Thurs 12-8
Sun 12-6

plum. & pear. (124 Ludlow St., New York, NY 10002 (Lower East Side)/ 212.529.1030) $$$

We are two cute shops located next-door to one another in the heart of the Lower East Side. Plum sells contemporary, fashion forward women's clothing and Pear sells sleek, chic and affordable women's footwear. - plum. & pear.

Labels: Grace Sun, Chie Mihara, Devotte, Fleurwood & Octopi, Leyendecker, Monrow, Nicholas K, Wren

Store Hours:
M-Sat 1-8
Sun 1-7

Dallas

2010-04-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Sartel (4212 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, TX 75219 @ The Shops at Highland Park/ 214.520.7176)

Labels: Ana Meier, Erickson Beamon, M. Graves, Kathryn Allsopp, Sartel's own line

Houston

2009-10-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

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

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.