Avant-garde Stores
A list of the coolest avant-garde shops around.
Harputs Market
Western Addition - San Francisco, CA United StatesFor decades avant-garde fashion jetted from New York to Tokyo, flying right over San Francisco's head. With Harputs Market, dark, high-style clothing finally has a West Coast outpost. The looks for women and men, mostly in black and friends...
Hejfina
Wicker Park - Chicago, IL United StatesHejfina has elegant modern living down pat. For clothing expect avant-garde Japanese brands, ultra-exclusive New York brands, next to creative selections from Brazil, England and France. These are articles you certainly won't find anywhere...
IF
SoHo - New York, NY United StatesThere's something delightfully old-school about IF. The SoHo stalwart carries an unparalleled collection of avant-garde clothing for men and women, from our favorite Japanese and Belgium designers. And that's pretty much it. No PR and...
Ikram
Gold Coast/Streeterville - Chicago, IL United StatesWhile you await for Chicago's first Yohji Yamamoto store (don't hold your breath), Ikram is the one and only place in the city where the world's most ambitious, avant-garde designer clothing can be found. The most revered names in Japanese, French, Belgian and American fashion...
Jil Sander
Upper East Side - New York, NY United StatesAs a brand we've always seen Jil Sander to be above the fray, letting those other moody European labels scrum for the "More Avant-garde Than Thou" awards. As a store, Jil Sander's New York boutique holds true to this notion. The minimal space was not, as far as we know,...
Joan Shepp
Center City - Philadelphia, PA United StatesReader Suggested: Affordable, exceptional luxury fashion. Carries one of a kind, up-to-the-minute selection of favorites like Stella McCartney, Christian Louboutin and Junya Watanabe and unique accessories by hard-to-find brands such as Johnny Farah, Sissi Rossi...
LEFT
Fitzroy - Fitzroy, VIC AustraliaReader Suggested: LEFT is a small and warm boutique situated in Melbourne's Fitzroy in Australia. We might be far away but we are worth the trip if you are in Melbourne, Australia. We carry International brands such as M.A+, Y's Yohji Yamamoto (womens) , Peachoo + Krejberg, Comme Des Garcons. Accessories...
Le Sous Sol
Lower East Side - New York, NY United StatesIn the '80s the Antwerp Six introduced the world at large to Belgian fashion design, and decades later the country is still going strong, producing one influential, imminently talent designer after another. At Le Sous Sol, get a peek at the...
MAC
Hayes Valley - San Francisco, CA United StatesIn fashion, where fortunes turn on a dime, that a little boutique can persist for 20 years and stay every bit as relevant as it was when it opened is nothing short of remarkable. MAC has done just that and they've done it, as their name...
Noodle Stories
Third Street - Los Angeles, CA United StatesIf you want to buy high-end clothing and don't have a fortune to spend here's a tip: focus on the basics. Buy basic pieces that you'll wear from season to season and that'll class up any outfit. In other words, buy pieces...
Oak
NoHo - New York, NY United StatesThe best clothing shops are really good filters. It's one thing to seek out and stock the hippest labels. It's another thing entirely to irreverently edit these lines to find those handful of pieces that are both stylish and versatile,...
Oak
Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY United StatesThe best clothing shops are really good filters. It's one thing to seek out and stock the hippest labels. It's another thing entirely to irreverently edit these lines to find those handful of pieces that are both stylish and versatile,...
Opening Ceremony
La Cienega - Los Angeles, CA United StatesWhen we think clothing boutique and New York a store like Opening Ceremony is what we have in mind. The store is hip and worldy, avant-garde but approachable, artful and industrial. The shop contains a collection of hip, chic clothing the likes...
Opening Ceremony
SoHo - New York, NY United StatesWhen we think clothing boutique and New York a store like Opening Ceremony is what we have in mind. The store is hip and worldy, avant-garde but approachable, artful and industrial. The large, long space, complete with a loft area contains a...
Project No. 8
Chinatown - New York, NY United StatesIn the perpetual tug-of-war match between art and commerce in fashion, score one for art. The humbly named Project No. 8 is, you guessed it, duo Brian Janusiak and Elizabeth Beer's 8th collaborative project. But more than that it's a...
Relish
Georgetown - Washington, DC United StatesOne of the fundamental jobs of a good clothing boutique is to filter and tailor the world's best fashions for local audiences. For the DC area, Relish does the job with aplomb. The dramatic, two level space, picks and chooses from a variety...
Robin Richman
Bucktown - Chicago, IL United StatesOther than a giant hanging ball of tumbleweed, Robin Richman looks like any other boutique in the boutique-laden neighborhood. So how are you supposed to know that inside are some of the most interesting and artful clothes in all of Chicago. Robin Richman collects avant-garde designers...
Salt
Abbot Kinney - Venice, CA United StatesAmong the girly, beachy boutiques nearby Salt at first looks out of place, but where better than near the ocean to sell clothes that are organic and essential. Dominated by solid, understated colors, soft fabrics and loose silhouettes this is...
Scout
Third Street - Los Angeles, CA United StatesIf you need elaborate displays, too-cool-for-school salespeople and obnoxiously loud rap music to create a "hip" clothing store, you're doing something wrong. Here's an idea--let the clothes do the talking. Witness Scout. One...
Seven
SoHo - New York, NY United StatesSeven has an uncanny ability to find designers that march to the beat of their own drum. From Belgium and Japan, Germany and New York, they find creations that pay little attention to the trends and looks of the season. Some pieces scream: white...