Best of the Bayou City: Shopping
Image: STAG Provisions
Best Men’s Store
STAG Provisions
This Austin import sells button-up shirts from Jack Spade and RRL jeans but doesn’t stop there, offering other manly goods such as barware, engraved lighters and knives, along with books about camping, motorcycles and ’70s rock bands.
2614 Westheimer Rd., stagprovisions.com
Image: Ellidas Bridal/facebook.com
Best Quinceañera Dress Shop
Ellidas Bridal
The shop’s two Houston locations offer your standard fairytale gowns, complete with tulle-and-rhinestone bling, plus extravagant show-stoppers from designers like Vian’k Mansur and Ragazza featuring satin, bustles and stunning embroidery.
Multiple locations, facebook.com/ellidasbridal
Image: Lucchese
Best High-End Boots
Lucchese
Walk into the flagship Highland Village location of Texas’s oldest bootmaker—established in the 1880s—and you’ll feel like you’ve wandered into a friend’s luxury ranch house. Choose a pair of exquisite handmade boots straight from the floor (starting at $300) or design your own custom creation.
4051 Westheimer Rd., lucchese.com
Image: Todd Spoth
Best Toy Store
Big Blue Whale
At this shop, which feels like a whimsical indoor playground, toys encouraging exploration and education are displayed side-by-side with vintage selections that will build memories as fast as they bring them rushing back.
237 W. 19th St., bigbluewhaletoys.com
Best Consignment Store
Memorial Assistance Ministries
This 14,000-square-foot thrift store has 20 departments, but it’s the consignment shop in the rear that stocks brand-name dresses, shoes, purses and jewelry you’re after—that is, if you can make it past the rows of mid-century modern furniture, vintage books and vinyl albums.
1625 Blalock Rd., maministries.org
Best Kids' Clothing Store
Thread
The racks at the resale shop often feature brands like Mini Boden, Janie and Jack, Kissy Kissy, Hanna Anderson and Baby Gap, offering stylish, lightly-used outfits at discounted prices to help ease the pain of pulling out your wallet every few months for the next size up.
249 W. 19th St., threadhouston.com
Best Window-Shopping
River Oaks District
There’s only one place in town so chic that even the stop signs are painted a fashionable black. While accessible stores include Bonobos, COS, L’Occitane and Baanou, most cater to Houston’s moneyed elite. The district is also a window-shopper’s paradise—think creative, colorful displays at Dior, astronomical heels at Giuseppe Zanotti, and sparkling jewels at Harry Winston.
4444 Westheimer Rd., riveroaksdistrict.com
Best Boutique Row
Rice Boulevard in Rice Village
As West Ave and River Oaks District battle it out for big-name national retailers, Rice Village has seen an explosion of local boutiques, including these favorites:
For On-Trend Clothing: Raspberry Rose
2434 Rice Blvd., raspberryroseboutique.com
For Party Supplies: Emerson Sloan
2414 Rice Blvd., emersonsloan.com
For Cleverly Curated Jewelry: J. Landa
2412 Rice Blvd., j-landa.com
For Party-Ready Looks: Azuz
2402 Rice Blvd., azuzboutique.com
For Youthful Fashions: WildBloom
2513 Rice Blvd., wildbloomboutique.com
For Elevated Basics: Piermarini
2427 Rice Blvd., piermarini.us
For French Luxuries: La Taste
2417 Rice Blvd., latasteboutique.com
For French-Inspired Living: Olivine
2405 Rice Blvd., olivineliving.com
Image: HTX Made
Best Furniture with a Story Behind It
HTX Made
In a warehouse in east Houston, grads from UH’s highly regarded Industrial Design program are forging modern furnishings—custom and pre-made tables, shelves, lighting, chairs, beds and more—from reclaimed wood. Each piece comes with its own story, whether it’s made from pine pulled out of an old barn or pecan foraged from a local creek.
Image: Melodrama Boutique
Best Boutique for Finding Local Designers
Melodrama
Since 2002, Jackie Adams has been at the center of Houston’s fashion community, hosting exclusive trunk shows at popular events that spill out of her Museum District store and onto the sidewalk. She also keeps a rotating co-op section, featuring pieces by up-and-coming Houston lines like Onyii & Co. and A Leap of Style.
5306 Almeda Rd., melodramaboutique.com
Best Bridal Designer
Damsel White Label
This is a line for Houston ladies who want a wedding declaration—not just a dress. Designer Natalie Harris breaks all the bridal rules, infusing color and pattern into dresses that range from sexy-minimalist to vintage-charming to truly-Texan, complete with bluebonnet motif.
Image: Courtesy of Elle Milady
Best Local Trend
The Caftan
A piece of clothing that’s simple, chic, perfect for warm weather and designed to go from poolside to date night—no wonder the caftan has become a major Bayou City style statement. Whether you prefer hand-dyed fabrics by Mirth Caftans, colorful bejeweled versions by Elle Milady, or gauzy caftan-like capes by VAHA—all Houston brands—there’s no wrong way to wear one.
