Boston Shopping
1154 Lill Studio
Phone: 617/247-1154
220 Newbury St, Boston MA
Shoppers at this adorable design-your-own-handbag shop have a lot of decisions to make, starting with a big one: instant or delayed gratification? Bags of all sizes are on display; you can walk out with one or, if you don't see exactly what you want, customize your own using an impressive variety of materials, from fabric to straps to lining. It arrives at your home a month or so later, built from scratch just as you imagined it. This is the third branch in a mini-chain with locations in Chicago and Kansas City. Prices run $25 to $150.
Alpha Gallery
Phone: 617/536-4465
38 Newbury St, Boston MA , 02116
The Alpha Gallery specializes in contemporary American paintings, sculpture, and works on paper, as well as modern master paintings and prints. Established in 1967, this is a family operation: Director Joanna E. Fink is founder Alan Fink's daughter. Closed Sunday and Monday.
American Apparel
Phone: 617/536-4768
138 Newbury St, Boston MA , 02116
A leading light of the anti-sweatshop movement, American Apparel is so sincere that you might expect the clothes to be the fabric equivalent of Brussels sprouts. But the women's and men's T-shirts, underwear, and other fashionable knits -- all manufactured in downtown L.A. -- are fun, gorgeous, or both.
Anne Fontaine
Phone: 617/423-0366
318 Boylston St, Boston MA , 02116
This was the first U.S. outlet for the designer's "perfect white blouse collection from Paris." I wanted to laugh, but then I saw for myself -- almost every item is a perfect (for one reason or another) white blouse. Prices start at $80. Closed Sunday.
Aunt Sadie's
Phone: 617/357-7117
18 Union Park St, Boston MA
Brimming with perhaps the most miscellaneous merchandise in the South End (which is saying something), Aunt Sadie's started out as a candle shop and now carries inventive gifts and accessories for home, bath, kitchen, adults, children, pets, and maybe even your own Aunt Sadie.
Barbara Krakow Gallery
Phone: 617/262-4490
10 Newbury St, Boston MA , 02116
This prestigious gallery, founded in 1964, is as cutting-edge as they come. It specializes in paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints created after 1945. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Barneys New York
Phone: 617/385-3300
Boston MA
The Boston branch of the New York-based fashion wonderland is 45,000-square-foot, two-story establishment with a 4,000-square-foot women's shoe department. It has all the women's and men's designer fashions and accessories you need to outfit yourself from the skin up.
Berk's Shoes
Phone: 888/GO-BERKS
Phone: 617/492-9511
50 John F. Kennedy St, Cambridge MA , 02138
"Trendy" doesn't adequately describe the wares at this Harvard Square institution. College students and people who want to look like them come here to stock up on whatever's fashionable right this red-hot minute.
Black Ink
Phone: 617/723-3883
101 Charles St, Boston MA ,02114
Other locations: 5 Brattle St., Cambridge. tel. 617/497-1221
The wacky wares here defy categorization, but they all fit comfortably under the umbrella of "oh, cool." Rubber stamps, stuffed animals, and offbeat books caught my eye recently; greeting cards, desktop accessories, and retro toys are equally appealing. Under the same management, the Museum of Useful Things, 49 Brattle St. (tel. 617/576-3322), up the street from the Harvard Square location, is a festival of industrial design for home and office.
Brooks Brothers
Phone: 617/267-2600
46 Newbury St, Boston MA , 02116Shopping Category:
Would-be "proper Bostonians" head here for blue blazers, gray flannels, seersucker suits, and less conservative business and casual wear for men and women. Brooks is the only place for exactly the right preppy shade of pink button-down oxford shirts -- something I've never seen at the outlet stores.
Calliope
Phone: 617/876-4149
33 Brattle St, Cambridge MA , 02138
The must-see window displays at this Harvard Square shop use stuffed animals, clothes, and toys to illustrate sayings and proverbs, often twisted into hilarious puns. The merchandise inside is equally delightful. You'll find clothing and accessories, European shoes, and unusual gifts, including a huge selection of plush animals.
Cambridge Antique Market
Phone: 617/868-9655
201 Msgr O'Brien Hwy, Cambridge MA
As you navigate the enormous variety of merchandise spread over five floors (don't forget to check out the basement), you may feel as though you're on a treasure hunt -- and really, aren't you? Weekends, especially Saturday, are when most of the 100-plus dealers are likeliest to be open. Prices are better than in Boston, but the selection is more catch-as-catch-can. Closed Monday.
City Sports
Phone: 617/423-2015
11 Bromfield St, Boston MA
The regional athletic-apparel retailer City Sports carries clothing, footwear, and some sports equipment. The crowded lower level of this store -- also a regular retail location -- stocks a constantly changing selection of out-of-season merchandise at excellent prices.