And the idiots who voted chose the following. I am not f-ing kidding. UUUUGGGHHHH! So embarrassing.
The fact that like 6 of the 10 are chains is bad enough, but of all the stores in DC, the #1 is Ann Taylor Loft? WTF!?
(ok, SMU is a quasi-chain, and it IS good.. and anthro and NM are great but... to select chain stores instead of boutiques is just insulting. We have some awesome boutiques. It just goes to show that these people never set foot outside of a mall or, possibly, the suburbs. That's not DC, people!)
Incidentally, the store at #10 is my favorite.
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1. Ann Taylor Loft Here's the Ann Taylor look, but more dressed down and less expensive.
I'm not surprised though. Dc is generally a nice city but for the most part there are a lot of "suits" here. Boring black or navy with white collars and sensible shoes suits..
I actually like Urban Chic the most out of everything on the list..
Lighten up on the suburban dwelling folks we aren't all clueless!
Ugh! They should not be able to use chain stores in regional polls like this. Chain stores should not be considered a DC store. I will give them it if the store at least originated in DC, but it is just ridiculous to list stores that you can find everywhere.
haha too funny.. I'm not surprised though. Dc is generally a nice city but for the most part there are a lot of "suits" here. Boring black or navy with white collars and sensible shoes suits.. I actually like Urban Chic the most out of everything on the list.. Lighten up on the suburban dwelling folks we aren't all clueless!
Oh, you KNOW who I mean, ayo! I don't mean all the people who live in the 'burbs (hey, I used to live in Arlington)... just the ones who voted for Ann Taylor Loft! There are plenty of clueless chicks downtown as well. Mainly I mean, like AJ said, don't define the city by mall stores.
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~ dc
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination" - Oscar Wilde
haha too funny.. I'm not surprised though. Dc is generally a nice city but for the most part there are a lot of "suits" here. Boring black or navy with white collars and sensible shoes suits..
exactly. I'm honestly surprised SMU and Anthro made the list... looking around, it doesn't seem like too many people shop there.
Choo, you know I think it depends where you are... I feel like I am not hip enough sometimes when I go to the Whole Foods on P St! I am not kidding, I put actual effort into my look when I go over to WF or Starbucks on a Sunday a.m. Then in other parts of town or in NoVa I feel like Kate Moss even wearing my business casual crap.
People downtown working or in more conservative areas work that DC look, but in my neighborhood - for which I do not feel quite hip enough a lot of the time - there are some pretty fashion-forward girls walking around or gonig out at night (don't know where they live)... Actually, maybe that is why I am so surprised. I'd really thought things were changing.
-- Edited by dc at 14:27, 2005-08-16
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~ dc
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination" - Oscar Wilde
Yeah, SMU is a quasi-chain. We have them in Philly, but it's not so widespread that it's sad that it's on that list. Actually, given the other stores on that list, I'm surprised SMU made it at all. It feels more boutique than chain and there are only 6 or 7 of them.
I agree that chains should not be allowed. If I'm going on a trip and I ask someone where the good stores are, I don't want to hear about stores that I can find in the 5 malls that are near my house. I want boutiques! I want something different.
That sucks. Ann Taylor Loft? The number one store?? Looks like the suburbanites and their twinsets have moved in and taken over (except of course, the hip ones, like ayo ).
Choo, you know I think it depends where you are... I feel like I am not hip enough sometimes when I go to the Whole Foods on P St! I am not kidding, I put actual effort into my look when I go over to WF or Starbucks on a Sunday a.m. Then in other parts of town or in NoVa I feel like Kate Moss even wearing my business casual crap. People downtown working or in more conservative areas work that DC look, but in my neighborhood - for which I do not feel quite hip enough a lot of the time - there are some pretty fashion-forward girls walking around or gonig out at night (don't know where they live)... Actually, maybe that is why I am so surprised. I'd really thought things were changing.-- Edited by dc at 14:27, 2005-08-16
interesting. I work downtown and live in Arlington so that very well may be the case. I don't get out that often at night either so maybe some of those boring daytime people rock a better look at night.
Seriously, I'll go to the grocery store on a Saturday morning and see people dressed in suits. Um hello...it's Saturday, what are you doing! I went out one night not too long ago (granted it was on the Hill, but still...) in a pair of destroyed jeans and a bcbg sequin shrug and felt like people were staring at me like I was crazy all night.
I totally struggle with clothing store choices here in DC- I feel like it's nonexistent. I know some (I guess a lot) of people like ATL, but I don't buy ANYTHING there because it's not really my style and I would look like a Hill intern. What are your favorite non-chain stores for buying unique clothes?
IMO, going out clothes are easy to find, but business casual is tough...
- I like Betsy Fisher, but you can't buy anything but a t-shirt there for under $100
I also like Betsey Fisher...but you are right..you've really gotta get them on a sale
I know a lot of people like All about jane, Mustard seed is another hit or miss one but pretty good, Wild Women wear red shoes...I know there are a lot more than I'm probably missing...
I know one good place I like to look is the style section in the Express newspaper..they sometimes review boutiques in the area..
You and Ayo have already hit on a couple, but as I said, I love pop too (fun stuff, great prices). Muleh's stuff is SO gorgeous, though I tend only to window shop b/c it's so pricey. Also Nana as you mention. Proper Topper has a really limited but adorable selection (Plenty, Tabitha, etc...). Wink in G-town (I don't really get over to G-town much, but I assume it's still there as it was pretty new). Also, Blush in suburban Md is supposed to be cute, and Denim Bar (in Alex or Arlington) is supposed to be great for jeans but I haven't been to either. Things are sort of far-flung, so as far as solid areas for non-chain shopping, I think that U St/14th St (which is where I live, so I stick aroudn there), up through Adams Morgan (All About Jane, Daisy - is that still there?), and then a fews places in G-Town are really the best choices. I hear that there are even a couple of cute places popping up on Capitol Hill - is it 8th St? I don't know - the Hill is another planet to me.
There is an article in the Post today (you can find it online) about shopping for designer jeans and they mention a couple of places as well.
And I think there is some fairly solid discount shopping to be done - Loehmann's and TJ's and all that, to fill in gaps in the wardrobe and grab big-name basics. And Barney's Co-op is coming!!! Hooray!
Honestly, I do a lot of shopping online, too!
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~ dc
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination" - Oscar Wilde
Hey DC - Yep, I am a DC girl. Actually Logan Circle, so we have probably crossed paths while shopping on U/14th. Sometimes I wish our neighborhood had more clothing boutiques and less furniture stores.
Thanks for the great list - some of those places have fallen off my radar, so it was great to be reminded. A few thoughts....
- I am still in SHOCK that Barney's Co-op is coming to DC. My husband gets the Washington Business Journal, so that's how a hear about stores coming to DC. I popped in to Intermix last weekend (another surprise) and it's very cool.
- American Apparel is opening a store on that random street on the Hill (8th SE?). Weird.
- Puma is opening a store on Wisconsin in Gtown.
- I love Wink! It's still there, but closed for renovations.
- Daisy in AdMo closed, but Daisy Too is still alive somewhere in Bethesda.
jj - how weird, we're neighbors! I live closer to Logan than the U st end as well. I agree about the furniture stores - and did we need a Storehouse? Although it's better than the Barnes and Noble that there was a rumor about...
I forgot all about Intermix - I really want to get over there. Too bad about Daisy... I haven't done the AdMo boutique crawl for some time, as you can tell!
You know who else is on that 8th street strip - I *think* - is Nora Piroglu who used to be the much celebrated waxer @ the GTwon bluemercury. She has a place of her own now called Skin ... I think. Anyway, I have been meaning to pop up there because it is true that nobody waxes like Nora. Plus, she's very cool, which helps in that situation. It's just such a trek! I flirted with the idea of buying a little house on the hill (momentarily stifled in my tiny condo) but when I realized what a haul it was and how I know virtually noone there.... no thanks. I really love our neighborhood, and my little dalliance with the hill idea made me realize how psyched I am to be where I am!
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~ dc
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination" - Oscar Wilde
OMG I used to be a member of the cult of Nora when she was at BlueMerc. Yes, she's now on the hill, but I agree, it is too far to justify a special trip. I felt my personal maintenance was getting OOC, so I try to consolidate to the Dupont Circle/Gtown area.
I do go to Lance at BlueMercury religiously for microderm and eyebrow waxing. He is AMAZING!