Clothing, Accessory shopping in San Francisco
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My Roommate's Closet
All the half-off bargains and none of the clawing dangers of a sample sale. You'll find cloud-like Catherine Malandrino chiffon party dresses, executive Diane Von Furstenburg wrap dresses and designer denim at prices approaching reality.
reviewed
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Fabric8
Pull into this Astro-turfed-garage-turned-indie-design-boutique for a Mission-style overhaul. Rings sprout tiny volcanic geodes and Muni buses find their wings on T-shirts, while soft-sculpture mushrooms just want to make friends. Don't miss the bathtub fish tank, the backyard sculpture gallery or gallery openings with Mission food carts.
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Her
Count on Her for universally flattering Ella Moss dresses and pencil skirts that slim your curves. You could get the star treatment with a personal shopper from Her dispatched to your hotel, but then you'd miss the smoking-hot sales rack for deals of up to 70% off.
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Isso
'Made, found or designed in the Bay Area' is the motto of this purveyor of women's apparel that also designs its own line – expect classic styles updated with little zings, such as angle-pocket pencil skirts made of vintage fabric. Local designers, such as SheBible and Nopal Apparel, round out the collection.
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Marc by Marc Jacobs
The USA's hippest designer usually charges prices to match, but here alongside the $800 jackets and $300 sandals are bins of accessories under $25 – chunky resin bangles, snappy belts and limited-edition clutches.
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Wasteland
The catwalk of thrift, this vintage superstore adds instant style with barely worn Marc Jacobs smocks, '70s Pucci maxi-skirts and a steady supply of go-go boots. Hip occasionally verges on hideous with fringed sweaters and patchwork suede jackets, but at these prices you can afford to take fashion risks.
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Mission Skateboards
Street creds come easy with locally designed Mission decks, custom tees to kick-flip over and cult shoes at this shop owned by SF street-skate legend Scot Thompson. This shop is handy to Potrero del Sol/La Raza Skatepark, and for newbies too cool for kneepads, SF General. Check the website for events, including street races and documentary premieres.
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Sunhee Moon
Minding your girlish figure so you don't have to, Sunhee Moon creates svelte shirtdresses and flattering fern-print tunics to make those curves work for you. You'll never need to wait for a sale, since there's always a rack with 20% to 50% off – yet another excuse to splurge on locally designed, free-form hoop earrings.
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Goodwill 'As Is' Shop
'Ooh, that wedding dress would look fierce with some blood on it!' Getting to the bottom of the bin before the regular crowds of emerging designers, vintage resellers, drag queens, serial costume-partiers and the rest of San Francisco's fashion rebels isn't always easy, but items cost $2.50 and the commentary is priceless.
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Residents Apparel Gallery
Local designers make eclectic SF chic easy at this certified-green cooperative boutique. Take your pick of limited-edition screen-printed tees, locally made dark denim (no sweatshops here, thank you), reconstructed vintage dresses and one-of-a-kind jewelry in silver, gemstones and found feathers.
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Margaret O'Leary
Ignorance of the fog is no excuse in San Francisco, but should you confuse SF for LA (the horror!) and neglect to pack the obligatory sweater, Margaret O'Leary will sheathe you in knitwear, no questions asked. The San Francisco designer's specialties are warm, whisper-light cardigans in cashmere, organic cotton or ecominded bamboo yarn.
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Madame S & Mr S Leather
Only in San Francisco would an S&M superstore outsize Home Depot, with such musts as suspension stirrups, latex hoods and, for that special someone, a chrome-plated codpiece. If you've been a very bad puppy, there's an entire department catering to you here, and gluttons for punishment will find home decor inspiration in Dungeon Furniture.
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Candystore Collective
Jars of Pixie Stix and tasty little numbers for men and women by American indie designers are the pride of this greenery-sprouting storefront. Peppermint mini-dresses printed with rampaging zoo animals stand out in Mission bar crowds, while black organic-cotton duffle coats keep graffiti artists warm by night. Don't miss intoxicating Yosh perfumes, hippo-shaped lockets, trunk shows and 70%-off sales bins.
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Room 4
Spare yourself years of arduous thrifting, and head to this tiny treasure-box boutique for the good stuff: trippy green and orange swirled enamel dishes; free-form driftwood lamps; creepy portraits of big-eyed toddlers in the rain; and Pendleton plaid wool shirts and brass trucker belt buckles with unisex appeal.
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Community Thrift
When local collectors and retailers have too much of a good thing, they donate it to Community Thrift, where proceeds go to community organizations – all the more reason to gloat over your $5 totem-pole teacup, $12 vintage smock dress and that $35 art deco cigar humidor you found out back by the furniture. Donate your castoffs (until 5pm daily) and show some love to the Community.
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Dema
BART from Downtown lunches to Mission art openings in vintage-inspired chic by San Francisco's own Dema Grimm. House specialties are flattering bias-cut dresses and floaty silk blouses in original prints, with buttons that look like gumdrops. Like any indie designer, Dema's not dirt cheap, but you get what you pay for here in squealed compliments; check bins and sales racks for deals up to 80% off.
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Piedmont Boutique
'No food, no cell phones, no playing in the boas,' says the sign at the door, but inside, that last rule is gleefully ignored by cross-dressers, cabaret singers, strippers and people who take Halloween dead seriously. All the getups are custom-designed in-house and built to last – so, like certain escorts, honey, they're not as cheap as they look.
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Gama-Go
Every one of SF-designer Gama-Go's products seems calibrated to hit the fascination nerve: a hand-shaped cleaver called the Karate Chopper, T-shirts with a roaring powder-blue yeti, and a tape measure disguised as a cassette tape. Gama-Go is distributed nationally, but here in the showroom you'll find 70% off last season's lines and score 15% off all purchases from noon to 2pm daily.
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Sui Generis
Emerge with confidence from his-and-her designer-consignment boutiques knowing you won't spot another person working your new look. The well-curated collection of contemporary and vintage clothing skews dressy. Best for those who fit runway-model sizes, but with relatively fat wallets.
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Mingle
To break up the khaki monotony of the Gap and wrest free of H&M trends, get out there and mingle with SF designers. Local designers keep this boutique stocked with hot Cleopatra-collar dresses, mod ring-buckled bags and plaid necklaces, all for less than you'd pay for Marc Jacobs on mega-sale. Men emerge from Mingle date-ready in dark tailored denim and black Western shirts with white piping – the SF version of a tux.
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Good Vibrations
'Wait, I'm supposed to put that where?' The understanding salespeople in this worker-owned cooperative are used to giving rather, um, explicit instructions, so don't hesitate to ask. Margaret Cho is on the board, so you know they're not shy here. Check out the antique vibrators in the museum display by the door, and imagine getting up close and personal with the one that looks like a floor waxer – then thank your stars for modern technology.
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Original Levi's Store
The flagship store in Levi Strauss' hometown sells classic jeans that fit without fail, plus limited-edition pairs made of tough Japanese selvage and eco-organic cotton denim. Start with the impressive discount racks (30% to 60% off), but don't hold out for sales – denim fanatics Tweet their finds here, so rare lines like 1950s prison-model denim sell out fast. They'll hem your jeans for $10.
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Eco Citizen
Idealism meets street chic in this boutique of ecofriendly, fair-traded fabulousness, from artisinal-made Afghani gold charm message necklaces, to Vivienne Westwood T-strap heels made of nontoxic PVC (recyclable on-site). Prices are reasonable and sales a steal – $50 could get you a fair-trade cashmere dress or SF-made Turk+Taylor recycled hot-air-balloon windbreaker.
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Crossroads
Pssst, fashionistas: you know those designers you see lining Fillmore St? Many of their creations wind up at Crossroads for a fraction of retail, thanks to Pacific Heights clotheshorses who tire of clothes fast and can't be bothered to hang onto receipts. That's why this Crossroads store is better than the other ones in the city (including Market and Haight Sts). For even better deals, trade in your own old stuff and browse the half-price rack.
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Jeremy's
No South Park excursion would be complete without swapping stories about your all-time-best bargains from Jeremy's. Runway modeling, window displays and high-end customer returns translate to jaw-dropping bargains on major designers for men and women. Men's stuff gets picked over faster, but you could score a skinny Prada suit at half off if you work fast. Brave the lines to try before you buy – returns are possible for store credit, but only within seven days.
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