first pick in the bay area!

If you live in the suburbs of the bay area or are visiting Stanford, I have a great boutique find to share with you!

In the Menlo Park area about an hour south of San Francisco there is a wonderful little street called Santa Cruz. It is a lovely pedestrian-friendly street that is similar to a trendy Main Street with coffee shops, restaurants, and, of course, boutiques!

{akiko wildflower halter dress}

There are just a few boutiques in the Menlo Park area, but my absolute favorite was Milana C. The flyer that listed designers like Catherine Malandrino, Black Halo, and Joie drew my attention immediately! The store just opened and is currently having a sale with 25% off of everything in the store. The fashionably knowledgeable owner, Irina, picks a wide range of clothing by great designers in different price ranges for her store. It has a great selection of colorful jersey tops and beach dresses that reminded me that fashion is definitely different in California (no black and gray uniform for me this winter).

Milana C is located off of Santa Cruz on Chestnut Street in Menlo Park. I hope that it stays around for awhile...

{LnA Zipper Leggings}

One of my favorite finds at Milana C...these LnA Zipper Leggings that also come in capri length. I wasn't aware that my absolute favorite T-shirt designer also made the best leggings!

manhattan beach - affordable boutique shopping in l.a.

I am probably biased because I stayed in Manhattan Beach and could conveniently walk down Manhattan Beach Boulevard to all of the cute little restaurants and boutiques, but I have to put forth a strong argument for the superiority of this shopping area over many others in Los Angeles.

Everyone knows that LA has great shopping, but I am completely unenthusiastic about chain stores at The Grove or the high-end designer retailers (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc.) that I could find at any fancy airport these days. What I am really looking for when I do travel shopping is a small scale area with affordable boutiques that offer a taste of the region's sense of fashion. I want to be able to walk from store to store and experience the local environment, rather than drag myself through windowless and location-generic malls.

In just a few blocks along Manhattan Beach Boulevard, between N Valley Drive and the ocean I was able to find small boutiques with a regional style and affordable prices. I would actually call this area "cute", which is pretty hard to find in the LA area. So if you are travelling to LA and looking for a fun place to shop, I definitely recommend it. Here is a selection of my favorite spots...unfortunately most of them are too small to have websites, but I listed their phonenumbers:

• Mandarine - (310) 379-9955. I got this tunic length orange and green plaid button-up for only $37 and last time I picked up a cropped 3/4 sleeve faux leather jacket for about $60. Everything is very trendy and affordable.
• Katwalk - (310) 546-8710. There are two across the street from each other on Manhattan Beach Blvd, so try both because they have a different selection. Not as cheap as Mandarine, but very affordable compared to other shopping in LA.
• 3rd Gallery - (310) 376-4735. Not cheap, but gorgeous designer and one-of-a-kind dresses and jewelry that are fun to check out. Try the sale rack...
• Kitten - (310) 546-8710
  
• envie - (310) 796-5553

And when you're done shopping, make sure to get a spicy fish taco at my favorite San Diego taco spot, Wahoo's Fish Tacos!!