Dorothy, You're Not in H & M Anymore! by Rachelle Nones
In New York's East Village T & M Boutique doesn't court price-conscious "Recessionistas" joyfully snapping up trendy threads at H & M. "Boutiques target one customer and carry a better product," says T & M's owner Tahanny Chehab, "Customers who know anything-get that!"
Chehab stocks designs her own in-house Kader Liotta collection and cultivates emerging designers such as NYC's Myth and Ritual and London-based Lungta de Fancy. Chehab says, "When I do carry a mainstream line I try to order styles that a department store would not."
A keen appreciation of fine workmanship and innovative design fuels Chehab's desire to discover designers before they hit it big: "It usually means better quality and better designs because a showroom or customer opinion hasn't destroyed the aesthetic yet."
Head towards the West Village and you'll notice that the terrain gets funkier the closer you get to New York University. Lately, Gap stores seem to be sprouting up on every corner but you can still turn on your inner-fashion-freak with a basic black Mirror Trim Clutch handbag or a tube of Baby Jane Armour Pop Culture Inspired Lip Gloss at Patricia Field's Boutique.
Knee length jacket with ruffled trim by Testimony $158 available at Vico's
