San Diego boutique shopping

Color-coordinated clothes at Hunt & Gather’s new digs
- Photo by Kelly Davis

I’ve been in a rut, shopping at the same places week after week, secretly making quick trips into Forever 21 against my better judgment. I knew it was time to stop, and since there isn’t any sort of counseling group set up (yet) for a F21 addiction, I challenged myself to write about at least five new clothing places. And I love a good challenge.

Melero Boutique (750 W. Fir St. in Little Italy, melerobg.myshopify.com) is so opposite my former (thinking positively) addiction—it is expensive, high-quality and designer-oriented (as opposed to cheap, cheap and direct rip-off copies). While I can’t buy a lot of $400 dresses, and neither can most of my friends, I can do it occasionally, when given a good-enough reason—like, a wedding invitation or a really, really bad day. And if one of those events arises, I will definitely check Melero. It carries ShopBop.com staple Black Halo, an L.A.-based line of shapely dresses. And were I a few years younger (and many inches taller), I’d scrimp and save for my own pair of Maggie Ward leather shorts. If you do pop in, don’t leave the building without grabbing a cupcake from neighbor Influx.

For more high-end spending, you can’t go too wrong with Tucci in Solana Beach (130 So. Cedros Ave., Suite 140, tucciboutique.com). It’s the only place I know of besides department stores to get Missoni and Philip Lim 3.1 in San Diego. (There may be another, but we’ve already established that I shop cheap.) But if I were making oodles of money, I’d spend at least some of it on a Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress and a couple of Jenny Han dresses. Tucci could supply me well.

Also in Solana Beach: Fowler’s  (731 S. Highway 101, Suite 1A3, fowlers.bigcartel.com) carries Frankie B jeans, which fit me like a glove. And, lo and behold, Frankie B makes shorts, too. And warm weather is on its way, so it’s perfectly OK that I spend $150 on a new pair. Right? Anyone? It’s been a bad day.

Univ (1053B S. Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, univ-shop.com) is for boys. But I like boys, and I’m not selfish. I can buy for others. And with that attitude I walked into this ultra-cool shop that carries its own line of tees and jeans alongside a smattering of guy-friendly accoutrements like glasses and beanies. Pluses: It’s all made in the U.S., and its logo—a wiener dog smoking a pipe and wearing a bowler—makes me smile. Minuses: The store is maybe cuter than most of the clothes. But I’m not a beer-drinking-from-a-Solo-cup-and-still-skateboarding-after-all-these-years guy, so what do I know?

Mog & Rue in the Lumberyard (937 S Coast Hwy. 101, Suite C-102, in Encinitas, mogandrue.com) is small and quiet, but the gals are nice and helpful and the clothes, while on the skimpy side and maybe occasionally veering to the mom-ager side (aka, moms who want to hang with their teenagers), there are nice pieces mixed in, like nifty wrap dresses. And I can’t complain about the color-ordered racks which pair all the green items together and all the red items together and so forth. I mean, if you know you look good in purple—and I do—then you can cut to the chase.

And a few tidbits: The really wonderful Artist and Craftsman Supply (3804 Fourth Ave.) in Hillcrest has taken over the next-door space, doubling its size. I know, it’s not clothes, but besides a terrific selection of art stuff, there are loads of fun little gifts, particularly for the younger set. And by the time this prints, the truly wonderful boutique Hunt & Gather will have moved into its new digs in North Park (closing the old location in University Heights). The new spot is 2871 University Ave. It might win the prize, if I ever award one, for my favorite stylish small shop in San Diego, and I eagerly await the move. If anyone can break me of my bad habits, it’s H&G.    


Help Clea find Missoni on the cheap: clea@sdcitybeat.com