san francisco

Tucked away in Russian Hill and owned by a former stylist, zeroes in on the best pieces from the most fashion-forward green designers. Turk + Taylor tops and Larsen Gray dresses are here, along with an ample array of clutches, totes, and heels.

Helmed by one of the city's most celebrated interior designers, Sheri Sheridan's emporium has been an inimitable source for inspirational home goods since it opened in 1996. In naming her shop after the bird that's supposed to guide wayward sailors to shore, Sheridan takes a far-flung, nest-building approach to creating her displays, placing Stephen Sprouse graffitied chairs next to botanical posters and ages-old ephemera.

Former art director Sasha Wingate had a vision for her new shop: dark, gothic, and a bit twisted, but ultimately really gorgeous. It's an aesthetic that's mirrored in every inch of her opulent spot, which feels like the sanctuary of a sorceress of the dark arts. There's lots of clothing, but the selection particularly shines when you zero in on the home goods, sourced from as far away as the flea markets of China (busts, antique glove molds, opalescent vases).

This enduring spot (the owner recently changed the name from its original, Minnie Wilde) is a retro-modern wonderland, complete with paintings of stampeding horses and handpicked Danish consoles. Beyond the excellent house line of hooded capes, there are well-priced Manoush dresses and dead-stock Jordache denim.

Operating as a bit of a co-op (you can trade clothes for store credit or just pay the regular way), this vintage boutique displays only the most on-trend, pristine pieces—which means there's a plethora of affordable leather bombers and mod dresses. It also carries new denim from Cheap Monday and a handful of locally based designers like Featherwitch.