Elizabeth Charles

The airy San Francisco outpost of the much-loved New York store specializes in labels from Australia and New Zealand.

by Laurel Pinson

Owner Elizabeth Charles was inspired to open her Manhattan shop after friends and strangers kept asking where she'd picked up her trademark girly-cool attire. "I realized the top Australian designers I loved weren't available in the U.S.," explains Charles. Her new West Coast offshoot has more modern touches than its New York sibling, like clean, sea foam green walls and a graphic black-and-white rug, but the focus is the same: a brilliant mix of otherwise-hard-to-find lines from Down Under. "I think it's the unusual details and combinations that make these designers so alluring," says Charles. Evening-worthy dresses from Martin Grant and Collette Dinnigan are in constant demand, as are slick trenches from Richard Nicoll and lace tops from Thurley. 2056 Fillmore St., 415-440-2100, elizabeth-charles.com