Fashionable Finds at All Price Ranges at Ampersand Boutique

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Grid View

Expand

• Yes, it's real. And it's real cheap. Call for details.
• Jean Paul Gaultier blouse, $200
• Those brand new Louboutins, $550
• Chanel jacket, $425
• brand new Jean Paul Gaultier for Target, $40
• one of those beautiful vintage puccis
• Some lady with tiny feet is going to get lucky with these pretty blue Repettos, $180

With the exception of Rachel Zoe -- who has enough money to coat herself in head-to-toe Chanel, and boasts a client roster with similar wealth -- most working stylists report that their favorite personal looks are always a mixture of high and low, new and vintage. That's the philosophy behind the newly-opened Ampersand Boutique in Larchmont Village -- provide the best of both worlds, Prada, Louboutin, Dior all the way through H&M and Target, with plenty of in-between labels like Helmut Lang, Tory Burch, and Nanette Lepore. The store just opened earlier this week, and judging purely on the current inventory (which literally changes every day), they have indeed found that sweet spot.

Ampersand is a consignment store. Most of the offerings are gingerly used, but there are a good many pieces will original tags still attached. There's no one particular woman the store has in mind -- in her own words, owner Laura Armstrong says it's not so much about the hardcore fashionista as it is the normal women who love fashion but don't have the time to go tromping all over town, combing through the racks. With Ampersand, she waned to create a place that was well edited but still provided a generous assortment of options, styles and prices.

As far as consignment goes, Laura's not a hard-ass who strictly picks merchandise according to season or purely on the basis of label. She'll take it if she loves it and thinks it will sell. The result is a really funky mix that's a lot of fun to comb through: one rack featured an intermingling of Jean Paul Gaultier with JPG for Target, sandwiched between vintage Pucci at one end and sundresses by H&M and Theory at the other.

And oh! the shoes. Again, this could all change tomorrow, but when we dropped by, we found a lot of lust-worthy stuff. Three or four pairs of funky Repettos, a collection of Pradas that includes a very season-appropriate pair of espadrilles, Sigerson Morrison, and a gorgeous pair of never-worn nude patent Louboutins with a low heel. It broke our heart that they weren't in our size.

The store is in a great spot on Larchmont, almost at the corner of Larchmont and Melrose. It's just outside the really busy stretch of Larchmont Village, so it's a big more relaxed. And if you lug in a few years worth of closet purging, you won't have to dodge hipsters, yoga moms and dogs on the sidewalk. Check 'em out: they're open Tuesday - Saturday, 11am to 6pm and Sunday, noon to 4pm
· Ampersand Boutique [Official Site]