Shop your way through Boston (in 24 hours or less)
BOSTON — So many stores, so little time. These were the circumstances of a recent stop in Boston during a weekend traveling through New England.
But there’s good news, style enthusiasts! You don’t need long to do some serious shopping in Bean Town. I had the end of one day and the start of another (about six hours in total) to immerse myself in the city’s rich fashion scene. Rather than trying to see a bit of it all, a friend and I decided to maximize our time by picking a couple of shop-dense spots to do most of our browsing and buying.
First stop: Newbury Street. This quaint, clean tree-lined thoroughfare in Boston’s Back Bay area is famous for its brownstones filled with boutiques and lots of dining options. This was my first trip to Boston, and my expectation for Newbury Street based on what I’d heard was that we probably could only afford to window shop there. I was pleasantly surprised to find otherwise. It boasts a nice blend of high-end and more walletfriendly fashions by mainstream brands and designers, as well as lesser-known ones. (And even in some of the designer shops there still are deals to be discovered; this style editor scored a $12 pair of nautical stud earrings in the Lilly Pulitzer shop.)
Among the chain retailers such
as H&M, Zara and Anthropologie, expect to encounter designer shops galore (Kate Spade New York, Cynthia Rowley, Rag & Bone, Marc Jacobs, Polo Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani, to name a few). What makes shopping these brands feel different here compared with a department store is that it’s a more intimate boutique-style shopping experience, with most brands confined to their own one- or twofloor shops with natural light pouring in from large bay windows. There also were some great offerings from local shops. Our top picks: LIT Boutique (223 Newbury St., with a second location in Boston’s North End at 236 Hanover St.), a women’s apparel and accessories store specializing in a mix of classic and eclectic styles (and a range of price points); and the Second Time Around consignment shop (three locations along Newbury Street), which carries designer pieces for men and women at marked-down prices.
Next stop: the shops at Copley Place. This shopping destination at 100 Huntington Ave. (about a 10-minute walk from Newbury Street) is like a miniature Manhattan inside a two-level mall. The first floor is filled with fashions fit for Fifth Avenue from the likes of Barneys New York, Tory Burch, Louis Vuitton, John Varvatos, Jimmy Choo and David Yurman. Carolina Herrera also is slated to open her first Boston boutique here this summer. Plus, Copley Place is home to something even New York City doesn’t have (or at least not until 2018) — a Neiman Marcus department store. The upper floor is heavier on mall brands, including J. Crew, Banana Republic, Gap/Gap Kids and Victoria’s Secret.
The final stop on our tour de fashion was The Shops at Prudential Center (800 Boylston St.), just two minutes on foot from Copley Place. We