The Stylish Traveler’s Guide to Shopping in Houston
The city is shedding its conservative image with a host of independent boutiques that are bringing newfound chic to H-town. On offer: sculptural necklaces, lizard cuff bracelets, and hand-embroidered pillows from Oaxaca. That's just the beginning.
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Laboratoria
Tatiana Massey, a Russian-born former model who moved to Houston more than a decade ago, is on the vanguard of the city’s style evolution. Her three-year-old River Oaks boutique, Laboratoria, carries designers not often found outside the coasts— Rodebjer, Thakoon Addition, Simone Rocha, and Emilia Wickstead—and artfully displays their pieces in her gallery-like space. Massey describes her range of labels as “what you need to know about street style right now.” On the walls she hangs works by Texas artists—everything from a watercolor by Kermit Oliver to paintings by the late Bert Long. Some are for sale, while others are part of her personal collection.
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Myth & Symbol
This Rice Village store, the brainchild of sisters Trang and Chau Nguyen, carries a mix of emerging fashion, accessories, and home-décor lines. Look for feminine day dresses by Rachel Comey and Ace & Jig, sculptural necklaces from the Things We Keep, and brass trays by Japanese brand Futagami. The store also holds workshops on topics like leather tooling and block printing.
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Sid & Ann Mashburn
The first Texas outpost of this cult Atlanta lifestyle shop artfully blends traditional wares and trend-driven merchandise. On the men’s side, Levi’s& and Barbour jackets share space with more rarefied offerings like Sartorio blazers and Pro-Ject turntables. Another highlight: Sid’s namesake collection of tailored suits, colorful trousers, silk knit ties, and small leather goods. Women will find lizard cuff bracelets, leather bucket bags, and perfectly cut, crisp-white oxford shirts.
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Saint Cloud
A honeycomb-shaped light installation hangs over this minimalist home and accessories store, where co-owners Jessica Rodriguez and Cecilia Marquez display their global finds (hand-embroidered pillows from Oaxaca, Mexico, and kilims from Morocco) alongside Houston-made wares like abstract-print scarves by Manoosh.
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Sloan/Hall
This is where the ladies who lunch come for pieces by Iris van Herpen and Fausto Puglisi. But it’s not all about fashion: Marcus Sloan and Shannon Hall also stock niche perfumes from Jouany, coffee-table books by Taschen, and antiques like a 16th-century Italian chest with inlaid ivory.