Shareen

This L.A. brand opened on the second floor of a nondescript Flatiron brownstone (look for the red dress hanging on a fire escape) in 2009. The women’s boutique sticks to budget-conscious prices (the average frock costs $38) and receives new shipments of 1950s–’90s dresses, skirts and blouses every Friday. No men are allowed, so women can feel comfortable trying on original period pieces and reworked vintage dresses ($58–$198) from owner Shareen Mitchell’s own line out in the open (there are no changing rooms). The staff act as stylists, pulling pieces—like faux-wrap striped day dresses ($38), embroidered evening gowns with sequin lining and sheer overlay ($120) and crinoline-and-lace petticoats ($48)—to suit customers’ individual tastes.