Some of Soho’s prettiest gems are also the best hidden, among them the tucked-away treasure Key—which is well worth the hunt down quiet Grand Street. The shop owes its personal-dressing-room feel to owners Mary Gasser and Eve Gelade, former fashion industry gals who crafted an intimate shopping environment designed to comfort and excite shoppers in the market for everyday items with extraordinary touches. Housed in an artist’s studio, the boutique’s light-bleached space, couches and fun music invite lengthy browsing of the carefully edited racks: a melange of vintage shoes in candy colors, J. Brand jeans, effortless Rory Beca silk dresses and Carolina K frocks which set a chic, rather Parisian tone. With a clear appreciation for the downtown aesthetic—unexpected, edgy drapes and silhouettes, and wearable simplicity—Gasser and Gelade have compiled a selection that creates, above all, a streamlined closet where rich solids, clean lines and no-muss femininity all work together in beautiful concert. Whimsical notecards, candles, of-the-moment jewelry and baskets of sale sandals and accessories complete the utterly shop-able assortment, some of which will also be available online soon!

Upon my return from my honeymoon, I was making my usual trek to the subway thinking how, aside from more springlike window displays, your surroundings pretty much stay the same even if you go on a personal whirlwind. Much to my pleasant surprise, then, when I discovered that an outpost of
Satya Jewelry had opened up right along my usual route.

At once well-priced and packed with meaning (symbols and stones are chosen for their individual healing abilities, like cleansing, new beginnings, and protection) Satya Jewelry makes an ideal birthday gift—and now I can do my shopping even more last-minute.

We hear that the birthstone jewelry is a big seller, and while April (diamond) and May (emerald) are pricier months, my birthday is right around the corner (June 6th) and I have my eye on this pearl necklace ($78). The inspirational lotus pendant is the store’s most popular style, and the addition of pearls brings faith, charity, and innocence. Sounds like just what I need. . .

Fred Segal, LA’s longtime originator of all things hip, has added something new to the landscape of its Santa Monicacenter: Fred Segal Green.

With a timely Earth Week opening, the new boutique is green at its most gorgeous. Built with the purest materials such as Nordic Ash floors (produced without insecticides) and stone counters made of recycled paper, glass and ash, it boasts an interior designer’s dream full of elegant environmentally-friendly home furnishings and gifts you’ll covet no matter your devotion to the cause.

Dalaleo’s pillows and totes made of woven soda tabs (left), Culinhome’s cutlery from raw materials and Nathalie Costes wood bead necklaces are just a few of the stylishly rustic items we spotted in this space, which takes the “green market” concept to new heights.

The shop is located in a 1200-square-foot space at the back of Fred Segal’s east building on 500 Broadway in Santa Monica.

This week, we chatted with Sara Mattler, Senior Vice President of Fashion Merchandising for Wink NYC, one of the best places for basics and special occasion pieces alike.

SA: What’s flying off the shelves right now?
Wink: Right now what’s flying off the shelves are LNA tees, Anna Corinna Wink exclusive purple city and mini city totes, Lauren Conrad apparel, Hunter wellies in silver, Love Quotes scarves (pictured right, $85), Nashelle initial disc necklaces and bracelets…I could go on with even more!

SA: What do you look for when choosing your merchandise?
Wink: When choosing merchandise for Wink we look for items that are in style yet not “overly trendy”. We pick items that are essential to a “Wink Girls” lifestyle. By forecasting out a at least a season at a time we are able to have the hot items in stores right as the trend is starting instead of chasing after its hit. Our strategy is to offer a large assortment in small quantities so that our customers do not see multiples of themselves!

SA: What new trends are you seeing?
Wink: The new trends we are seeing are skirts, skirts, and more skirts! Also, shorts are strong this season as well as scarves and oversized clutches for day and night.

SA: What is your favorite item in the store right now?
Wink: The LNA zipper leggings in shiny black (pictured left, $98). The designer sent me the sample about a month ago and I seriously wear them almost everyday. We are pre-selling them on our website and already have a huge waitlist!

SA: How would you describe the Wink shopper?
Wink: A true Wink shopper is on top of what is going on in the fashion world and looks to us to fill her closet with the best selection of apparel and accessories. Whether she needs a new outfit for a first date or just some basics she knows she can always come to Wink and find what she’s looking for. Wink is known as a store that treats every customer as a friend and our customers love to come in and chat with us and fill us in on what is going on in their lives as we help them fill their closets!

SA: What look do you see being big in the near future?
Wink: The look we see as being big in the near future is outerwear being a more important aspect of an outfit. For fall we bought several styles of coats and jackets because we see our girl buying multiple outerwear styles. She will focus on her outerwear more as a piece of her entire outfit instead of as just an item that keeps her warm!

Growing up in the 1970s, Swedish-born designer Gunlis used to take the train into Stockholm and trawl thrift stores for finds from the 1930s and ’40s.

Inspired by her own mother’s collection of full-body slips, she started playing with these artifacts of lingerie past, and—flash-forward 30 years—has carved a unique fashion niche for herself. She recycles slips from the first half of the 20th century, hand-dyes them in lush colors like eggplant or dusty rose, and adds her own flourishes: a spray of silk flowers here, a cluster of (vintage) buttons there. The result? Thoroughly unique pieces that’ll make you want to ditch the whole point of a slip (that it’s, you know, meant to be hidden under something else) and wear them solo—or maybe under a cute scoopneck cardi or cropped blazer. Another fashion find, another garment saved from the dustbin of history.

Brooklyn, N.Y.’s excellent indie-designer-meets-vintage boutique Ouvrez La Porte has just become the first NYC-area shop to stock GlamGarb, so get there fast. You can also find other stores that stock Gunlis’ gear on her website.

The worst part about traveling? The traveling…And with flying the way it is these days (please don’t even get me started), the situation is only getting worse. If there’s anything I can do to make the process less painful, I’m all for it.

Here’s an insider tip: For our recent wedding, Daniel (now, husband) and I went straight from New York (home) to DC (wedding) to Hawaii (uhhh…honeymoon!!). Rather than lug our honeymoon luggage (you know, suitcase upon suitcase of sexy lingerie) with us on top of all of the wedding paraphernalia we had already stuffed in our car, we shipped it off ahead of time using

This genius service specializes in door-to-door luggage shipping to nearly any destination worldwide. Just schedule a pickup time with the folks at Luggage Free, and they’ll take care of all of the arrangements. Exhausted after our wedding, Daniel and I were thrilled to bypass both the luggage checking and claiming process, not to mention the “I wonder if our suitcases will make it” flying stress, since we knew our stuff had arrived safely long before we even took off. Plus, since my luggage was already long gone, I saved myself the last minute packing and repacking that usually ensues when I travel.

Pricing is fair, and it’s all laid out on the easy to use Luggage Free site. You can even use the service when traveling internationally, thus avoiding customs. And you can ship golf clubs, skis…hey, even empty suitcases for shopping.

Cusp, the trendy boutique chain from Neiman Marcus, opened up an e-commerce site last month. Here’s our take on the new platform.

Cusp scores major points for its selection—styles are decidedly colorful and flirty (just what we’re looking for as the weather warms), and hot labels like Dallin Chase, Twenty8Twelve and Ikat are well-represented. With lots of looks ideas, Cusp is a natural choice for gals searching for special occasions outfits. When it comes to usability, the site may need a little more time to find its groove. Cusp lacks a list of designers or easy-to-find browsing and refining options, making it a bit slower to browse than some of its Online All-Star competitors.

The result of a creative collaboration between Pharrell (of Neptunes fame) and Japanese fashion designer Nigo, cult brand A Bathing Ape blends hip-hop style with a hefty dose of Harajuku chic. The Manhattan flagship store has been the only place where the goods are guaranteed authentic, but now West Coasters can get the goods in the new Los Angeles-based futuristic themed store, opening this week on Melrose Avenue

Click here to read Cute, Not Crunchy: Sustainable Style Guide

Click here to read Exclusive April Discounts!