(Photo: Courtesy of the vendor)

• Dalaga

  150 Franklin St., nr. Greenpoint Ave., Greenpoint; 718-389-4049

  A lot of boutiques only stock a few dress styles, preferring to focus on easier-to-fit (and therefore faster-selling) categories like T-shirts, knits, and accessories. At Dalaga, Michelle Mangiliman puts an emphasis on the category, so her selection is far more inclusive; you’re just as likely to find a party-appropriate formfitting LBD or vintage-inspired silk style as a crisp, office-appropriate belted shirtdress from a brand like Holy G, BB Dakota, or Alexandra Grecco. Given its neighborhood clientele of twenty- to thirtysomethings, the prices rarely get much over $100, but Mangiliman vets her suppliers for quality and brings in new pieces weekly to appeal to the crowd that might amble past after brunch at Five Leaves.

From the 2010 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine