Profile

Before landing in the retail world, Lara Fieldbinder attended art school and worked at the Guggenheim. It’s no surprise, then, that her tidy Smith Street shop feels a bit like a gallery, with white three-dimensional forms popping subtly off white walls, streamlined mid-century modern furniture, and vividly colorful prints of geometrics, florals, and plaids lining the racks. Her typical customer lives locally and might be a blogger, artist, or young mom (or all of the above), and is thrilled to not have to schlep into Manhattan for tailored, trend-driven pieces from Ted Baker or Rachel Mara. Fieldbinder anchors her inventory with an eclectic sampling of designers like Laura Stang of pattern-crazy Porridge; New Zealander Deborah Sweeney, who unleashes her unabashedly feminine sensibility on wool cape coats and ruffled tops; and Angeleno rising star Corey Lynn Calter, known for turning out flirty, of-the-moment frocks that won't blow the budget. The shop also sells shoes (Butter is well-represented) and lots of locally made jewelry, though among the accessories, handbags are the biggest draw: Fashion-forward workhorses from labels like Knox (Brooklynite Jessica Maxcy's line) share space with Rachel Nasvik's textured leather totes and hobos. — Lexi Dwyer

Seasonal sales.

Related Stories

Featured In

• The Boutiques Guiding the Look of the City (8/20/07)