Alpha
Alpha caters to "the man who thinks he has everything," says co-owner Darren Gold. He also likens the store he opened with Christos Garkinos to "the Sharper Image, but a lot cooler." About 20 percent of the store is fashion, including sportif pieces from Y-3 and ties from Ozwald Boateng's Givenchy collection. For your feet, check out Modern Amusement's cheeky riff on the Sperry Topsider. The rest of the stock is an eclectic mix of artwork, housewares, lighters, flasks, and—thoughtfully—sex toys, including the Tongue Joy, a lingual-mounted vibrator. Try asking for that at the Sharper Image.
8625 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (310) 855-0775, www.alpha-man.com
Bureau Politique
When in Paris' Saint Germain neighborhood, look for a shop marked by rough-hewn planks, a red door and—like all good things in Europe—a red light. Go in and you will discover the quirky vision of Ramdane Touhami. An experienced conceptual retailer, Touhami offers T-shirts bearing Bush-bashing jokes (this is France, after all), cotton jersey cardigans by Resistance, and Thai fisherman pants in suiting fabrics. Prices start at $53 for T-shirts and go to $1,300 for cashmere coats from the RT label. Touhami is the first to admit his store isn't your average boutique: "It's a strange little shop, with no windows. It took people about six months to find it, but now I'm doing quite well."
8 rue des Ciseaux, Paris, 011-33-1-5542-9678, www.ramdane.com
Michel Brisson
"We offer cutting-edge fashion, but with the customer service you would find in an old-fashioned menswear shop," says Brisson, explaining why his 1,600-square-foot space is a mecca for Montreal's most fahionable messieurs. Its design, a study in concrete, glass, and timber by renowned local architects Saucier + Perrotte, is minimal yet warm. And the apparel stocked by Brisson also conveys the right mix of functionality and whimsy, thanks to the presence of such labels as Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, and Etro. More casual offerings come from the likes of Earnest Sewn and Blueblood.
1012 Laurier W., Montreal, (514) 270-1012.
Particle
Two hours up the coast from L.A. in sleepy Santa Barbara—and under the gaze of a giant stag's head—is Wallace Piatt's boutique-gallery Particle. Visitors will find artisanal T-shirts from Rvca, denim from Kunna and Blue Guru, shoes by Creative Recreation, and limited-distribution product from Fred Perry and Penguin. Piatt, a medical student turned graphic artist, opened the store last June, when, he says, his "right brain kicked in." Besides all the cool California couture, he sells his art and his own T-shirt line, Wallace, as well as an impressive assortment of architecture and design books. And after you shop, grab a beer at the kitschy bar next door, the Wildcat Lounge.
1 W. Ortega, Santa Barbara, Calif., (805) 899-4245
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The guy who own's Particle is very cool, i used to shop at his other store,True Grit,his T shirts and art are really cool.
