Move over, Lil' Kim; there's a new diminutive in town—or Berlin, rather, among the gritty galleries, squatters and Asian import shops of the Mitte district. Lil* Shop (Brunnenstraße 184, +49 (30) 280 45 338)—not to be confused with Little Shop of Horrors—is Comme des Garçons' permanent new retail home in the German capital and the brainchild of Lil Schlichting-Stegemann, who conceived the brand's three now-vacated Guerrilla pop-up stores in the city. As the name implies, only a limited selection of current and vintage Comme clothing, as well as fragrances and accessories, will be available—in addition to Junya Watanabe. For the recent launch party, Reiko Yuyuma, Japan's first female sushi chef, cooked up Japanese crudités alongside Maki Nomiya, singer of the now disbanded Tokyo pop sensation Pizzicato Five. Hintsters, however, will love the new shop for another reason: the wall graphics and overall art direction were done by none other than Hint contributor Thomas Zeitlberger. It's a small worl...er, a lil* world.
http://www.lil-shop.com/
*hintmag.com/shoptart
(Unfortunately, that isn't always possible with the stores I can better afford, which are known as bargain 'bins' for a reason--you've got to dig. 
Though I still make shameless visits to Saks' Off Fifth, et al. whenever I'm near...) Lil* Shop looks and sounds like paradise, but this makes me laugh:
I love Pizzicato 5
