All Over Albany

Violet's of Saratoga!!!

... said seneca on Nov 15, 2012 at 5:30 PM | link

Stuyvesant has some nice stores in Albany. Great Finds in Valatie has a small but thoughtful & tasteful selection (plus lots of other great stuff as the name implies.

... said Valerae on Nov 15, 2012 at 6:38 PM | link

How local do you want to go? The Hudson-Mohawk Weavers' Guild is having their annual sale now through Sunady at the Pruyn House. Plenty of jackets, shawls, scarves and accessories, all made by guild members.

Otherwise, maybe try Circles or Evoke Style in Stuyvesant Plaza, or White Rice in Hudson.

... said Megan M on Nov 15, 2012 at 10:09 PM | link

Downtown Troy is the answer to your question:

Truly Rhe
Some Girl's Boutique
Aurora's
Captain Denim
Counties of Ireland

and plenty of others, the names of which are escaping me at the moment.

... said colleen on Nov 16, 2012 at 8:38 AM | link

Piper's in Saratoga in the winter has some nice things for both work and play. Summer tends to be a little less adult focused wear.

... said Megan on Nov 16, 2012 at 9:12 AM | link

It may not be quite what Jennifer had in mind (or it might!) - but another way to shop local is to shop from second hand / consignment stores.

Here's an old post from a few years ago w/ some suggestions of consignment stores.. http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2010/11/02/consignment-shops-for-professional-clothes

... said laiskiainen on Nov 16, 2012 at 9:13 AM | link

DeAnna's in west sand lake http://www.deannasgiftsandclothing.com/

... said laura on Nov 16, 2012 at 9:24 AM | link

Definitely Truly Rhe and Some Girls in Troy! Then go to Anchor 5 Boutique for more acessories and bags!

... said Jessica R on Nov 16, 2012 at 9:39 AM | link

Saratoga Filly! It's a brand new local company that sells apparel and accessories online (www.saratogafilly.com).

... said Brady on Nov 16, 2012 at 10:11 AM | link

Some Girls in Troy is good enough to command at least 5% of your annual salary. And they carry American Apparel. And they have a bright, shiny new store on River Street.

http://www.somegirlsboutique.com/

Ekologic (from Troy) makes wonderful hats, scarves, gloves, sweaters from recycled cashmere. Pricey, but Christmas gifts don't get more perfect. It's cashmere, it's recycled, it's from our backyard:

http://www.ekologic.com/

... said Alison on Nov 16, 2012 at 10:18 AM | link

okay, so don't know if this can be considered "local", but you might want to try Clothes Mentor and/or Plato's Closet. The franchises are owned by local folk, and at the very least you'd be recycling clothing that might otherwise be tossed out (if people weren't inclined to donate it.)

It's both shocking and exhilarating when you browse the racks and see just how many of the items still have store tags on them....

... said Rebecca on Nov 16, 2012 at 10:37 AM | link

Ah yes, clothing and shoe shopping in the capital region has always been difficult.

If you want to take a nice drive, North Hampton, Mass has great shops for every style and budget.

http://visitnoho.com/Shopping/index.html

Ekologic in Troy is fabulous. The designer Kathleen Tesnakis creates one of a kind accessories and clothing for both men and women. The pieces are high end, but they are things you will have and wear for years. I have a hat I bought 10 years ago, I wear it all of the time and it's as nice as the day I bought it. :)

... said Jamie on Nov 16, 2012 at 12:44 PM | link

the Sweater Venture at 700 Columbia Turnpike is an awesome store that deserves its own article here someday. It is the storefront for an operation that works with cooperatives in Ecuador, Nepal, Bolivia and other countries to produce high quality hand knits in wool, cotton, and alpaca. They have expanded beyond that mission statement to include items in silk and fabulous clothing from Canada. Owned by a local couple who were Peace Corps volunteers 25 years ago and now supply high end stores across the county with hand knit items. This is the only retail outlet. http://www.sweaterventure.com/

... said Mary M on Nov 16, 2012 at 4:05 PM | link

Glens falls Shirt Factory has tons of local crafters - good chance of some clothing there. Check it out anyway - it is really cool and a great source for local, handmade gifts.

http://shirtfactorygf.com/events

... said Tess on Nov 16, 2012 at 4:50 PM | link

Another option is going to a local designer, like Antoinette at Cinderloop: http://www.cinderloop.com/ . I know that she often sells at crafts shows, and she is usually willing to have people come to her studio to try on clothes.

... said E. on Nov 16, 2012 at 5:09 PM | link

Wow, people actually can be picky about clothing stores. I grab everyting that fits my body which isn't much because of a well-defined waist. I have hard time finding pants that don't fall off and tops that can't double as parachute.

... said Lu on Nov 16, 2012 at 8:42 PM | link

I am a big fan of Yellow Boutique in Saratoga; it has been a while since I've been up there, come to think of it ...

... said irisira on Nov 17, 2012 at 9:58 AM | link

Peter Harris

... said Jess on Nov 17, 2012 at 12:30 PM | link

I'm the Jennifer who asked the question, and just wanted to say thanks to everyone who had suggestions. I'll check them all out.

I already do a lot of my clothes shopping at thrift stores, which works great for shirts and coats and pretty well for jeans. It works less well for dressy clothes, but sometimes I'll find good stuff. In addition, most of the non-chain places that I already knew about seem to specialize in more formal stuff, so I usually manage OK on the rare occasions I need that.

The parts of my wardrobe I have the most trouble finding at locally owned stores are socks, undergarments, and (to a lesser extent) shoes. Any suggestions for those?

... said Jennifer on Nov 26, 2012 at 4:22 PM | link