City Guide
Shopping - Clothing & Shoes
Clothing & Shoes
Ann Arborites are known for casual attire. Sam's on W. Liberty has been in business for more than 30 years selling jeans, flannel shirts, bandannas, mittens, and Converse sneakers in many colors. Bivouac on State sells well-made clothes for those who want to look outdoorsy, as well as some clingier fashions for women. Renaissance in McKinley Towne Centre sells fine menswear and women's business wear with an Italian accent.
For clothes with U-M insignia, M-Den has locations at Briarwood, on Main Street, and a new superstore on State Street. Also near campus are All About Blue and Moe Sport Shops, an Ann Arbor icon since the days of leather football helmets.
The campus area has some tony fashions for women, from the chic but affordable Allure on E. Liberty to the chic but more expensive Poshh. If you want to dress in the age-old Ann Arbor look of flowing gauze from Third World countries, there's Orchid Lane, which also has more styled dresses from April Cornell. Stop in at Moda Blue in the Nickels Arcade for Morera seamless, breathable underwear made from cotton and bamboo. Adorn Me on Liberty sells hats, purses, and jewelry for the flowery, velvety pre-Raphaelite in many of us, as well as princess-type shoes. South University is a new magnet for under-30 fashions with Motivation Boutique and YCI Clothing.
Collected Works in the Shops at Market Place on Detroit St. sells an eclectic mix of comfortable funky and designer clothes. Nearby, in Kerrytown Market & Shops, Mathilde's Imports offers more constructed but still comfortable styles, and V2V stocks young and sophisticated European clothing. At Main St.'s Ayla, the owners will not only sell you sophisticated European clothing but also teach you how to wear it. Suwanee Springs on Main has a fine selection of youthful fashions and good bags and purses.
For footwear, Ann Arbor's women like Footprints on Main and on South University and Mast Shoes at Westgate. Sole Sisters on S. Fourth Ave. sells women's shoes and accessories with the accent on funky. Van Boven in Nickels Arcade sells elegant shoes for men and women in a storefront separate from its fancy men's clothing store. For custom-fitted shoes with healthy feet in mind, try Foot Solutions on Jackson.
Recycled clothing comes in all styles. Bella Rosie on E. Liberty mixes up its hip vintage clothing with new clothes and jewelry. Star Vintage and the Getup on State also sell delectable vintage clothes, and on Broadway, St. Vincent de Paul is another vintage treasure trove. The heart of the recycled clothing trade is "resale row," a group of stores on or near South Industrial--they include the Salvation Army store, Woman in the Shoe (on Rosewood), the Ann Arbor PTO Thrift Shop, Top Drawer Women's Designer Apparel on Consignment, and the upscale Klothes Kloset.
