Addicted Couture

My girlfriend drags me into little boutique fashion shops all the time. Guys, you know the type: blinged-​out jeans with reverse stitching and all kinds of butt patterns; $ 5 flip-​flops turned into $ 50 accessories with a hot glue gun and some fake turquoise; bedazzled hats with crooked crosses; exotic animal prints everywhere; hand-​painted boots (really?); obscure-​scented candles that cost more than tires … So why am I reviewing such a place? Because Addicted is the only one I’ve been to that also has stuff for dudes. Instead of being stuck, surrounded by fashion that looks like a cross between Canton First Monday Trade Days and a hooker, I actually got to try on some shirts and jeans. And I bought them, too. Boutique shops like this must either include a small inventory of guy clothes to rummage through, or at least provide something to distract us. When I’m «done» with a store, my girlfriend could be in the middle of trying things on and I’ll rush her out. (Yes, I’m a jerk like that.) Or if she goes by herself and spends beau coup bucks, at least pick me up a t-​shirt (that’s a trick my mom uses on my dad). If not, at least set up a comfy chair or two next to a TV with the game on, open your wifi connection, and if you’re really committed to keeping guys happy, give ‘em a beer (you need a license to sell beer, not to give it away). I’ve been into a few shops that do this and I can sit there for an hour or so and my GF can shop all she wants.