Harajuku SF

Normally I don’t review women’s clothing stores too often because I’m in and out of there so quickly. It was hella hot in San Francisco this weekend and don’t ask me why I didn’t bring my dresses? Like WTH??? We love coming to Japantown’s Cherry Blossom Festival! Hubby said everytime we come and it’s in the 70’s it’s toasty! Well blame it on me for the literal last minute impulse planning to come! Duh! I didn’t think it was hot enough for a sundress!!! I’m always worried about it being way too cold!
I was racking my brain and thinking where should I shop for a dress??? When you’re in the City you kind of want to stay put bc parking is such a premium. Then it dawned on me there was a boutique on the second floor closely attached to Hotel Kabuki. I asked hubby if he had seen it but forget that as he was totally oblivious so I had to check it out for myself! I was thrilled to see it close by the hotel as I had been having knee issues and had already walked a ton earlier today!
Excited as I walked in hubby encouraged me to look as I was hesitant bc I knew clothing wasn’t cheap in there & that’s no understatement. I looked throughout the racks and found a few dresses to try on. The sizes were different as the saleslady helped me to find my size. I found this gorgeous silk two pieced dress perfect to wear in Sactown. Kengi helped me find another dress too.
I ended up scoring on two dresses. Yay just in time for that one month memorial. I know time flies doesn’t it?
It was a perfect weekend to come shopping here! Thank you Kengi. (No I didn’t misspell her name)! And note that Harajuku is closed on Tuesdays!!! I definitely need to remember that!!!

I googled Julian Chang after returning home. Julian Chang, a few of them, one went to Harvard, one is a fashion designer based on Miami, «known for bold prints and signature silhouettes, Julian Chang has become one of fashion’s most celebrated designers to emerge from Miami. Born and raised in Lima, Peru.» He dresses the celebrities, apparently he can also dress me.
After dinner, I saw the shop name that brought me back to the memories of those Harajuku girls in Tokyo. Where young women dressed like all sorts of fashion forward trend setters, that year that weekend I saw them in pink business suits, holding pink suit cases, wearing pink stilettos.
This boutique has been around for 15 years, current owner is a pretty Asian woman who seems to have a flair for carrying interesting designers and foreign brand clothes. A light green sweater is from New Zealand, a cat print high fashion dress, the one that caught my eye as I was leaving, is quite provocative. I pondered aloud, «I’ve seen this dress, somewhere, I really have.» She looked puzzled, «it’s brand new, it’s French.» I exclaimed, «Of course!» I have just returned from France and I saw the same dress in Nice last week. She looked relieved, after all, there is no competition still, in the city of San Francisco. I liked her eclectic collection. Nothing seems to be just casually acquired for her store, everything has a lineage of a kind, mostly foreign, some domestic but from other part of the country.
Julian Chang sounded foreign, exotic and familiar at the same time. Mine is a black color base but with multiple colors scattered, a very Miami style wrap dress. I was flattered that his extra small size fitted me well, and not just the usual small size, and a discount was given because it came from the sales rack.
The cat print peach dress fresh of Paris is a daring display of fashion on the mannequin, a bit too fashion forward for a tech grunge and Californian casual town, but to me, this is exactly the understated high fashion that many CAN pull it off, but few THINK they can pull it off. I had done my share of damage. So I thank the owner for staying late on my behalf and limped my way out of the door with the Julian Chang dress. Yes, how else can one reward oneself after a brand spanking new knee surgery but to get oneself a new dress?

I absolutely adore this store. The owner sources brands that more difficult to find, such as Cop Copine and Isabel Marant, and clearly puts a lot of thought and love into what she selects. I frequently get compliments on the outfits I purchase here, and never run into someone else wearing the same items. She constantly has new merchandise on hand (so there’s always something new to browse!) and also sells some lovely jewelry. While the offerings are overall pretty high-​end, it’s not too overpriced and the jewelry is really reasonable. The owner is also really great about recommending dresses or tops that will work well on my frame, which is helpful as I’m not so great at picking stuff out for myself. Definitely recommend checking this place out.

The owner Michelle is fantastic! She has a great eye for fashion and is honest and helpful when choosing what’s best for you! Got the most gorgeous cropped leather jacket! Can’t wait too wear it… The clothing is beautiful… I loved her jewelry selection… Clothing was so classy… Can’t wait too go back … You will love her selection!

Not *quite* the Harajuku fashion I had in mind, but Boutique Harajuku is a cute little shop bursting with designer labels and fashionable accessories. It’s pricey but that’s to be expected with the inventory. It’s good to know there’s a shop where I can get my Vivienne Westwood fix without having to drive to LA :3

Hit or Miss for me. Been here maybe 4 or 5 times… found a great bargain once on a black fornarina jumper– very japan street style-​ish. And the best part was that the length was perfect. No hemming needed my 5’1″ self.
I remember seeing a whole lot of Custo Barcelona, which I’m not really into. Among some other European or Japanese brands.
There are cute things, but pricey– and not the biggest selection.

After I have ma babay and can fit into these teeny tiny beautiful clothes, I shall return here with my AmEx at the ready. Not super cheap, not pricey for the gorgeous clothes. It’s a pretty small place, but every piece is fashion forward (I hate that term, but it’s pretty accurate here) and beautifully made… in Japan, I guess. The aesthetic would be similar to Dress on Chestnut without the pushiness. In fact, expect no service here whatsoever. The woman behind the counter (who had a proprietor-​like air about her) did not once look up at me. This suited me fine because I really can’t buy anything here being 8 months pregnant. I just looked at everything in the shop, oohed, aahed, checked-​in and left.
Boutique Harajuku– I’ll be back! Without my housekeeper, love child and failed marriage.

Every time I have stopped in at this place, I would see at least 4 – 5 items I really, really liked. Sizes are for smallish, non-​eaters. They have unique, trendy– but not too hipster doofish – looking clothes. But back about 4 months ago and before, I had the body the shape of a Hickory Farms Summer Sausage and nuthin looked even close to looking okay on me, let alone getting close to even fitting me. Four months of dieting, 3 sizes down later and my old auntie says I look «emaciated,» I’m goin shoppin! I’m sure I can find a size on the larger end that might fit me now. And if I end up looking like an old bag wearing clothes that my 20ish niece should be wearing… too bad. This dieting crap was hard work. I deserve a trendy outfit to go out shopping for chocolate, cupcakes and pizza!

I have got to admit this place have really cute clothes! But it is just so pricey!!!
So I went here not that long ago maybe like a few weeks ago? Anyways I was on vacation with my family and I went into this store with my mom and my grandma. I saw this really cute but simple shirt that caught my eye. I showed it to them and they were all like thats cute how much is it (you know being Asian your parents are always cheap haha jk) I looked at the price, put the shirt back on the rack and walked out! I mean seriously? That shirt was $ 180!!! On sale!!! The oringinal price was like $ 225 (I think).
So yeah if you ever come here bring a load of cash or credit cards with you!

Ok this place did have some cute things. My only problem with them is the refund policy. Not one place in the store did I see what the policy was. They over charge me on something and when I went back I was kinda mad that they did that. They fixed it but I also asked them can I just get my money back because I was not happy with the purchase and they said no. That’s when they told me the refund policy and by law it has to be on the store door and they still would not refund me.
Other then that they have cute clothing but man would they not stop bugging me when I was trying things on.
PS,
Would any one want to buy off me the outfit I try to refund. It is a Cop Copine and its the agusta outfit. Have not worn it since I bought it and tags are still on the clothing.

WARNING: Do not go here if you don’t count on spending $ 200 – 300 on yourself! The clothes here are sooo cute and so fashionable, I get complemented everytime I wear them! Most of their clothes are actually European. My favorite brand is Co Copine. I used to go in, try their clothes and go crazy looking at myself in the mirror, while the lovely Korean ladies who work there (especially Connie, she ROCKS!) tell me how wonderful I look. I see the price tag and see that what I want is nearly $ 300. I think, I can’t possibly afford this, and end up taking it off and saying «not today» to the ladies with a heavy heart. Then I leave. And think about the clothes for the next few days. Get online and look at my bank statements to see how much is in there. Tell myself that I can skip meals for the next few days or I can get my hair done next week instead of this week. I mull over it, and then a day or so later, I end up going back in the place and buying the $ 300 item. This happens almost every single time I walk in the store. So I make a point not to go in there more than 2 –3 times a year because I will be flat broke if I go in there any more than that!

This is MY shop.
Most of the clothes I pick out here are so my style.
I’ve been shopping here for three years now and every time I go in I buy something. Which is why I limit myself to going in this shop only every 2 – 3 months so I can save myself from spending.
Most of the clothes here are from certain brands from Japan, or companies from Europe like France or Spain (yes, along with the excellent quality)
They have awesome jeans too.
They also have beautiful jewelry and accessories, belts, hats, and shoes.
The only catch is because their clothes are from such places like Europe or Japan the clothes are pretty pricey BUT they are cheaper if you were to buy them in the actual stores of those brands. (Like Miss Sixty, Fornarina etc.)
Also if you become a frequent customer you always get 10 percent off (like me).
New clothes comes in practically every two weeks and they have good sales.
I also checked out their other store that recently opened in Santana Row in San Jose. That place is nice too.
I always get compliments from the clothes I buy here so truthfully I don’t want more people coming into this store cause I don’t want people wearing the same things I do. (Like if you were to buy at H&M…nothing against it, just I like to be unique) Luckily they only have a few on the rack so it’s a first come first serve thing.

It’s a cool shop but my taste for Boutique Harajuku was soured slightly by my last shopping experience. I went to the dressing room twice to try on some jeans, and the store owner or employee (there was only one woman there), came by every time she could hear I was trying on something new. It’s a small shop so I began to dread the sound of her approaching footsteps as I pulled on each pair of jeans. She came by a total of five times!
Jeebus lady, leave your customers be! And it’s not like this behavior may be attributed to some Japanese style of customer assistance, I was in Tokyo in April and shop owners and employees are perfectly happy to leave you alone and will be super sweet and attentive if you ask for help.
It may be this overbearing salesperson isn’t there any longer, so if she’s not there, you’ll have a nice shopping experience.

Why is this place located in the Miyako where it’s dead and not in the Kintetsu building where they could get better traffic? Meh, I guess that doesn’t matter coz I love this boutique!
This is the place to be if you wanna grab some cute trendy pieces and look like a Tokyo hipster! And since it’s Tokyo fashion inspired, don’t expect it to be cheap. It’s a boutique, and no boutique sells an article of clothing that starts at $ 20, so expect things to be $ 90-​$ 150 and even more.
They do cater to the petites so its kinda nice to have a place for my size. It just sucks that majority of the items aren’t in my price range! And btw, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being thrifty ;)
Copcopine, Save the Queen, Fornarina, J Brand, Voom, Custo, etc are here. I fell in love with the jeans they have and the material is sooo comfy — but it was $ 275 for the pair I wanted. This will have to wait.
The sales item rack is awesome! Some are marked 30%-45% if you get lucky. It’s worth waiting for sales as a lot of their clothes do go through mark downs and you might just find what you were eying months before on the rack for helluva lot less than the original price.
Their website could use a little bit of improvement though coz it’s rather vague has no price listing, and doesn’t show the individual pieces of clothing. If you want something from their website, you need to call or email them.

I am a 5’7″ Asian woman with boobs and a big butt. Thus, I cannot shop at Boutique Harajuku, which is geared towards 5’1″ Asian women with bodies more like a 12-​year-​old Cambodian boy’s. Hey, I’m TOTALLY not hatin’ — more power to you, petite girls!
However.
There are some very chic and fashion forward pieces here — but from what I’ve read and seen (thank you FRUITS magazine!) the Harajuku district in Tokyo is known for clothing more «Hot Topic» than «Haute Couture»…so I think the clothes at Boutique Harajuku are a little more subdued than what you’d find on the street. It is authentic Japanese fashion though, at designer-​ish prices, but it’s still cheaper than the trans-​Pacific flight to Japan, right?

There are two types of clothes shopping that make me feel good.
1. I got a great deal on these jeans and shirts, 50−75% off– damn I saved a lot!
2. I paid a lot for these jeans and shirts, but damn! I sure look gooood.
Boutique Harajuku is the latter.
The boutique saleslady is very helpful too. She knew exactly what would look nice on me.

I went here with my sister (who does not Unilocal) and even as someone who can’t enjoy the satisfaction of shopping at Boutique Harajuku, I felt obliged to write about how fabulous this place is.
up and coming designers as well as new darlings of the fashion world are all here, ready to adorn your every curve (or lack thereof if that’s the case). there was so much to choose from, i think we spent an hour just deciding on what she would try on! my sister worked one rack while i sorted through another. we met back at the fitting room to put everything to the test.
the owner is fantastic and helped to make the experience fun for both the shopper and the assistant to the shopper. it’s easy to spend a lot in here but i wouldn’t say it’s because the place is excessively expensive or overpriced. In fact, my sister picked up 6 pieces for under $ 900. no, you spend a lot in here because there are just too many incredible garments!
if i didn’t love my penis so much, this place would make me wish i was a woman. i can’t wait for my next opportunity to bring someone here.

Mr. O.C. says when you find a great boutique, keep it to yourself. I just wish I didn’t suck so bad at keeping secrets! On Sunday, we made a speed trip to Union Square to shop, with a detour to Japantown for dinner before heading home. It was our intention to just take a quick peek, honest! But everything at BH was on SALE! *whimper* We were in the store til closing, and left with a Cop copine skirt, VOOM dress, and a GSUS skirt.
K has embraced «kawai» and whatever the Tokyo fashionistas decide are the «IT» clothes for the season. She pours over Hana-​Chu and other fashion mags, and was agog when she found BH. French styling in Japanese sizing.
Everything is pleasantly feminine, but with the edginess of boutique clothing. And did I mention that they are having a storewide sale?!?

I’ve been to Jtown and the Miyako Mall many times but never ventured into this store until I came across the reviews on Unilocal!This was such a cute find, all the clothes are so adorable, different brands like Copcopine, Save the Queen, Voom, Fornarina.
The store owner and assistant were so helpful in bringing me different pieces or at least suggesting them… super friendly and even coaxed me to try on this one Voom Jersey Bubble dress that a Korean celebrity recently wore and instantly made the dress a hit and it became the «IT» dress but unfortunately, it was not quite «IT» on me but it did look nice though. I settled for a dress which was on sale and looking forward to wearing it soon! Lovely store and such cute items… I’ll be back.

My never ending search for petite clothing came to a complete stop this past Saturday after my visit to Boutique Harajuku in Miyako Mall (Japantown). No longer will I have to shop at Abercrombie & Fitch. No longer will I have to shop at American Eagle! No longer will I have to buy children’s clothes! No longer will I have to hem my jeans or tailor my clothes. No longer will I have my hopes crushed when trying on a faux size XS (e.g. –an XS that would actually fit a size 4 body)!!!
I forgot to mention that being petite is a two sided problem. Either you are «short and chubby (borderline fat)» or «short and skinny.» Boutique Harajuku is for the latter.
Connie, the adorable lady owner helped me while trying on 2 VOOM dresses (that I ended up purchasing), she zipped and tied me up effortlessly :) She gave me a 10% discount for being a new customer.
My credit card will be visiting much more often! :)