Circle Boutique

I bought my second favourite cardigan in the world from here but even so, I’m not digging Circle.
I stopped by the storeon another one of my bollock-​freezing winter rambles after getting my eyebrows done at Dupont Threading. I spend more time wandering around DC in the winter than in the summer, it occurs to me, which makes no sense because it is really fucking cold. Anyway, I walked into the store, looking forward to another exciting shopping experience. It immediately became clear that this was not going to happen, since the fabulous sales associate was far too busy chatting on the phone to even acknowledge my entry – as in, not even a smile and a nod, or eye contact for that matter, let alone a greeting. I’m not sure he even noticed I was in the store. I should’ve stolen something.
I spent a few minutes pawing through the racks. The bulk of their current, very small inventory is Dolce Vita. I love their shoes but their clothing – essentially Cynthia Steffe knockoffs – left me cold. There were also a couple Lewis Cho items, but nothing exciting.
It looks like Circle’s strength is in plain, versatile staples rather than really outstanding pieces, which definitely has its place. However, the atmosphere is just so unpleasant that I’m inclined not to spend money at this store and, indeed, I didn’t this time. I dropped some cash next door at Redeem instead.

Circle is definitely cool– it’s like a smaller, brighter version of Redeem next door. As other reviewers have mentioned, they stock a lot of independent/​obscure designers with prices to match.
I’ve only visited once, and the guy working there was super friendly and happy to let us look around. The only reason Circle is not a 4-​star place (for now) is the very small selection: I only saw a few items from a few designers in the men’s selection, and some of the brands listed on their website like Nomme de Guerre didn’t seem to be represented. The lack of items on the floor could possibly be explained by a recent fund raiser, as there did seem to be a lot of Rock the Vote merchandise.
Overall a nice, well designed place, which (along with others like Redeem) is making a great contribution to the DC fashion scene. I look forward to visiting again to check our some more of their rotating stock.

Dinah is the best!

haha — i totally forgot that i’d already reviewed circle and wrote another one! i guess this means that i really dig this store:
for those of us who miss cities with boutique shopping, here is circle to remind you of all those cute little shops in cities with cobblestone roads.
o, and the baby section? yowza — cute overload!

Circle is clean, bright and lovely. Their men’s and women’s selection is comprised of hard to find independent designers, here and abroad. You will find pieces with great construction; good fit and quality for both men and women. Their pieces are also very versatile, you can wear to work, play them up or down. Think clean, modern, simple yet unique and fashionable, with a creative flair. Oh they have a small selection of baby clothing too:)
Staff is always friendly and super helpful!

HOT!
I could seriously do some major damage here after a payday! This boutique is definitely more my style! With brands that are hard to come by and definitely some one-​of-​a-​kind items that I wanted to grab my hands on! Only thing… the price! These prices almost had me out in Dupont Circle looking for a sugar daddy to buy me things!
Seriously a cute store with great customer service. It’s nice to see the two associates stand up and greet us as we enter the door. I’ll head back here once I get a bonus or commission check!

Small selection but great designers that are often hard to find in our fashion challenged city. Check out their sale bins for fabulous discounts. They rotate their inventory fairly often so I always pop in when in the area to see whats new. Friendly staff is very helpful!

THIS is gonna be bad for my financial well-​being. But so good for my soul.
I’m absolutely in love with Circle Boutique. I went in last week, looking for a dress for a special event. I popped in about 20 minutes before close and was greeted by a man and woman. The gorgeous man asked if I was looking for anything particular and pointed out some spring-​y frocks throughout the racks of women’s clothes. As I looked through the lovely selection, I was impressed with almost every item and I picked out a few things to try on.
Squeals of excitement caused me to I look up as stunning girl came out of a dressing room in a beautiful grey dress. Noticing my look of delight, the saleswoman asked me my size and told me she’d get me one to try on as well. Turns out that girl was an employee trying on their newest merchandise. They were more than happy to take a couple dresses out of the box, tear off the shipping plastic, and let me try them on too.
By moving a curtain, Louis made one large dressing room for me out of two, and told me to have fun. Out of the five or six dresses I tried on, one ended up being perfect for my event, but still really different from what I knew everyone else would be wearing. I really liked another dress, but I couldn’t quite justify buying it. But the gorgeous grey dress that the shopgirl had tried on? That dress? THE dress? No, not just a dress, a love affair. An article of clothing that channels the type of girl I aspire to be — classic, cute, almost simple, but with details just different enough to stand out in a crowd. Okay, I’m obviously exaggerating a bit in my poetic musings about this masterpiece, so I’ll stop reviewing the dress and get back to Circle Boutique.
The girls encouraged me to model the dresses, and when I stepped out in THE one, they were just as excited as I was. Dinah, one of the owners, suggested ways I could dress it up and dress it down, giving me tips to style the dress that I wouldn’t have come up with. Since it was brand new thus had no tag, I asked for the price, and after Dinah worked it out, I am certain that my face fell flat — it was even steeper than I had braced myself for. They understood though and didn’t push at all, and never once rushed my decision despite it being after closing. After much wringing of my hands, of course I bought it in the end (come on, did you READ that confession of love?!), and they excitedly packed up my purchases, telling me about THE dress’s designers and showing me the Lewis Cho/​Circle Boutique mention in the latest People, as I shut my eyes and signed the bill, knowing full well that I couldn’t return either item.
The saga continues.
Unable to help myself, I trolled the web the next day, looking to compare the expected boutique markup to other retailers. I was pleased to actually not see THE dress anywhere, but I did find my other frock at Macy’s for significantly less. I was disappointed. I was thrilled to support a wonderful local business, but the markup was pretty high and seeing it at Macy’s made it seem a bit less special. I decided to get the dress at Macy’s and get store credit at Circle Boutique for something else later — to be honest, my fancy-​schmancy event is a day of boozing at a horse race, so with a (high) chance that the dress could be ruined, I decided I’d rather risk a $ 78 dress and spend $ 135 on something unique from Circle that I could wear again and again.
When I stopped into the boutique yesterday, Dinah was there, along with her co-​owner, Rosana. Despite the shop’s brand new policy that all exchanges and returns for store credit must be done within 24 hours, they were happy to do the transaction. (FYI when Rosana saw THE dress on my receipt she got super excited for me, telling me that she was seriously considering ordering one for herself!) Dinah asked if this dress just hadn’t worked out when I got home, and while nibbling on their complimentary brownies, I bit the bullet and told her that I found it for significantly less at Macy’s. She was shocked to hear it. With a confused look she first said that labels tell them a suggested retail price, but then she realized that perhaps department stores can sell for less because they buy in bulk. She also said that she and Rosana always inquire which, if any, other stores in the area are carrying the items they’re ordering for Circle, because they know their little boutique can’t compete with huge retailers like Macy’s. She thanked me for letting her know, and, with warm smiles, they handed me my store credit certificate and told me to enjoy THE dress until my next visit.
I know I’ll go back to Circle Boutique. Not just because I have store credit and not just because I have a crush on the two sweet, adorably hip young mothers who own it, but because in the circle of fashion, such fabulous service and incredible garments are worth a price, and in the circle of life, nice girls should finish first.

I liked Circle.
The first impression threw me off… I walked through the door and it was quiet, and two salespeople sat behind the desk in the back, texting on their phone and looking like they had somewhere far more fabulous and exciting to be. I was all like uh, sorry, mohawk dude and preggers lady … I seemed to have added to your misery.
I looked through their first couple of racks and the stuff was yucky.
But after those terrible first five minutes, everything improved. The selection of clothing got better the further I went in, their denim section was off the chain, they had some cute shoes, and a great sale. The salespeople even got up and started talking to me… and they were HUMAN! Wow.
I’m supportive of the boutique-​scene, so I have to give them some stars for that.
I walked out with a bangin’ pair of skinny jeans and a nice experience.

I love Circle Boutique, the only boutique in DC that carries some of my favorite labels Lover and Karen Walker for women and Band of Outsiders for men. They also have great sale bins (bought a pair of $ 300 Karen Walker jeans for $ 45!!) and everyone that works there is super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the labels.
I have never walked out of there without buying something! You can find great staple pieces as well as edgy accessories and beautiful dresses.

Possibly chic, possibly well– made garments in beautiful fabrics, but Circle Boutique just has not got me head over heels. One thing I love in life is the discovery of a great small boutique, especially in fashion– dull DC, but I was not impressed by one item here. Everything has a price tag of at least $ 200, but none of it is special, and not one piece left me lingering. I’m looking forward to returning to check out new arrivals, but for now, it’s just a bit too bland for my taste. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I would definitely recommend this place to a few more conservative friends who like expensive threads and would, with all due respect, be obsessed.

After taking a walk to Cake Love, I always find myself wandering down 14^th street and just happening to stumble into Circle Boutique.
Or, if I am driving to the local gas station on U street, I always manage to slow down right in front of Circle Boutique, peer through the car window into the store window, and then swerve to the right to park on the street in front of the store.
The store is magnetic. Cute and very LA-​ish, I feel at peace walking into the store (there must be reason why, out of 4 reviews for this place, 2 of them are from california). Back in Cali, there are tons of boutiques like this, but in DC it’s definitely lacking. However, Circle Boutique carries great lines like Senada Theory, which can only be found at very exclusive boutiques in the world. Everything is organized by designer & color — lots of cute tops, button-​ups, slacks/​jeans, shoes, jackets/​coats, bags, etc. They have a great selection of things for men & women, but I took away one star because they often don’t have things in stock, so if you need a different size, you won’t find it. Also, the sales are usually so-​so, so plan on paying full price. But if you need to find a fantastic dress or shirt for an important night out, plan on finding it here.

I have a weakness for small boutiques, and I am busy searching them out in my new city. As much as I consider myself a truly excellent shopper (I know, my parents are so proud) I tend to get overwhelmed by department stores — clothing en masse, even if it’s quite nice, starts to look not so special to me. The key to a great boutique is a diverse but cohesive selection and friendly but not overbearing salespeople. Circle Boutique has both — and they recently moved to a great space on 14^th Street.
The only thing is that you should be prepared for fancy-​party-​dress prices for items that are super cute but pretty casual. But they seem to have a good sale section. They have men’s stuff too — my husband looks so cute in his new Circle duds. He actually discovered the store before I did, and it may be the very first clothing store that’s a favorite for both of us!

Having recently moved here from California, I’ve been surprised by how little D.C. «fashion» has changed since when I was an intern here in 1995. Who knew pinstripe shirts, blue blazers, pleated khakis and loafers were still cool? Granted, I’m not the most fashionable guy, but come on…
Fortunately, there are places like Circle Boutique, which are trying to bring a welcome change. I can’t speak for the ladies, but they have a great, eclectic mix of mens clothing, ranging from the very hipster to clean enough to wear to work. It’s a nice range of prices and sizes, too for such a small store. The sales folks are very friendly — they even let me bring in my poorly behaved dog.
Also, these folks either recently moved or expanded to 1736 14^th Street, NW, right next to Redeem, which is also great, but a bit edgier. Apparently that block of 14^th St. is now where hip lives.
Check them out!

Oh, I am in such trouble. On my last outing to the Dupont Circle hood, I spotted this boutique. It was nice to find a real boutiquey boutique on 17^th street. It was a shopping epiphany!
The clothes here are a nice mix between distincitve and edgy– but classy. Circle Boutique carries local up and coming local and international designers.
If you are looking for that one special dress or accessory to complete your outfit– this is totally the spot. I found stuff here I haven’t seen anyplace else. The staff here knows a lot about fashion without being fake. I tried on a top that I was unsure about I knew were awful on me, and the sales associate told me the cut was not for me (I hate it when a salesperson tells you something looks great and you get it and in reality– it looks horrid).
TIP: Check out the sales rack!