Olive & Bette's

Sometimes it seems as if New Yorkers' wardrobe color palette only consists of black. Olive and Bette’s doesn’t exactly agree with this notion. This candy-colored gem in the heart of the UWS has been shaping the fashion landscape with their assortment of floral-ruffle mini-dresses, tie-dye leather fringe jackets, and glitter sneakers for over 20 years. Establishing a hot boutique in New York is hard, but maintaining it for over two decades? Practically unheard of.

Just one step inside the pink and red striped nook on Columbus street and you might experience a serotonin overload. If pastel printed sundresses as far as the eye can see sounds like paradise to you, then you’ll be in heaven. Not to mention, their clientele skews wide, ranging from stylish working-moms to prep-school girls towing tiny dogs in their purses.

         

The cherry-picked assortment of summery blouses and scarves in every pastel hue ever known to Pantone, screams “girly with a splash of funk.” While certainly rare to find such a “frilly” shop in the midst of NYC’s grittiness, their sundresses will make you want to move to Antibes and spend the rest of your days yachting and drinking Aperol Spritz. Very specific, but also very accurate.

Their unique curation, one-on-one customer service, and zesty store atmosphere rank Olive and Bette’s a solid score. Whether you’re the kind of shopper whose weekend activities consist of hitting every sample sale on the block, or you just want to pick up a few new pieces for your next weekend getaway to the Hamptons, you’ll be mad you didn’t find out about it sooner.

           

Product photos courtesy of Olive & Bette's.