Style+Wellness
Best of Baltimore
Style+Wellness
BY JANELLE ERLICHMAN DIAMOND
August 2026
Photography by Matt Roth
FASHION BOOK
CLAIRE McCARDELL: THE DESIGNER WHO SET WOMEN FREE
by ELIZABETH EVITTS DICKINSON
A BIOGRAPHY ABOUT AN INFLUENTIAL FEMALE American fashion designer who revolutionized women’s
ready-to-wear sounds intriguing enough, but put that subject in author Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson’s hands and
it’s a gamechanger. Her book is vivid, immersive, and brilliant. And you don’t need to take our word for it: The
New York Times put it on their “100 Notable Books” list and it was hailed as a best book of the year by NPR,
Time, and The Washington Post. Plus, if you get a chance to see Dickinson speak in person, you must—you
can hear the admiration and awe she holds for McCardell. Next up—a true-crime object biography about the
famous ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. We’re clicking our heels in anticipation.
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BRA FITTING
BRA LA LA
It’s worth the trek to Fulton (trust us)
to shop at this hidden gem. Bra La La
has an extensive selection of bras—
in every possible proportion, style,
material—and excellent sales associates
who don’t make it weird or
shameful that you’ve been wearing
the completely wrong size all these
years. Trust us, they’ve seen it all and
are so patient and knowledgeable.
And they always share how to care
for your bras, so they don’t just fit
perfectly, they last a long time, too
CONSIGNMENT
WEAR IT’S AT
This non-fussy Reisterstown shop is a
favorite among consignment connoisseurs—mostly because of owner Molly
Scaljon’s keen eye, love of fashion,
and sweet disposition. She’s been the
owner of WIA for more than a decade
(the shop has been open since 2006)
and is known for her luxury fashion—Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Jimmy
Choo, Chanel, Valentino—at stellar prices in a
wide range of sizes. Scaljon also offers trust and
estate closet clean-outs using the same energy
and expertise that her customers love.
INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT
SKYLIGHT BOUTIQUE
This summer’s blockbuster exhibition “Superfine:
Tailoring Black Style” at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art’s Costume Institute
includes more than 200 items that tell the
story of Black dandyism in America. One
of the show’s most crucial artifacts comes from Baltimore’s own Maryland Center for
History and Culture—livery worn by an unidentified
enslaved man most likely in the
1840s. By preserving and contextualizing
these garments, MCHC has helped to show
how Black culture transformed dandy dressing
from a tool of oppression into a tool of
self-definition.
NEW GIFT SHOP ON THE BLOCK
BALSTON MERCANTILE
It always makes us happy when a new store opens on The Avenue in Hampden, especially
one of this caliber. Balston Mercantile was
founded by Andrew Hatch and Jonathan Todd,
business and life partners who combined their
hometowns of Baltimore and Boston to create
the name. The beautiful shop is well curated
with tons of great home and gift items including
candles, artwork, accessories, knickknacks, and
bar and tableware. You can tell Hatch and Todd
love what they do—they’re always suggesting
great items, chatting up customers, and talking
highly of their fellow merchants.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCHAUN CHAMPION
REFILL
MARKET GOODS
IT’S BYOC—bring your own container—at this Harford Road zero-waste bulk refillery
in the Hamilton-Lauraville neighborhood.
That’s because the whole point
is zero waste for both the products and
the packaging. Inside the sun-drenched
Mother Earth apothecary, you can find
shower steamers, dishwasher tablets,
shampoo and conditioner, wool dryer
balls (much more eco-friendly than dryer
sheets), and Who Gives a Crap recycled
toilet paper. Owner Hailey Graef keeps
the website up to date with what’s available
at the refill station from liquid laundry
detergent to floor cleaner to toothpaste
tablets. And by bringing your own
vessel, you can buy as little or as much
as you need.
It’s Merch, Hon
FIT CHECK
BRIGHTSIDE BOUTIQUE
This clothing and accessory shop has
been adding more and more fantastic
options (hats, tees, tanks) for the
Orioles, Ravens, and Baltimore City
itself. Our current fave? The Charm
City Love mock neck
LOCAL LOVE BOUTIQUE
FOUND STUDIO
No one cheers and loves local
Baltimore products more than Kacey
Stafford. Her Lauraville shelves are
filled with art, totes, cards, mugs,
and cutting boards made locally.
She promotes not just the products
but the makers, too
PLACE TO KICK
IT OLD SCHOOL
RETROSPECT
Located less than a mile from Camden
Yards and M&T Bank Stadium,
Retrospect is filled with Ravens and
Orioles vintage tees, hats, and
sweatshirts. Follow owner MJ
Broderick on IG for all the latest drops
SPOT WHERE THE
COOL KIDS SHOP
PANGEA PRINTING
Our go-to festival booth—Pangea
Printing—is pretty perfect. They’re
known for their spoopy (that’s
spooky, but in a cute way) Baltimore
shirt, lemon-stick hat, Jaws-inspired
crab tee, and Grateful Boh merch,
among many other favorites
STUFF TO PUT
ON YOUR WALL
GLOBE AT MICA
Globe at MICA prints are basically
Baltimore’s official posters, their
neon colors and assertive fonts
promoting everything from festivals
to concerts to deviled-egg pageants
to social-justice issues—most
available to purchase
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PREGNANCY WELLNESS
THE WOMB ROOM
In 2019, following her own struggle with postpartum
depression and anxiety, Karen Kindig
stepped into a leadership role at The Womb
Room, a community for growing families. In
the years since, The Womb Room has grown
from a small team into a collective of more
than 50 birth professionals with the same
mission—to be the support system often
lacking for new and expectant parents. That includes doulas, education, lactation,
yoga, massage, and therapy—services
that bridge the time from when you’re
trying to conceive to pregnancy, postpartum,
and finally parenthood.
VINTAGE
A DAY IN JUNE
Why do we love Lindsey Brown’s vintage
shop in Fells Point? Let us count the ways:
curated vintage clothing that just feels
happy, tons of local art, an in-house coffee
shop, and a dried-flower bar. Brown
also stocks new stuff like notebooks, hats,
and greeting cards. You can just feel how
much she loves what she does—and why
she has so many repeat customers. And
now that she’s opened her sister shop,
St. Taylor Studio, a concept store and creative
space also on Fleet Street, Brown is
simply unstoppable.
COURTESY OF DOUBLE DUTCH BOUTIQUE/LESLEY JENNINGS
INSTAGRAM:
@doubledutch_boutique
Lesley Jennings opened Doubledutch
Boutique in 2006, which makes her a
fashion matriarch. And yet despite all
those decades under her (funky) belt,
she’s kept her shop fun, fresh, and
delightful—by highlighting not just
local makers but brands that aren’t
ubiquitous. She has a keen eye for
what works—pattern mixing, hair
accessories in pops of color, unique
handbags, retro items that don’t feel
tired, plus lovely non-apparel items
like embroidery and paint-by-number
kits. We can’t wait to see what our
favorite Hampden redhead does next.
WELLNESS
HARP VISION
April and Tyron Harper have created
not just a wellness brand, but a movement.
After both suffering from chronic
pain, but without a natural remedy they
could turn to, they started their own
wellness line with the belief that selfcare
is not a luxury but a necessity.
Now they’ve opened a brick and mortar
in Highlandtown filled with vegan
products including soaps, body scrubs,
creams, bath teas, and aromatherapy
candles. They also host workshops including
perfume blending and a body
scrub lab
WOMEN’S FASHION
RUTH SHAW
Yes, owner Ray Mitchener—along with
husband and co-owner Brian Comes—has enough business savvy to stock his
boutique with all the best luxury designers
like Nili Lotan, A.L.C., Leo Lin, Jenni
Kayne, La Double J, Veronica Beard,
and Simkhai. But it’s his passion for the
work that comes through in everything
he does. He loves it all—the brands, the
shows, the history, and dressing generations
of clients. He lets his employees—
including long-time store manager Tobi
Thompson Chiampou—have fun on the
store’s Instagram page with entertaining
posts. When he thought the boutique
needed a fresh address, Mitchener
moved to Kenilworth in 2017 and then
last year returned home to The Village
of Cross Keys where Ruth Shaw, the
store’s namesake, opened her original
boutique more than 50 years ago.
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