Following C’est Chic’s opening week, there are certain things that I have discovered about women and shopping in the Twin Cities. First off, I have realized that there are many women frustrated by the lack of options and selections in their shopping. This is particularly due to what I call: conventional designer cuts and the lack of specialization. Once everything from makeup to swimsuits finds its way to the same compound- there is a loss of sense to the word ‘boutique’. I’ve grown up in both California and the South of France (near Toulouse) and every time I went shopping in France it was always boutique shopping, one that conveyed specialization and particular attention to a particular part of our lifestyle and also conveyed the existence of partnership between local boutique owners within every city of France. In Minneapolis, I listen to customers that tell me about the difficulty of finding pants without pockets so that attention is not always to their thighs or tops that accentuate their curves not spotlight them. I respond to these comments with fascination- the fact that women oftentimes have limited opportunities for different styles limits one’s feeling towards their ‘personal style.’ On the other hand I understand the convenience of shopping within a place that sales swimsuits, makeup, and jackets all in one area. Yet with convenience comes its hidden flaws: firstly, each woman is taught to use clothes to cover her body not to decorate it or feel valued in what she wears. Secondly, the person choosing the mass selection of clothes for women is actually a whole conglomerate making phone calls- no touch, no visual, no thought of that one person that frankly just wants pants that make her for once feel confident. Now on to what I believe is changing in the Twin cities: because of the movement to support local, a  foundation for local business owners to work together in partnerships with the support of those that live here has grown. There is an evident switch of more local boutiques sprouting and making a name for themselves. Women in the Twin Cities are finding more quality in their garments and expectations are starting to rise as to what entails quality and fashion into one. I believe that only the future can tell as to what will become of shopping in the Twin Cities, but as for right now, I believe we are all going the right direction.

-Audrey d’Assignies

Director of C’est Chic