It is a near-perfect day in downtown Charlottesville, and Chrissy Miller is spending it indoors. After all, she argues, she still can feel the warmth of the sun's rays through the windows of Eloise, where she is delicately tracing the pastel stripes of a CK Bradley belt between her thumb and forefinger.
After deciding to add it to her collection, the fashion-conscious third-year College student grins when she notices Eloise's powder-blue guest book, inscribed with the words, "Play Dress Up."
Miller isn't the only one who has fallen head-over-her-kitten-heels for chic boutiques like Eloise, Scarpa, O'Suzannah and Dixie Divas. In a town buzzing with hip women eager to burn up their Visa cards, a band of store owners regularly showcases an alluring blend of trendy, classic and downright fun styles.
These stores evoke the intimate mood of a cozy living room, while charming shoppers with plenty of stylish merchandise. At Scarpa in Barracks Road Shopping Center, owner Amy Gardner lines pairs of suede clogs and boots in long rows along the store's floor to create a feeling of familiarity.
"I like to keep the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable," Gardner said. "That way, you're surrounded by fine things, but you feel as if you're browsing in your friend's closet."
O'Suzannah on the Corner captures this sentiment with a light and airy bedroom on the store's second floor, complete with dainty, white undies folded in piles on a four-poster bed. Shabby Chic brand sheets displayed in distressed-wood armoires and tin buckets bearing gingham candles surround the bed and remind shoppers of a home in the country.
Childhood-inspired novelties also infuse boutiques with an air of nostalgia.
"I'd say O'Suzannah is never run-of-the-mill," store owner Suzannah Fischer said. "It's a little bit whimsical, and it tends to make you remember the things you loved growing up."
Fischer stocks the shelves with Dr. Seuss' classic "Oh The Places You'll Go," and she drapes an overstuffed armchair with a rose and green-striped scarf embroidered with busy bumblebees.
Bowls of tiny, plastic barrettes dot the counter by the cash register.
Eloise's co-owners, Amy Kolbrenner and her mother, Syd McClelland, also revel in sentimental inspirations. Their store's name was inspired by Kolbrenner's favorite children's book, "Eloise" -- the tale of a precocious 6-year-old who lives in The Plaza Hotel.
"My mom and I thought Eloise would be a really good inspiration, because she always had the finest things in life, and in a great, fun atmosphere," Kolbrenner said.
Scarpa also is mixing memories of the past with current styles in the form of vintage essentials like fringe, suede and corduroy.
Gardner "has a great eye for buying what's current in the market," said Scarpa employee Micaela de Cardenas, a third-year College student. "She is always using fresh, new designers, and selecting the quantity of what she buys very carefully."
At O'Suzannah, Fischer sells brands like Three Dot and Beth Mueller, who is gaining popularity for her simple and elegant pottery. Kolbrenner and McClelland integrate classic wardrobe staples with fresh trends to add pizzazz to an otherwise ordinary closet.
"I'd call it classic with a twist -- a place to come and find the special things you won't find at the Gap or Banana Republic, although they are great too," Kolbrenner said.
Often, it is this prospect of finding the "special things," those items that are original and unique, which lures University students to the boutiques.
"As much as I love stores like J. Crew for the basics, I go to the boutiques to find those things that are a little nicer," De Cardenas said."It's nice to have these boutiques in a small town, because otherwise we'd all be walking around wearing the same things."
Fourth-year College student and former Dixie Divas employee Brit Gore cruises the boutique circuit to discover the gems she simply can't find anywhere else in Charlottesville -- Betsey Johnson dresses and distinct jewelry.
In a town devoid of high-end department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, the specialty stores reign supreme. But owners say their shops aren't popular by default. Attentive customer service is as much a boutique staple as a Michael Stars T-shirt.
Chrissy Miller says Kolbrenner and McClelland make her feel welcome each time she stops in their store.
"They'll rip open sealed boxes to find you a size or a color and they'll always give you an honest opinion," Miller said.
Gardner prides herself on knowing many of Scarpa's customers on a first-name basis.
"I remember their shoe sizes, and I can ask how their daughter's wedding or their reunion was," Gardner said.
"There's a sense of community shoppers get at local businesses that is hard to form elsewhere."
Many of the style-searchers getting lost in a sea of shopping bags are students on the prowl for the latest fashion highlights.
Students are "hip, they're on top of the trends and always willing to take risks," Dixie Divas owner Kristi Adams said. "University students are definitely a big component of our target customer base."
The pitfall, for Gore and other boutique aficionados, is that browsing the boutiques can sometimes mean breaking the bank. With $376 peasant tops dangling off the rack at O'Suzannah and Sigerson Morrison boots at Scarpa demanding almost $600, shoppers learn that the creme de la creme doesn't come at a bargain.
But funky cosmetics and accessories remind shoppers that having fun is a priceless pleasure. Shoppers can experiment with "Shades of Venom" lip gloss or slip on leopard-print reading glasses at O'Suzannah, or browse through a copy of Cameron Tuttle's sassy "Bad Girl's Guide to the Open Road" at Eloise.
And for a pretty price, a sparkling, red party dress and star-studded cowboy boots can remind you that you're never too old to play dress up.
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