I saw on Ladywone's post a lot of people saying they didn't like small boutiques.
I'm saying give them a chance. They can help you in ways you never expected. For example for my 30th birthday I had a huge blow out party in a suite in a swanky hotel that a friend secured for me at discount. This was also the same year that my mother died. I wanted an amazing outfit, it was very important to me. I was in the 12-14 size range then, I looked in many places and found nothing. I was beginning to despair. I was in a small boutique that had stuff I always admired but felt a bit intimidated by the style and sizing. A saleswoman, came up to me while I was browsing and asked if I needed help. I told her my whole sob story. She found me an amazing olive suede skirt and black lace shirt. She said don't look at the size, just try it on. They fit and looked amazing. If I had gone by the tag size I would have left on the rack. But because she knew her merchandise, she knew how it fit. I got something very unique and special, because it wasn't from a mass merchandise store. I was very sad when I shrunk out that skirt, unfortunately it was unalterable due to the construction.
Also I've gotten other very unique pieces from smaller fashion lines from boutiques. For example my Improvd woven leather jacket and Skingraft sharp shoulder jacket.
So try the small boutiques. You might be pleasantly surprised. Plus from an economics stand point small businesses give more back to the local economy than the big box stores.