Hee, K. Well, if we're talking about fantasy life, I buy all my clothes from Boden - which I pick out in person each season after flying to London.

Londonkiwi, you are probably right about the boutiques - in which case I don't know of any around here. There are a few non-chain stores but I don't know of any stores that actually make the items they sell. Made in the USA is a growing movement but there's really not much of it yet in the clothes space, especially if you're talking anything affordable. There has to be something up in SF but I'm lazy and don't want to go up to the city just to shop.

I want to write a tome about 'stores I have known and loved' but really I'm procrastinating from the work I need to do. Onward!

I'm mostly an online shopper -- Nordstrom, ShopBop, Piperlime, Amazon

For brick-and-mortar shopping, most of the time it's Nordstrom. I also like All Saints and Anthro (some times). But my favorite place to shop is my local boutique (Red Square). I get the most comments/compliments on pieces I buy there!

Bricks and mortar. I haven't had enough success yet discovering a specific designer or house that gets me such that I feel I can do online with confidence.

Locally, I like stores that carry a lot of different designers vs a house brand. However, there isn't a lot of choice. Winners, Sears, Reitman's, and recently Marks Work Warehouse have seen my charge card. (Marks sometimes carries tall sizes, and almost always has a comfortable mid- rise pant ( below belly button, but above, well you know!))

I used to frequent a small boutique for 'signature' items, but they closed 2 years ago. We have 2 specialty lingerie stores that carry the smaller band sizes, so I have some pretty nice 'smalls'!

I shop a lot when I travel, and sort of do the reverse and visit house brand/ designer shops. One of my all time favourite items is a BCBGMaxAzaria top I got in Toronto 6 years ago. Marks and Spencer in the UK had me pretty exicited last month, and I bought 3 items there.

We have 2 bargain stores called 'The Bargain Shop' and 'Giant Tiger' that are generally full of awful stuff, but sometimes get a shipment of remaindered high
end goods.

In conclusion, I'll shop anywhere. BTW, though I shop a lot, probably an average of 3 hours each week, I don't buy a lot. A lot of my shopping is 'research.'

90% of my shopping is purchased through Nordstrom (and I like to use my favorite personal stylist for help once a year). I pop into Anthropologie occasionally, though I rarely find anything I like. Rarely find anything at Jcrew. Sometimes buy online. But Nordstrom is definitely *my* store!

I mostly shop at TJMaxx, but occasionally go to Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. I never buy clothing online; I have to try everything before I buy! Even brands that I know. I'll only take that risk with shoes, but even then, it's not often.

At the mall, my top choices are Macy's and JCPenney. Lately I've been finding things at Ann Taylor and LOFT, but I only recently sized into those stores so I don't consider them my go-to stores.

My go-to stores are Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and Loft. I wear an XXS petite size, and they are the only stores that seem to carry that size and are in my price range. Occasionally I can find stuff that fits small at Old Navy.

I absolutely despise H&M and Gap. H&M has awful customer service and the store is chaos, with nothing arranged so you can find it. And the music is played so loud that it would wake the dead. As for Gap, everything I get from there fits like a box. I finally gave up.

I shop almost exclusively online but then return in-store.

I love Kohl's -- the fact that I can go to the misses and petites section at any point is fabulous. I love Dana Buchman, Chaps, APT 9., Elle, and Simply Vera Wang brands. I avoid Macy's (I'm from Chicago and there's animosity over the demise of Marshall Field's which they purchased more than 10 years ago now.) Additionally Macy's simply does not provide the customer focused shopping experience that Marshall Field's did.

I enjoy shopping most at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack and look there first. Their customer service keeps me loyal. Other wise I browse at Target when there to pick up other things and sometimes seek out Angie's picks or something I've seen on this site. Also enjoy consignment and thrift stores but have become more picky.

Londonkiwi, I've seen some gorgeous NZ designs online. Would love to try some when funds permit!

I try to shop anywhere. But for pressure free browsing, good return policies and great sale finds, a department store (Myer or David Jones) can't be beat.

I also like to pop into local boutiques, especially ones that feature local designers. They tend to be a little offbeat but with classic flattery principles in mind, and seem to know a lot of their clientele are MOTG (practical fabrics and hemlines).

Both of the above make me feel special and allow my fantasy to roam free. I swear my brain chemistry is more positively balanced after a little hop into these places.

Less enjoyable but still worth it; op shops are a great resource but I hate going there with my kids as I'll feel forced to buy some kind of horrible noisy toy they attach themselves to.

I do buy some things online and Ebay, but after many failed purchases, I'm trying to stick to items I've tried on IRL.

Nordstrom, used to be my go to. Still a go to for basics.
Merge was an awesome, now defunct Seattle boutique for really edgy stuff.
Barneys Seattle for shoes. If I won the lottery, I'd blow a significant portion in their shoe department. They've redesigned their store with I find a worse selection in clothing, or at least never my size. They now make me feel hugely fat, probably better for my budget.
Totokaelo for unique pieces, plus their shoes are more wearable.
H&M and Target for impulse purchases.
Mis-mash of online sample sale sites.

I shop essentially wherever I can find long lengths/talls, which is rarely B&M, sadly.

And I am so right with you, Day Vies, on avoiding Macy's. I'm from Minneapolis originally, and I grew up with Dayton Hudson as the department store. When Marshall Field's bought out Dayton's there, customer service standards remained high and the stores were beautiful. When Macy's took over customer service seemed to fall by the wayside. And fast-forwarding to the present, all of the Macy's near where I currently live have been disappointing in that regard as well.

I as a plus sized fashion lover ,took the advise of a fashion book I read and got a job at a store where I liked the clothes (and the hefty 40% everyday discount-bops up to 50% about once a month for a week ,and the company gives employees 60% off of one full price item coupons fairly often too.)
So for me Lane Bryant,Catherines, Target ,Wal-mart,Ross,TJ Maxx,Marshalls,Belk(especially for shoes!) ,Coldwater Creek,and a hefty amount of Thrift shopping as well as some fashion sewwing.(which sorta adds pattern companies and fabric stores to the shopping mix.)
Zappos/6pm.com are looking good for some footwear dollars in the future.
Avenue and Fashion Bug were nice to shop in the past but have closed locally/statewide/ totally? so though I could shop online- at Avenue at least-they don't have free shipping /free returns or consistancy of color/fit so they lost me as a customer.