What do you get when you combine years of fashion retail know-how with a midlife desire for change, indefatigable ingenuity and a vibrant sense of fun and adventure? Why, the Little White Fashion Truck, of course. Shelley Sarmiento’s brilliant little roving shop on wheels has been taking the Baltimore area by storm. Usually parked three times a week at a roadside shopping center on Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard in Severna Park, the clothes- and accessories-filled truck also has made stops in Towson, Crofton, Edgewater and if you’re lucky, a street corner near you! You find out where it’s going to be and when by checking the LWFT Facebook site. Sarmiento, a former owner of White House Black Market and instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, has well-honed skills for determining what the ladies like. Judging by the crowds at her truck stops, she’s hit the jackpot. Color is all the rage now, and the LWFT has plenty of it: flirty chiffon tops in floral prints by Renee and dresses and separates by her own labels, Wild Child and Truck Culture, with a Stevie Nicks flair. “It’s a sisterhood,” says Sarmiento, “and what happens in the truck stays in the truck.” http://www.facebook.com/LittleWhiteFashionTruck
Though there are a few fine men’s clothing stores in the Baltimore area, there’s always room for another one, especially when it’s as tasteful and serene as Loafers & Laces. Combining an old world feel with modern style, this little shop of shoes, shirts and accessories is pure pleasure. Where else are you going to find classic Alden oxfords and loafers, handmade in New England, or Martin Dingman leathergoods from the Ozarks? Or boots and brogues by Loake and Wolverine? There are also sumptuous cashmere sweaters and chic linen jackets. But Savvy is a sucker for the charming Natty Boh cuff links and the sexy Persol sunglasses. And she’s positively crazy for the idea that a man can get a belt custom measured here. Now that’s service. 612 S. Exeter St., Harbor East, 410-244-5344
Banish those blah black and gray sweats! At the new Under Armour Brand House you can step into hot pink, jungle green, seawater turquoise and every other hue you can think of—sometimes all combined. Savvy is still lusting after the glamorous See Me Through Jacket, laser-cut in a feminine diamond pattern and elegant enough to go to the symphony. (Maybe when hubby visits to replenish his workout clothes he can get her one.) Don’t miss the neighborhood-proud T-shirts, emblazoned with everything from the mustachioed Mr. Boh to Phillips crabs to rowhouses. 700 S. President St., 410-528-5304
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