Shop Talk: Falling in Love

From the ALG Style archives – originally posted October 2nd, 2017 in New Orleans Magazine

Fashion must-haves are plentiful at Em’s Boutique.

Sometimes the word “love” is used too loosely. I love iced coffee, tequila and Game of Thrones. I love beautiful shoes and a well-made handbag. I love a clean kitchen and when people are on time. Yet are these really things to love? I love my babies, my husband and friends that make me laugh out loud. In my opinion, to define a true or real love would be something or someone I could never live without. Therefore, maybe I do love iced coffee and fancy purses way more than I should.

In its initial stage, what triggers us to fall in love with a person, idea or a thing? What causes attraction? Generally, I might see or hear something and it causes a spark of interest or even goosebumps. It could be someone I’ve met that I find very intriguing: Perhaps it is the lingering thought of a pair of velvet pumps I saw in the boutique, or me craving an iced coffee from French Truck Coffee. The emotion is not easily conveyed; it’s an indescribable feeling about someone or somethings that refuse to escape my thoughts.

Every fashion savvy follower yearns for fall and most cannot help but fall madly and deeply in love. Fall has always been the most desirable season in fashion; it is fashion at its best. The fabrics are lush and fashion magazines look like an edition of War and Peace. Cooler temperatures allow us to play with layers of outerwear and heavier rich textures. One of the most revered boutiques in New Orleans, and now well beyond NOLA’s environs, Em’s Boutique on Metairie Road, has given us everything we crave, desire and covet every single fall season for more than 12 years.

Located at the foot of Metairie Road in Metairie, Em’s has addressed and dressed its corner location with brilliant stratagem. The store façade is completely encased in glass windows that are home to a bevy of highly styled mannequins that seem to change outfits by the hour. At times I wish that there was a traffic light at their corner, because I have natural tendency to slow down every time I pass the store. “We have a pretty quick turn over and we get new deliveries every day,” says longtime manager and social media director, Jill Sanchez. Em’s constantly appears fresh, current and on-trend. Owner Emily Walker works diligently to constantly be ahead of the trends, and she is not afraid to take a risk and go with her gut. “Emily is a great buyer — she takes and chances on trends,” Sanchez says. “Sometimes they work, and sometimes they bust.”

The retail market and the economy have been fickle over the past decade, and boutiques have come and gone — blaming the rising costs of leases and on-line shopping. Em’s however has figured out a way to adapt and thrive. “Styles and seasons change; you move with that change or you get left in the dust,” Sanchez says. “@shopems on Instagram has been a major tool for growth; we are able to reach more people, expand our buying.” The boutique ships Instagram orders all over the country and has become a destination shop for visitors from out of town.

Is this Velvet?

Currently, Em’s is packed to the celling with all of the most beloved items for this fall. Like ALG Style, Em’s Boutique looks forward to the fall buying season. It’s as if you walked into the fall issue of Vogue. Here you’ll find plush little fur jackets in blush, luscious velvets in dresses and pants, super chic white booties, embroidery on everything from denim to outerwear, and the hippest collection of jeans. With so much amazing fall fashion and accessories available at Em’s, we asked Sanchez what would be her “I would die without” trend.“I am loving the velvet,” she says. In ALG’s best Chris Rock voice, “It must be velvet.”

With the assistance of the style savvy shop girls at Em’s, Brooke Dwyer and Wiley Lewis, we have come up with your fall shopping wardrobe essentials.

1. Look for rich hues like marigold, chocolate brown, blush and power reds.
2. Embrace the glitter bootie.
3. Built-for-speed shoes such as loafers, mules and slides.
4. Denim with interesting frayed details like a raw asymmetrical hem or ruffle.
5. Find a flattering midi-skirt.
6. Consider dresses with large vintage-inspired floral prints.
7. Try a fish-net tight with your new boots.
8. Attempt the one exposed shoulder blouse — it’s appropriate for any age.
9. Buy a wide belt to place over a dress or jacket.
10. Velvet anything … shoes, bags, tops and skirts!

Em’s makes it easy to fall in love and effortlessly fill your closet with your heart’s desires.

Em’s Boutique
246 Metairie Road, Metairie
(504) 834-2795
@shopems

Happy fall and happy shopping!

–Aimée Gowland and Corrie Pellerin, ALG Style