Owner Delia Seaman is known for plucking clothing lines that are artfully compelling and out of the mainstream. Her personable salesgirls act as hands-on stylists to show shoppers how to wear that fierce blouse in an unexpected way.

Veteran shoppers of Melrose Place live to dig for hidden gems, since the block is home to a number of antique stores. But before unearthing the bounty of fabulousness from Angelos Frentzos, Kristensen Du Nord and big-name brands such as Missoni, Vera Wang and Catherine Malandrino, one must be able to find the Delia store. The boutique is on the second floor of a charming European-style apartment, sharing a cobblestone courtyard entrance with other like-minded retailers. In the walk up the winding staircase to the boutique are some of the store's most spectacular pieces—over-the-top beaded blouses and meticulously tailored coats—hung like art on the walls. Seaman also owns the feminine and coquettish Vionnet on Robertson Boulevard and just recently sold her stake in the neighboring boutique Curve. Parents never admit to picking favorites, but we suspect that the Delia store's vision—low-key mood, seriously fashion-aware, cosmopolitan put-together style and no price-tag consciousness—makes it the likely choice. —Rhea Cortado