Womenswear in Palo Alto

Women's clothing is the deepest category in Palo Alto shopping. Stanford Shopping Center carries most of the national brands. Town & Country Village has a run of boutiques under its oaks. A few independent shops hold on downtown and on California Avenue. The range runs from relaxed knitwear and premium denim to bohemian embroidery and Italian coats.

This page names 20 stores, grouped by area, each with a neutral description and a link to its directory listing for hours and contacts. We do not rank stores or discuss prices. For designer houses such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton, see our separate guide to luxury brands. Store stock changes with the season, so call ahead if you are after a particular size.

Stanford Shopping Center

The open-air center has the largest selection in one place. Most of these stores sit along the Garden Walk or on Lady Ellen Place between Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

• Aritzia: the Canadian brand's in-house women's labels, including Wilfred, Babaton, TNA and Super Puff, on the Garden Walk next to J.Crew.
• Anthropologie: women's clothing, shoes, swim and home decor next to Bloomingdale's, with a wedding shop, styling and petite sizes.
• Eileen Fisher: the brand's women's clothing, shoes and accessories in petite and plus sizes, with in-store and curbside pickup.
• Free People: bohemian women's clothing plus shoes, intimates, beauty and FP Movement activewear, on Lady Ellen Place.
• J.Jill: relaxed women's clothing in Petite, Women's and Tall sizes, in The Courtyard, with private appointments.
• Jenni Kayne: the California label's women's clothing and knitwear, home goods and Oak Essentials skincare, with bookable appointments.
• Max Mara: the Italian house's main-line boutique for coats, suits, dresses and eyewear, on the Garden Walk near Aritzia.
• Madewell: jeans and everyday clothing on the Garden Walk, with stylist appointments, in-store pickup and Denim Trade-Up.
• Bloomingdale's: a three-level department store with women's fashion and beauty, stylists on Level 2, alterations on Level 3 and bra fittings.

Eileen Fisher's Stanford store says it cannot take returns or exchanges, so keep receipts and use the brand's other channels if something does not work out. Max Mara's Weekend line has a separate store elsewhere in the center. Our Stanford Shopping Center guide covers parking and dining.

Town & Country Village

Town & Country opened in 1953 and still has low tile-roofed buildings and surface parking. Its women's boutiques are clustered in Buildings 1, 2 and 3, close enough to browse in an hour.

• EVEREVE: a women's boutique for premium denim and contemporary labels such as Paige, Mother, Rails and Varley, with free personal styling.
• Johnny Was: the California brand's embroidered, bohemian women's clothing, with petites, gift wrap and private appointments.
• Margaret O'Leary: the independent San Francisco label, founded in 1990, known for knitwear in cashmere, cotton and wool, with private shopping by phone or email.
• Ruti: a boutique for the brand's women's clothing, designed for women over 35, plus shoes, jewelry and accessories.
• Marigold Row: scarves, women's clothing and jewelry made with Indian textiles and handcraft techniques, run by Anita Mehta since 2007.
• Athleta: women's and girls' activewear, with in-store pickup, free returns and exchanges in store and styling help.
• Everything But Water: designer swimwear and resort wear, including D+ cup sizes, with associates who help with fit.
• Fillmore & 5th: a designer resale shop for women, run by Crossroads Trading, that buys, sells and consigns clothing, shoes and bags.

Margaret O'Leary and Ruti sit next to each other in Building 2, which makes it easy to compare knitwear. Our Town & Country Village guide has a map and the food options. For more secondhand shopping, see our vintage and consignment guide.

Downtown

• Romi Boutique: an independent women's clothing store on Emerson Street, open since 2005, stocking designers such as Nili Lotan, Isabel Marant and Ulla Johnson.
• Brandy Melville: the chain's casual tops, sweaters, denim, loungewear and small accessories on University Avenue.

Romi is one of the few owner-run fashion boutiques left downtown. It offers personal styling, runs an online shop and ships worldwide. Our downtown boutiques guide maps it with the galleries and design shops nearby.

California Avenue

• Leaf & Petal: an independent, women-owned boutique on California Avenue, open since 1979, with women's clothing, jewelry, accessories and gifts.

Leaf & Petal is the longest-running independent women's boutique in our directory. It sits on the car-free blocks of California Avenue, near a wine shop and a natural foods market, which makes it an easy Sunday stop after the farmers market. See our California Avenue shopping guide for the rest of the street.

Finding what you need

Styling, alterations and appointments

Many stores now offer services that make a visit worth more than a click. EVEREVE lists free personal styling. Madewell books stylist appointments online. J.Jill, Johnny Was and Jenni Kayne take private appointments. Bloomingdale's has stylists, bra fittings and an alterations department in the same building. Margaret O'Leary arranges private shopping by phone or email.

For alterations on clothes bought elsewhere, The Tailor Maid works upstairs at Stanford Shopping Center. Our guide to dry cleaning and tailoring lists more tailors around town.

Dressing for Palo Alto weather

The climate shapes what sells here. Mornings are cool for much of the year and afternoons warm up fast, so layers do most of the work. A light knit or a denim jacket covers a typical day from spring to fall. The rainy season usually runs from about November to March, when a water-resistant coat and closed shoes earn their place. Summer evenings outdoors can turn chilly, especially at Frost Amphitheater or a late dinner on a patio. Many of the stores above, from Margaret O'Leary's knitwear to Athleta's layers, are built around that pattern.

A day of shopping

Most shoppers do Stanford Shopping Center and Town & Country Village on the same day. They sit about a mile apart on El Camino Real. Start at Town & Country in the morning, when parking is easier, then drive to Stanford for lunch and the Garden Walk. Add Romi downtown or Leaf & Petal on California Avenue if you want an independent shop. Arriving by train with bags? You can store luggage near the station for a few hours. For jewelry to finish an outfit, see our jewelry and watches guide. Shoes and bags are covered in our shoes and accessories guide.

Frequently asked questions