Hengst (CLOSED)

After hawking her timelessly elegant designs in San Francisco’s Mission district for the past six years, designer Susan Hengst decided to relocate her boutique across the country to be closer to her production site in midtown Manhattan. From the looks of the ample LBDs and neutral-toned tops ($164–$212), feminine slacks ($212–$224) and slinky dresses ($274–$312) that hang in her tiny, white-walled store, Hengst should have no trouble finding a New York following. “I’ve just been trying to do versatile things for women who work and travel,” she says. “Things you can just put in the sink in the hotel and hang in the shower to dry.” Though we’d recommend exercising a bit more care with her airy pieces, which average $300 a pop, her chiffon dresses with transparent tops ($312), silk jumpsuits with built-in bloomers ($288) and drapey V-neck silk frocks with oversize pockets ($312) are the kind of wear-everywhere threads that will finally let you bike to work in style.