Favorite Boutiques

Get it at Gitana

by Sandra Silverstein on July 22, 2011 at 05:07AM

Gypsies haven’t always received the best rap, but MFb is fixing to clear the gypsy name with a new local find: Shop Gitana. This charming Aventura boutique is owned by Roxy Canovas, a Miami native whose family originally hails from Spain. Canovas began her sartorial career as an assistant wardrobe stylist on local films and commercials; soon her styling garnered some serious praise and she decided to open a mobile boutique.

© Sandra Silverstein / MFb“I would set up shopping get-togethers in women’s homes where I’d bring clothing to sell as well as cosmos and cupcakes… the hostess would get a percentage of the sales.” Canovas says her friends would make fun her, saying, “you’re crazy, you’re like a gypsy carrying clothes in your car all the time.”

Her shop-on-wheels only partly explains where the name Shop Gitana comes from; Gitana may mean gypsy in Spanish, but Canovas herself embodies the gypsy spirit, evident in her love of travel; she often brings back worldly treasures from far-reaching, exotic places like Turkey, Morocco, and Costa Rica to sell in her store.

Shop Gitana’s current most popular fabrics are distressed cotton, silk and linen from L.A. designers like Collective Concepts, Rubber Duckie, Olive Olivia, and Glam. Canovas also proudly carries cute printed t-shirts from local designer Heartbreak Warfare – part of the proceeds from the their sales go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Gitana’s hot, of-the-moment items are cotton maxi dresses, linen rompers, shorts, and silk dresses and tops – all in summer ready whites, corals, oranges, and yellows. Some of our favorite picks include a fab green, yellow and blue maxi print dress by Collective Concepts, a purple butterfly-printed silk blouse by Glam, and a coral mini dress, also from Collective Concepts. We also loved the collection of leather clutches and handbags, scarves, and jewelry to give your outfit that extra touch.

Another unexpected delight: the price tags. All of the clothing is under $100, most in the $40-$60 range, and all jewelry is under $60.

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