Examiner.com's guide to those hard-to-find fashion brands in Boston.

April 9, 4:35 PMBoston Budget Fashion ExaminerAnna Rice

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While Boston has taken leaps and bounds toward becoming more fashion forward in recent years, even the savviest of shoppers might still encounter difficulties in locating European or other brands that are less well-known in the city.

Many shoppers turn to the Internet to order their favorite designer labels from New York or Europe. But don't you love the experience of actually visiting the store, trying on the clothing, and mulling over purchases with your girlfriends in the fitting room? Fortunately, there are some boutiques in Boston which have a wide variety of international, national and independent designers. You just have to know where to look!

Here's a list of boutiques in Boston and brands they carry, both well-known and emerging. In case you haven't heard of some of these brands, a slideshow at the end of the article gives pictures of a few.

Stil, located in the Prudential Center and the Mall at Chestnut Hill, carries several international brands that cannot be found anywhere else in Massachusetts. These include Danish brands Rutzou, Munthe plus Simonsen, Noir, and Bruuns Bazaar; British brand Louise Amstrup; and Thai brand Sretsis. Stilinc.com.

Louis Boston, the famous high-end department store located at the intersection of Newbury Street and Berkeley Street, exclusively carries several European and American designers. These include Marni, an Italian brand; Dries Van Noten, a French designer; Jason Wu, whose designs have been spotted on first lady Michelle Obama several times; and Brian Reyes, an American designer and favorite of celebrities such as Rachel Bilson and Leighton Meester. LouisBoston.com

Moxie is a shoe, handbag and accessories boutique with locations on Beacon Hill and Wellesley Center. Moxie carries Loeffler Randall shoes, which are found in only a few other stores in the Boston area, and Jerome Rousseau shoes, which have been worn by celebrities such as Katie Holmes. Other brands that can be found at Moxie include Belle by Sigerson Morrison, Bernardo, Claudia Ciuti, Delman and Rafe. MoxieBoston.com. (see left photo).

The  Achilles Project, located in Boston's Fort Point Channel, carries some brands exclusively and others almost-exclusively. Labels that can be found at the store include 5th Avenue Shoe Repair, a clothing line from Stockholm Sweden; Richard Chai, an Asian-American designer with clients such as Kate Hudson, Blake Lively and Sarah Jessica Parker; Alexandre Hercovitch, a Brazilian designer worn by British model Agyness Deyn; and McQ by Alexander McQueen, which is only carried by two other stores in the US. Other brand the Achilles Project carries include B. Son, Bruce, Common Project, End of an Era, Johan by J. Lindeberg, Josh Goot, KZ, Neal Sperling, Rachel Roy, Unis and Want Le Essentials de le Vie. Achilles-Project.com.

Envi, an eco-friendly clothing boutique on Newbury Street, is the only retailer in Boston to carry Loyale Clothing, a fashion-forward New York-based sustainable clothing line that has been spotted on celebrities such as Jessica Alba. ShopEnvi.com.

Crush Boutique on Beacon Hill carries a few brands which can be difficult to find around Boston. They include Saja, a New York-based line of sophisticated and classic clothing; Rory Becca, a Los Angeles-based designer who creates a lot of brightly colored pieces in unique cuts and boho chic, sophisticated details; and Larsen Gray, an eco-friendly line created from sustainable silk with an earthy, whimsical vibe. ShopCrushBoutique.com.

Casa di Stile, a North End boutique, carries Anjali Kumar, a New York-based dress designer carried by only three other stores in the state; Frenzii, a youthful, feminine Los Angeles-based clothing line; Sky, a popular line of "going out" tops and dresses which have been spotted on celebrities like Paris Hilton; and t-shirt line Crash and Burn. Casa di stile is having a 20 percent off a single item sale through the end of April. CasadiStile.com.

Gretta Luxe, owned by Gretchen Monahan, is an upscale boutique with locations in Boston and Wellesley. The store carries high-end brands often found in department stores, such as Derek Lam, Stella McCartney, Zac Posen, Chloe, Balenciaga, Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Yigal Azrouel and Brian Atwood. (see right photo). GrettaLuxe.com.

On the North Shore, Dresscode in Andover carries a few lesser-known, emerging designers and brands. One of these is BGN, a French line that has enjoyed popularity in Europe, but is not widely distributed in the US yet. Another emerging designer carried by Dresscode is Deibe Rondon. He is a New York-based designer who began his own collection in 2005. His clothes are only sold in seven US states and at one location in Madrid, Spain. Dresscode also carries the brand Black Halo, a celebrity favorite that is only carried by four other boutiques in Massachusetts (including Stil), and Foley + Corinna, which is also only carried by a few other stores in Massachusetts. DressCodeStyle.com.

Is there a store or brand missing from my list? Email me at annarice23 [at] gmail [dot] com.