Need an affordable dress in a pinch but don’t feel like fighting traffic up the 605 (or the 710, or down the 405) to get to any one of Forever 21’s zillion-in-Southern-California-but-none-in-Long-Beach locations? Head to Linne’s Fashion Boutique, home to dozens of cute dresses, shirts, and pants usually priced the same or slightly more expensive than what you find at H&M or F21—only they’re not from H&M or F21, so you won’t be stuck looking like everybody else. Just last week while searching for a summer dress for a friend’s wedding, I picked up a short, dance-floor ready, gray cotton Collective Clothing dress with pink sunbursts ($45) and some matching gray Pink (the brand, not the color; confusing much?) heels for $65.

AVAILABLE AT LINNE’S FASHION BOUTIQUE 1090 Redondo Ave | Long Beach 90804 | 562.433.8709