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Is there a better way to spend a Monday night than being with your girlfriends dress shopping while drinking wine? In our opinion, no!

This past week my friends and I had the privilege of shopping at Fred Boutique after hours. Let me tell you, this is the best way to do it. No crowds and attentive staff. As 12 wide-eyed 20-something girls flooded into Fred around 8 p.m., we knew it was going to be the shopping experience of the summer. Even before we entered, the window displays caught a couple of the girls' eyes and the over-used, over-exaggerated phrases made ever-so-popular by fashion stylist Rachel Zoe, began: “Oh.My. God.” “I. Die.” “That (insert garment here) is bananas.” Our hands were grabbing at hangers like crazy, as if we didn’t do it fast, the clothes would disappear, or worse - get discovered by someone else.

And this was just the first floor. The second level, being home to larger dressing rooms than the first and more importantly the wine and snacks, was where most of our night was spent. After each of us had between three and ten items, it was time to hit the fitting rooms and show off our wardrobes. From mini dresses to jeans and shoes and accessories, Fred Boutique seemed to have the best of all. Not only do they shop specifically for a look, they keep in mind that women are all different shapes and sizes and everyone was able to find something they absolutely had to have because it fit like a glove. Some dresses were a hit on one girl and would be a miss on another. We decided that our favorite quote of the night was when one of the crew tried on a Mary-Kate Olsen-esque maxi dress and said she felt like she should be burning Nag Champa.

After countless changes and strutting down our imaginary catwalk laughing so hard we were crying at times and everyone leaving with something in hand, we decided that Fred Boutique is number one on our list when it comes to Milwaukee shopping.

If you get a chance to partake in a private shopping night, I highly recommend it. Thank you to the extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff of Fred for making this a great evening of shopping and memories!