In Anchorage, Nordies has long been known as THE place to buy lingerie. Decent inventory, personal fittings, conveniently located. Leaps and bounds above Victoria’s Secret. And yet, shopping there was just something to reluctantly check off my to-do list, sandwiched somewhere between jeans shopping and swimsuit shopping. A necessary evil, but certainly not fun.
And then I found About Face.
Carefully curated.
Gorgeous colors and prints.
Lots of options, but not to the point of being overwhelming.
Best of all, discreet yet infinitely helpful staff. You never feel rushed, but you’re never left waiting for help. They keep your preferences logged in their computer, so all you have to do is waltz in, request the newest options in your size, and decide which you want to take home with you. There are always cozy looking pajamas and yoga gear to try on too.
Beyond the lingerie and lounge wear, I generally amuse myself with all the wonderful things to smell: luxurious candles, carefully wrapped soaps, perfumes in jewel like bottles. The greeting cards, lipsticks, lotions, Pinch survival kits, and other random bits (why yes I DO need Marvis toothpaste and a guide to being a bridesmaid!) enticingly displayed around the store pretty much guarantee leaving with a little something fun and pretty.
On occasion, About Face does special events, like the one a friend and I went to years ago: A rose-ay* and rose-ay lingerie fashion show at Bernies. Pink wine and pink lingerie. It was fun (and I discovered that I really like rose-ay).
Here’s how About Face describes themselves:
About Face opened its doors in October 2003 becoming the first true lifestyle boutique to offer such a wide range of luxury products, most of which could not be found anywhere else in Alaska. We were voted America’s #1 Best New Beauty Boutique by Lucky Magazine in their January 2004 issue.
Local owners Leeann and Shane Taylor travel the world to find the best products available for our valued customers, focusing on products that currently aren’t available in Alaska.
About Face used to be located downtown, but has since relocated to the corner of Dimond and Old Seward. I hope that if you haven’t visited yet, you stop by to check them out – the experience might just change a necessary evil to a fun shopping destination!
*I can’t figure out how to do the accent mark (not feeling keyboard savvy today) so please bear with rose being spelled rose-ay.
