Tender

Tender is the Platonic ideal of a women’s high-​end boutique. The lines carried are not mainstream and the pieces offered definitely have attitude. One of my favorite suits of all time is by Paul Smith and its fabric has images of makeup compacts (discernible only close up) It is simultaneously divine and subversive. Here I was introduced to the amazing designs of Hindmarch, Thakoon and Schumaker, whose designs I continue scoop up whenever I find them.
Thanks to Tender, I have an entire closet of shoes by Choo, Miu-​Miu, Hindmarch, Blahnik and Valentino, many of which were acquired during Tender’s fabulous twice-​yearly sales.
The sales associates are extraordinarily helpful. They provide honest assessments of whether garments are optimal and are more than happy to dart around the store to find more suitable alternatives.
I agree with Nicolette’s characterization of the store as the Rodeo Drive of Birmingham.

The Rodeo Drive of Birmingham all in one store!

Lanvin, Miu Miu, Valentino… Sounds great! Too bad the shoes Tender stocks from these designers fall into the usual Michigan category of conservative. Maybe we define conservative differently– I tend to lean towards Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin, Charlotte Olympia… This store has beautiful items, but all could be worn by a mom type, or not so sexy secretary. While I will always stop by, I will probably never buy. Ok, maybe I will replace my Alexander Wang Rocco bag here, but no shoes! That’s me, another fashionista may differ in opinion. Try Linda Dresner if you want something heart stopping, ladies!
** This review is only for the shoe shop, not the clothing store.

Let me give a word to the wise. I bought a pair of BEAUTIFUL shoes here 5 years ago for a wedding that I was attending. I bought them during the sale and was so excited to find the perfect shoe for the occasion. I wore them once. They tore at a stress point and I returned them to have them say that I must have been at fault, (hmmm, let’s see, I wore them once)
and they could only give me a store credit. At this point I was so upset that I couldn’t ever see myself stepping foot in the store again. I went back to use the $ 150.00 credit (remember, they were“sale” shoes) and I have never returned. MUCH better service at Nordstrom.

A girl can dream can’t she? I go downtown Birmingham only for window-​shopping expeditions, and Tender is one of those places where I linger just a bit longer. Jimmy Choo, Miu Miu, Zac Posen and Valentino are just a few of the designers here that I can’t afford, but love to try on. They are known to have the best assortment of fashions and was even revered in Vogue Italia. If you have the money to shop here, please feel free to hit me up so I can go with you :-)

5 stars simply because of their sale.
I really, truly, absolutely love fashion. All aspects of fashion, all decades, all trends — new, vintage, fashion forward. I love it.
Everything here is on display as if it were a work of art. Jimmy Choo, Lanvin, Valentino — my only complaint is that there aren’t more young, hip designers on display. It’s not much of a complaint though, because it’s quite easy to find something and work it.

la crème de la crème…
this chic boutique has an OUT-​OF-​THIS-​WORLD selection of high-​end merchandise with a strong infusion of hard-​to-​find (mostly European) designers such as Lanvin, Giambattista Valli, Valentino, Miu Miu, Nina Ricci, Gianni Barbato, Martin Grant, etc.
This boutique has what everyone else doesn’t; With roughly 98% of its merchandise exclusive to Tender in the state of Michigan and the hands-​on attentive staff it’s like having your own personal stylist right here in Birmingham.
And for all you «big foot» ladies out there, they get up to size 12! Barneys and Neimans only go up to 10 or 11… This is crucial when taking into account European designers tend to run TINY!
Yes, the sale is phenomenal. Everything starts at 50% off.
another bonus for out-​of-​staters… they have a website with all the goodies!

A fabulous high end fashion boutique that is great for window shopping. There are two stores right next to each other. One has clothing and the other has shoes and handbags. I prefer the latter.
You will find unique clothes, bags, shoes that are not found at the mall — Pauric Sweeney, Lanvin, Valentino, Miu Miu, Peter Som, Derek Lam, Nina Ricci, Jimmy Choo, Graeme Black, Rocco P, Paul Smith, Bella Bella and many more.
The secret is the sales. It is at times, possible to buy these designers items at half to seventy-​five percent off.