Too often, the stores with the stunning window displays only deflate your fashion daydreams once you walk inside, where you find five overpriced white T-shirts and two pairs of $700 jeans. But Polite Society isn't one of those stores. Owner Eric Akines travels almost exclusively to Copenhagen, Paris, and Milan to bring up-and-coming, yet still wearable, designers from around the world to our sometimes fashion-weary city. The spacious store invites you to browse, touch, and try on. I only offer one word of caution before crossing that great glass divide—the smiling, knowledgeable sales staff might just talk you into that dynamite $240 (marked down) Baum und Pferdgarten jacket.—Maggie Mertens 1924 First Ave., 441-4796, www.shoppolitesociety.com.