Blackmail Boutique

Would have been cooler if we weren’t scowled at immediately by the person (?) behind the counter. I mean, if I were in middle school I would appreciate the whole «act». I would have probably marveled at clothes and jewelry more, but the attitude and whatever incense she was burning was s***.

This is one of my favorite boutiques in town. It has elegant jewelry and unique blouses/​tees. Décor is eccentric, I feel at home. I adore everything about it!

A bit too «hip» when first walking in but when needing assistance to purchase a couple of inexpensive bracelets the man at the counter could not have been
more helpful & nice
Don’t quite understand this store .but it seems to have lasted several years …

I love this shop. Have for so many years now. I also love the décor, makes me want to raid them and take it all home. Plus the jewelry! Wow, always a hit for me.
I ventured in looking for a bag and a necklace. The necklace I knew they might have, as I’d seen it on someone else recently. They did. While that particular piece didn’t suit me, I did end up finding a great one from Killer. LOVE it! It apparently was one of two made by the designer. Love that aspect of creative handmade items. Uniquely made with heart put into it.
The bag was a bust. I’m being super particular and they didn’t have much, so am still on the look out for the next ‘perfect’ bag.
My only complaint is one that was minor: the employees. While the day I came to buy the necklace, the guys were super cool, loved them, the person there the day I first came by, not so much. Seemed inconvenienced by my presence. Other than that, which can happen almost anywhere, I still love this place and will continue to come by when I can finally get the pieces I’m dying to wear.

Gail Chovan, muse of fashion and woman of grace…
Fashionista Eclectica.
Personal path paved in the art of strength.
I thank you for your amazing heart and allowing me to bear witness to your creativity and more importantly, your humanity.
You made my scars fade and body soar.

Beautifully and elegant boutique. The softest T-​shirts I have ever felt in my life. About $ 70 each. Long black exquisite leather gown with frayed hem. Love this place!

This place is amazing. They have the coolest stuff. I wish I could have bought everything in the store! The people working there are super sweet and friendly and are as beautiful and cool as the store. The music they were playing was great. If I could make any store my home it would be this one. Next time I visit Austin I’ll be back.

Really cute! A little price-​y but worth checking out. Loved the vibe of the store and all of it’s offerings.

When I am looking for gifts for friends and family, more often than not, I end up here. There is a good selection of things that are here that can’t be found in other stores in town. Many boutiques have owners that got to market and bring back items that 4 or 5 other shops brought back as well-​here, the owner doesn’t seem to follow that path.
There is a selection clothing (some western) that is (go figure) black… okay there is the occasional piece that has a bit of white or some other color-​but it’s pretty much black.
There is also a selection of coll jewelry pieces by both local and national designers as well as belt buckles and wallets.
They also have some cool rock n’ roll t-​shirts for the kids. So if you’ve been looking for the Ramones shirt for your two year old, this is the place to go.

This place gets a solid 5 stars for girls, but I am not a girl. Yes, I’ve checked. They have wonderfully dark, elegantly sheer, professionally worn tops, blouses and t shirts for girls. If the girl were there, we definitely would be shopping here.
For guys, the jackets are meh, the t shirts are meh-​er, the dress shirts are meh-​est. As far as boutiques go, maybe its me, but it’s just not my cup of «black» tea. I like black, no, I love black. But the type/​style of black for guys here isn’t stylish, it’s more of just black for the sake of being black. The feel of the guys’ clothes doesn’t even coincide with the dark, sinister ambiance the stack of worn baby doll heads successfully presented.
This place gets a 5 for the girls, and a 3 for the guys. Averages out to 4.

Blackmail is a boutique for most everyone, in my humble opinion. I love my Johnny Cash t-​shirt from here and I couldn’t resist a black slip dress designed by the owner/​manager, Gail Shovan. She also designs versatile pieces of jewelry. When I shopped here Shovan was out of town, but I peeked at the other side of the store which was being used as her studio. She had several dresses under construction and one of the employees even gave me a quick tour. They were sweethearts and
I would have no problem taking my mother to this store. While it’s different and sells, oh my god you guys, black local couture clothing, she would find its interior design charming and would want to talk to the owner about her button collection.

I’m a bit surprised at the pattern of complaints regarding the prices here. Sure, it’s not cheap, but as far as boutique standards go, there are fare more egregious examples of overpricing around town, even quite close to here. I mean, come on– the clothing at Urban Outfitters is about the same, and they probably ring through dozens of McTrendy dresses daily.
Though I am of the male persuasion, I have purchased both blazers and dresses here (as gifts– this place IS out of my dragwear price range). Both dresses fit their recipient wonderfully, and while I would like to attribute that to my eye, it’s probably more than this place does exactly what a small boutique like this should do. It doesn’t just shove a few expensive garments in a near-​empty, presumptuous space; they seem to really do their homework, find some creative designers who make things that are not only pretty on the rack but are well tailored, etc…
In short, I love this place, and every time I find myself back in town, I check out what they have.

Okay so I’ve never bought anything in this store. Have I wanted to? Yes. I ALWAYS stop in here on a visit to SoCo. I just love it! The store is organized neatly and includes items that you won’t find in every other store. If I were of the goth nature, I’d be lighting this place up. Black dresses, pants, shirts, blouses, you get the point. But they also have a killer selection of cowboy boots in the back. The boots are around $ 150 on average I THINK, but it’s definitely worth stopping by if you’re in the market for a pair.
I loved the fragile and delicate plate ware that was on display the last time I was in. I’m not sure who the artist is (doh!), but I liked the paintings of monsters with big scary teeth. The staff is always friendly, and it’s just a cute lil’ store to come into. Check it out next time you’re in the So of the Co.

When you enter Blackmail’s doors, there’s no question where it got its name. Amidst a sea of black clothes, jewels, belts, and amazing Spanish soap is a stencil from one of the Stones’ classic tunes: ‘I see a red door and i want it painted black’. I’ve purchased several pieces of gorgeous jewelry from Blackmail and fondly return on each of my visits to beloved Austin. I also picked up an incredible vintage-​inspired (black of course) coat with incredible velvet buttons, sleeves and collar.
I believe the Blackmail owner also has the connecting shop next door which contains merch in every color EXCEPT black, so if you’re not feeling dark that day, stroll next door and get your chartreuse fix.

It’s called Black Mail… so everything in here is black!
Get it???
Neither do I.

I’ve been in this store several times and I can tell you that I LOVE the clothes… they have the cutest 50’s style wear and men’s western style embroidered shirts… I love how everything fits…
My only complaint is that, I cant afford the clothes there. Being on the SoCo drag… you get a bit of high end retail and then bargain finds… I love everything but the prices here… I just cant fathom cutting out other parts of my life just to buy a new tshirt or skirt…
:*(

I could be biased because my roommate manages Blackmail, but in the last few months I have become a total fan. I was scared off on my first visit because it’s more upscale than I normally shop, but have since found a killer ‘50s style cotton dress ($ 66), which was one of only two in my size, meaning I’ll unlikely bump into someone else wearing it. I also scored a very cool black screen-​printed tee with severed fingers (severed fingers! whee!) on it with a sweet little polka-​dotted bow to lessen its edge a bit ($ 38). And around Valentine’s, I got the cutest little bird earrings – they look like they were made out of little organic things – mushrooms and wood, and they’re a pretty aqua – not black (I can’t remember how much, but I had to have them). I am currently eyeing a cool vinyl bag with a birdie on it… and almost all of the jewelry there. Their window displays are indeed fantastic, too.

Hmm… Maybe I’m just not schmancy enough to pay a hundred bucks for a black dress. But if I did have a hundred bucks and wanted one, I might just buy it here. My mom, the cheapskate extraordinaire almost tried on a 28 dollar on sale black skit. So that says something about the quality here. Lots of lace and detailing on the merchandise. They had some good sales going on in the back of the store. They also had cowboy boots, which seemed a little strange, and all sorts of black and white doohickeys. Part of South Congresses charm.

This is a gothic dream. There are Victorian and trendy black lace tops, an assortment of black clothing and accessories — occasionally accented with white or cream — and really interesting glassware with skulls. I’m not a fan of black, but I am a huge fan of their highly creative window fronts. Previous ones included vintage neon signs and furniture. Right now there’s just a Christmas tree with white and black decorations. That’s pretty cool considering we don’t have Simon Doonan decorating Barneys around here…

This place has nice designer stuff. I really like their vintage cowboy boots — a selection with good editing.
The theme is nice too, one side of the store in B&W, the other colorful. This goes for the merch too.