House of Hengst

a special place with a special owner: susan hengst is one-​of-​a-​kind-​lovely. i can’t possibly say enough good things about her clothing line, her shop, her taste, her professionalism and her glowing presence. she’s sweet as can be and has madly inspiring talent…

Best shopping experience of my life.
Okay, not the best but something close to it.
Since moving back to the Bay Area I’ve developed a penchant for nice clothes. Some buys have been justified («Oh I can wear this to school/​work/​casually») while others have been impractically impulsive («Oh I can totally wear this pink tulle party dress to school/​work/​casually»). Due to my wonky student hours internet throwdowns have sucked my finances dry but often lead to cup sizes too big, rings too small, or things that looked better virtual.
At first glance Hengst is your typical Yuppie store — pretentious and modern in every decorative aspect — but Missy made the place feel comfortable. As soon as I walked in she greeted me with a smile, saw what I was curious to try on, and within 30 minutes had me at a nice coat and expensive silk dress — and by 40 minutes I knew her entire life story (or something to that extent). She complemented me on every dress I tried on (and told me what to stay away from), gave me tips on what to look out for when purchasing clothes, and encouraged me to try things on multiple times. Fashionably challenged people like myself benefit from people with such experience.
I won’t bother you with the details of my purchases, but I will say that the silk dress is the best dress investment I’ve made in my life (and the most unique piece in my closet) and my coat is retardedly versatile (day to night, casual or dressy). Other reviews have mentioned this already but everything is locally made (Missy also informed me of a studio in NYC) and alterations are free! If you’re looking for a cheap bargain, don’t come here but if you are fancying something nice skip Barney’s or Bloomingdales and come here instead.

this interesting mission boutique gets my attention. i always find cool pieces. handmade and avant garde. love this designer.

House of Hengst was a nice surprise. It’s tough to find men’s clothes in the Mission (unless you’re shopping for Dickies and Adidas). I was in dire need of some stylin’ threads for the company «ball» and hadn’t planned much in advance. Fortunately for me, House of Hengst is right in my hood so I stopped by. They only have a single rack of men’s clothing (made on site and in New York) but I found a really nice silk shirt and slacks that fit me well. Since they make the clothes on site they were able to hem the pants for me for free.
This was probably the fastest and easiest experience I’ve ever had shopping for high end clothing. I’ll definitely come back here.

A great boutique with dresses of high caliber tailoring and quality.
I love the aesthetic and quality of their clothes. the designs are fit for any girl that craves for delicacy or grace — not imposing –and just plain prrii-​tee

I love, love, love… House of Hengst! I walked in her with my best friend in the hopes of just window shopping because I didn’t have the money to buy anything too expensive. Hell, I didn’t have the money to buy anything really. Then, the inevitable happened… I ended up using plastic to purchase this amazing trench hood sweater. Imagine a hybrid of a Jawa apparel (you know, those little characters from Star Wars —
) and reverse a snuggie or slanket (whatever you want to call it) and you’ve got my sweater jacket!
Okay, okay, so maybe I didn’t describe it to the best of my ability, all right! Whatever! The point: I didn’t think it would look good on me and my best friend said, «Put that on because that would look amazing on you»!
Huh?! What tha? All right, I guess so.
Oh my! I felt like a runway appeared before my feet and I grew another foot and Heidi Klum was going to come out from the back and say, «Dorothy, you’re in!» No Auf Wiedersehen! Seriously, the draping you see on the mannequins and the way the clothing on the rack may seem as if the clothes are made for some tall waif model but not the case at all. Just go in and try the stuff on! The clothes are all from local designers and it’s some amazing stuff for a reasonable price. People will think you spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a piece from Hengst. All the clothes are definitely an investment so it’s certainly worth a look-​see!
It is, officially, one of my favorite boutiques in SF. Great music while you’re shopping, fabulous threads that make you look great and reasonably priced goods that just look extremely high end. What more can you ask for? What more do you want? Yeah, that’s what I thought… go visit House of Hengst please!

i am in love with the church coat — there was only one left the last time i stopped by the shop and i was oh so tempted to purchase it (but it’s in a lovely cream color and me + light colors don’t mix so well).
i have my eye on this silk dress there too … i think in purple or blue? … the color was stunning.
absolutely gorgeous clothes.

The great House of Hengst now also has a men’s line. Nice, as hengst (the owner’s last name) means stud in Dutch. Just got my first piece, a super soft cotton shirt, with very subtle gray and blue striping. I will be baaaaaack more often now.

My Hengst Story includes buying the Maxi Coat so many years ago, it almost seems like an antique, and then buying the Church Coat a year or so later, because the Maxi was «just too special for everyday,» and then wearing the Church Coat so much that I wore holes in one side (damn messenger bags), but continued to wear it while covering huge gaping places with my arm until I could find a coat even remotely as cool, then bought something at Bloomingdale’s which was returned less than 24 hours later, suffered through another winter with no «official» coat, and then last year wandered in to find my black Church Coat, this time in softer almost velvety wool, back on the rack calling my name, then wore the coat even though it was no longer all THAT cold, a few months later stumbled back in to find a grey version, on sale, and out she went the happiest girl in the world.
I figure between the two I have at least 4 – 5 years of safety, but of course I still can’t give up the original, holes in all…

This is about an amazing purple dress.
It sat coyly on the rack as I walked into the store instantly recognizing me as a recent breaker-​upper and deep into a retail therapy session.
I tried on the dress and instantly saw 200 options of how to pull off this dress. And since then I think I’ve gotten up to 67 — I get compliments on it each time, 2 years later…
A friend told me that Susan designs the dresses and fabrics so that you can where them out all night, pass out in them, and pull them off the next day still as comforable and flawlessly as you started.
And that is exactly what I did the first time I wore that dress… Well I didn’t sleep in it.

Getting a custom made leotard from House of Hengst?
$ 187
Getting to say «Hey this leotard is custom made»?
Priceless.

All I have to say is… what took me so long to find this place!!! I am loving HoH!
Almost everything is Hengst designs made on site, and they are gorgeous! Their designs are classic but also edgy, just the right amount of push I needed to mix my closet up. I’ve already added a ton to my closet, from long flowing tunics to enormous over sized sweaters to super cute tops, and even a cape! And I ALWAYS get compliments when I sport my new Hengst wardrobe.
They are definitely not cheap, but compared to other places I shop at, their prices are reasonable. Plus, whereas the other places all are caring the same handful of labels, Hengst is totally unique. And you’ll definitely be wearing their designs well beyond this season.
If only I could pull off that sweet little jumper I tried on last weekend…

It’s not just beautifully designed and well made clothes… they are edgy but subtle… and they are comfortable. you can’t be stylish if you’re worried about if it looks bad on you. I’m coveting the pale yellow layered dress… it’ll soon be mine. The pants too. oh yes. mine, all mine.
For all those forward fashion conscious males, you should shop there too (and i want your number… you’re prolly metrosexual if you’re reading this and that’s cool with me because it means you have really nice toiletries for me to use.)

The prices are on the steep end I suppose if you’re comparing to H & M, but the designs are really cool & unique. My friend introduced me to this shop and I fell in love with this awesome beige satin dress that I had to have. Very unique stuff, probably not for everyone though. Sales girl was super friendly and helpful.

So, if I am not willing to spend $ 200 for a single clothing item at Weston, where am I willing to spend a lot of bucks in my hood for clothing? Very possibly at the House of Hengst.
I dropped by there for the first time today (drawn in by a sign saying 75% off… I am such a bargain whore), and was pleasantly surprised by finding elegant clothing in the Mission. There were these beautiful high-​waisted pants with wide matching fabric cloth belts, something I could see Marlene Dietrich wearing while smoking a cigarette (until I finally manage to quit smoking, I have to visualize the cigarette as a necessary accessory). There was also a lovely grey skirt with the runching at just the right spot. And an amazing short dress with long puffed sleeves and seams running down the front.
Even though I haven’t bought anything there yet (they didn’t have the high-​waisted pants in my size) and haven’t tested out the durability of their clothing, I did wonder briefly about the quality of their clothes. Given the price of their pants, I really feel that the pants should have lining. The lining would help preserve the pants for longer, be a barrier from the itchiness associated with wool, and help the drape of the pants.
Guys: note that they had some very interesting cashmere underwear. I am sure it would make a unique v-​day gift.
Be warned in advance: their sizes are more traditional, in other words much smaller than the current sizes. Consider trying on clothes roughly 2 sizes larger than what you are used to.

Very expensive.
Very well made.
Very luxurious but not stuff – simple glamour, if you will.
You will have a Hengst piece for life.
However, unless you find something you truly love, don’t go here just to have a «Hengst.» It’s not that kind of place – save your money if you want to get something with a label – and get something people will recognize.
People who truly love fashion and find a treasure at Hengst won’t care whether or not people know who made it – they will just love how they feel and look in it.

I try and save my money so I can buy something from House of Hengst (formerly HRM) about once a year. It’s expensive — but sooo well made. It’s a small line — but if you’re buying one thing there a year, who cares? My super chic sister from NY loves their stuff. She always stops in when she’s in town. That’s often when I buy my one item. The pants are awesome — made for women who actually have meat on their bones (I’m short and I gots me a lil’ junk in the trunk — it’s hard to find pants that fit.). One of the designer’s signature things on her pants is the butt seam — doesn’t sound flattering — but it actually is. I had a perfect pair of corduroy pants from this store — casual but stylish and oh, so comfortable. I literally wore them out. *sigh* How I miss those pants…

I love this store. They don’t have a huge selection, but I think that is a big plus. They offer a small line of really beautiful, incredibly stylish designs that are classic enough not to go out of style tomorrow, comfortable enough to wear time and again, and so unique you won’t see them on every other girl at the bar. I got my favorite faux-​fur lined hooded vest here five years ago, it was a hit at Sundance then and still gets raves every time I wear it. And I just picked up a smokin’ dress/​top and an adorable, stylish cap for Fall. Thanks Hengst!

It’s hard to resist the fabrics and cuts at House of Hengst. If you’re a woman, you’ll love the sharp and classy dresses, skirts, shirts, even hats. For guys, the selection is a little smaller, but you still can find some choice button downs and jackets. They also have some really cool t-​shirts and jewelry for sale, very unique pieces in both cases. Definitely worth a visit on your next fashion trip to the Nission.

I waffled on the rating here — I want to give them five stars ’cause their clothes are so damn cool, but there are a couple of drawbacks: 1. they’re really expensive. 2. their clothes don’t last well. They use good materials, but i think the craftsmanship isn’t what it should be for those prices. I have a great dress I bought there that I’ve had to fix the hem on at least three times in the last year, and I’ve talked to other people who have had similar problems. Even knowing that though, I can still totally convince myself to drop some cash on their super cute stuff.