Over the last few years, small, independently-owned clothing and accessory stores have been shooting up across the Milwaukee area, from the Third Ward, to Whitefish Bay to the quaint village of Wauwatosa.

It's official; boutique shopping is in vogue, but just because Milwaukee continues to make forward strides in fashion awareness doesn't necessarily mean the consumer is going to pay for it.

The reality is that not all these places cater to only one specific demographic -- that is to say, sophisticated women with an expendable income.

If you get out there and look, you'll find that some boutiques carry some of the same labels you find at suburban malls, some have shirts for under $20 and some, like J. Bird Boutique, 314 E. Menomonee St., are even starting to branch out into fashionable yet affordable men's wear.

Eventually, says J. Bird owner Jennifer Putney, her store will be split equally for men and women.

Now this is progress.

"I'm optimistic," she says of her expansion. "We went into it quietly so that people wouldn't have huge expectations -- I'm not a Detour and I'm not fully established in the men's business yet."

Putney began buying men's apparel piece by piece in late August and her collection has since grown to encompass some cool names. She's got premium Japanese and Italian denim from Union in various cuts and treatments, as well as reversible leather belts by Bill Adler and a celebrity-coveted screen-printed T-shirt line out of Chicago.

When it came time to pick out her men's denim lines, she says she stuck to the same motto she used while running an all-women's clothing store -- ¡viva variety! With jeans from IT and LTB, she's able to carry a full price-point range without sacrificing style or craftsmanship.

"Not everyone needs $189 jeans," she says. "They can be nice if you want them, but I fully believe in a $69 pair of jeans. Pretty much anyone can walk in here and we can put them in a pair of jeans."

Her denim collection is looking better than ever for winter, but perhaps Putney's biggest point of store pride is its versatility. So while you can get your American Apparel eco-line tees for a casual night out, you will also find Wisconsin's only source for designer Lara Mueller, who J. Bird has been working with for three years and who has just released her "green" line full of recycled cottons, bamboo sweaters, soy jerseys and seaweed-based cottons for spring.

Plus, all J. Bird's jewelry is Wisconsin-made, with the majority of the designers hailing from Milwaukee.

"That's the really cool thing about the Third Ward," she says. "All of us boutique owners know each other and respect each other and we've each followed our own path to do something different to make this neighborhood something really special for the consumer. We all have something different to offer, so while Lela does local clothing designers, we do local jewelry."

Jewelry designer Jennifer Mog will be at J. Bird on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1 during Christmas in the Third Ward to showcase her latest project. Mog traveled to Thailand to teach hill tribe women who have just been released from slavery or are in danger of being enslaved how to make jewelry and the proceeds from the pieces goes back to help these women. Mog also hosts a jewelry demonstration as well as a build-your-own jewelry bar with hand-glazed enamels.