The girl and guy in the shop browse together, murmuring to each other as they intently peruse the fixtures. They thank Sydney Hann, owner of Hot Toddy and exit the store. Customers pop in and out, oohing and aahing over items, occasionally buying socks or jewelry, occasionally putting dresses or coats on hold.

The girl who was with the guy earlier pops back in, alone, and darts back to a fixture, grabbing a sunny, fun frock with a Fragonard-reminiscent, rococo print at the bodice and at the kicky, knee-length hem.  She slips into the changing room and emerges. No longer the down-jacket and jeans-clad Olympia denizen, she's been transformed to a sylph in wooly socks and braids covered mostly by a bright red toque.  It's a transformation that seems to surprise her, but one that Hann seems to have seen before. She approves of the fit of the dress on the young customer.

Hann's shop, an Olympia staple for nearly 10 years, offers "whimsy and fashion" with funky accessories and original, sometimes vintage reproduction dresses and skirts that serve as a panacea to all the ready-made, mass-produced, one-size-fits-not-a lot fashions in malls and box stores today.  Her dresses are selected based on her egalitarian approach to fashion: "There's something for everyone - teenagers to grandmothers."

In point of fact, the shop is named after Hann's grandmother, pictured on a wall in the shop; this fashion maven was a great force in Hann's fashion sensibilities and influenced not just the emphasis on vintage reproductions, but also a huge influence on Hann's design sensibilities. "I've never been ‘trendy,'" she explained.  To this end the clothes in Hot Toddy are timeless by design.  Lines like Stop Staring, Voodoo Vixen, Bernie Dexter, Queen of Hearts, and Unique Vintage nod to pinup culture, but feature classic lines that lean toward investment dressing rather than disposable chic.

And while the styles in the shop are definitely heavy on retro styling and light-hearted fun (what's not to love about a navy A-line dress in a cat-head print?), they aren't strictly for the light and waiflike; sizing runs to plus-sized and styling follows the vintage sensibility celebrating va-va-voom hourglass shapes.  Additionally, Hann is happy to special-order items to ensure proper fit.  The shop is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saurday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

HOT TODDY, 410 Capitol Way, Olympia, 360.753.0868, shophottoddy.com