Escaping the shopping malls is essential to pre-holiday mental health, as any retail veteran can tell you, and Prague's Old Town has been quietly cultivating a more rewarding experience for those in the know: little, winding Karolíny Světlé street, just north of the Národní high street.

Studded with designer boutiques, galleries, an antique shop or two and some characterful food and drink spots to warm up and revive yourself, this enchanting little lane has grown up into one hip location for original gifts, fashion and more.

Sharing the building is Monika Burdová's cozy secondhand-cum-designer shop Toalette, filled with the colorful outgoing creations of herself and the apparel artists Hayda, Hedush and One Use Only. (The originals are on the mannequins, on the shop's center rack and behind the sales desk; the rest are inspired secondhand finds.)

Burdová, who started the shop five years ago, has moved from strictly secondhand to clothes from a small stable of designers like herself who believe cool togs should also be functional ones.

"It depends on the girl," she says, hoisting a green-gold skirt. "She can put it on over jeans or wear it to the theater. I think that fashion is play — I don't like to be a trendy girl."

Across the lane and a bit further north at Nábytek ProByt, owner Vladimír Chilko clearly believes in practical uses for gorgeous pieces, as well. Having established this unique furniture and housewares shop three years ago, after returning to his native land from Germany, Chilko has filled his capacious boutique with handmade glass, ceramics, iron, woodwork and furnishings. Many are antiques but more are "antiqued": Newly made cabinets, wardrobes and cupboards are aged convincingly and stained or painted in faded, homey tones.

That such a charming alternative to Ikea exists so close to the city center will surprise a few people, and, while larger pieces run a bit more than those found in big box stores, smaller ones are surprisingly affordable.

The posh and spatially challenged designer boutique Alice Abraham, a block to the north, doesn't fuss too much about practicality but specializes in gloriously cool pieces made from quality materials. The brocade, suede and silk evening gowns, skirts, tops and jackets (when is someone going to open a fashion boutique here for guys?) draw all the top young Czech celebs, who relish wearing them to awards shows and such. Prices reflect that, but pieces are no more exclusively priced than any in, say, Lyon or Munich, so you're still safely below Paris- and Rome-style extravagance (check out the goods at www.aliceabraham.com).

Across the street, Bim Bam Bum starts toddlers on designer wear, while Pavla & Olga, one of two Prague boutiques owned by the Machálková sisters, features more affordable creations for both the young and conservative.

Finally, MarLen, where many of the designers themselves shop for wild materials, buttons and, for some reason, handmade sweaters, is standing ready for DIY fashionistas.