Category: Boutique of the Week

I always thought one of the best things about the Dressing Room, the Lincoln Square women’s clothing boutique, was its collection of cute shoes. I guess I wasn’t the only one: its owners just opened an offshoot devoted to footwear, bags, and other accessories a few doors down. Certain concessions must be made to the […]

I can’t even tell you how many times people have asked me, “When is Zara coming to Chicago?” The massive Spanish retailer is beloved by budget-minded style hunters for its dedication to cosmopolitan style and up-to-the-last-second mimicking of street trends—designs can hit the stores just two weeks off the drawing board. And now I can […]

The Dressing Room Shoes I always thought one of the best things about the Dressing Room, the Lincoln Square women’s clothing boutique, was its collection of cute shoes. I guess I wasn’t the only one: its owners just opened an offshoot devoted to footwear, bags, and other accessories a few doors down. Certain concessions must […]

Succezz 1329 S. Michigan, 312-431-1900 T-shirt connoisseurs shopping at Succezz, a new South Loop boutique mostly targeting guys, may gravitate toward specimens like a rhinestone-bedazzled skull number by Christian Audigier, the former Von Dutch designer you can blame for the trucker-hat trend. It retails for $185. The Affliction brand offers similar designs (minus the bedazzling) […]

Grasshopper 510 1944 N.Damen, 773-292-0510 Bucktown shoppers might be startled by how much Grasshopper 510, a new shop specializing in eco-friendly housewares, jewelry, and gifts, looks like the previous tenant, a cosmetics and lingerie boutique. That’s because the owners, not just talking the talk but walking the walk, tried to avoid as much waste as […]

Although it sounds like it yet another expensive sneaker shop, this boutique-gallery hybrid is actually a showcase for the work of local designer Robin Kyle, who once had a line at Henri Bendel and used to create pieces for Ultimo’s house label. She puts together a collection of one-of-a-kind hand-sewn designs based on a theme […]

The Andersonville Galleria brings indie marketing to the north side, with nearly 50 craftspeople, designers, and artists renting retail space month-to-month in a newly rehabbed building just north of Foster. When the second floor opens next year, that number is expected to double. There’s a little bit of everything here: food (Terry’s Toffee, in flavors […]

1500 W. 17th 312-850-2338 goldenagestore.com Behind the striped awnings and ketchup red ironwork you’ll find a white box of a space filled with arty products ranging from highbrow to dirt-ass: a thick catalog, on creamy matte stock, from a Swiss art show on symbols of spiritual physics; a spiral-bound cookbook of real and invented celebrity […]

1101 W. Fulton (entrance on Aberdeen) 312-243-4754 or pivotboutique.com Just as they are with food, people are becoming more curious about where their clothes come from and how they’re made. And as the market has expanded–largely on the Web–environmentally responsible processes and sustainable materials have lost their association with scratchy fabrics and shapeless silhouettes. Jessa […]

Charlotte Russe 10 S. State 312-726-4205 For many of us high-low dressing means doing the bulk of our shopping at Forever 21 and Target so we can afford that rare Stella McCartney jacket (even on sale) or those exquisite Chie Mihara pumps. Must-have designer pieces aren’t likely to get more accessible any time soon, but […]

Renegade Handmade 1924 W. Division 773-227-2707 Old friends Kathleen Habbley and Sue Blatt used to talk about opening a vintage store–but instead they ended up starting the Renegade Craft Fair, which in the past four years has become a late-summer must-hit for anyone remotely associated with the DIY revolution. Last weekend they opened Renegade Handmade, […]

Gray

330 S. Dearborn 312-212-8860 When I walked into this new South Loop boutique and saw the displays of soap, candy, and wrapping paper, I figured it was going to be one of those places that can’t decide if it’s a clothing store or a gift shop. But a spin around the floor quickly put the […]

3270 N. Clark 773-248-4547 After five years of running their own Web development and marketing agency, dWebz, Jason Uzarraga says he and his wife, Jessica, felt it was time to expand their business. “We wanted to take all these things that we love–toys, sneakers, design–and combine them in a way that was really complementary.” So […]

40 E. Delaware 312-640-2922 Intermix If the arrival of Scoop last year and the Marc Jacobs store planned for Bucktown don’t prove that major retailers and designers are finally taking Chicago seriously, the opening of not one but two Intermix locations this spring should do the trick. The New York-based chain carries garments from both […]