My Precious Erin Gallagher, a local line of pretty jewelry, has opened its first stand-alone boutique at 1017 West Lake Street (312-492-7548, chicagobotanic.org/bulb. Admission is free; nonmember parking is $15. The Warehouse Sale, the famed designer sample sale out of Los Angeles, comes to Chicago on Sept. 29th and 30th. Find premium denim for men … Read more
Once an open roost for gangs, Division Street has achieved near total turnaround with a retail strip that shows little sign of slowing down.
Discount Duds Get threads at up to 80 percent off retail at Clothes Mentor (582 S. Route 59, Naperville; 630-355-0009), a new resale store dedicated to brands often seen at malls, such as Gap, J. Crew, J. Jill, Chico’s, and Ralph Lauren, among others. “When you walk in the front door, you would never know … Read more
The wish list: Ankle-high boots
Three emerging locals. One model. It’s dress to impress, Chicago-style.
Fit to a Tee The viral-marketing geniuses at online T-shirt purveyor threadless.com opened the doors yesterday, Sept. 10th, at their new Lake View bricks-and-mortar location, Threadless (3011 N. Broadway; 773-525-8640, threadless.com). The Ravenswood-based company has created a unique business model: Threadless.com runs an ongoing T-shirt design competition—designers submit and consumers vote. Seven new styles and … Read more
A bustling retail corridor blooms on Madison Street in Forest Park, Oak Park’s neighbor to the west.
Ms. Green Jeans The West Loop boutique Pivot (1101 W. Fulton Market; 312-243-4754, www.specialoccasionseparates.com) hosts a sample sale on Sept. 6th, prior to its grand opening at its new Gold Coast location, to liquidate all spring and fall merchandise, accessories, and samples. You’ll find coats, jackets, skirts, and pants as well as items from the … Read more
Encore, Encore Sneakerphiles, you have a new mecca. The owners of West Loop lifestyle-and-footwear shop Self Conscious have opened Encore (3941 N. Sheridan Rd.; 773-477-4007), which co-owner LaVelle “V-Dot” Sykes says is more sneaker driven than the other store. Sykes, who has designed shoes for Nike for 13 years, says the store cultivates exclusivity with … Read more
My Glamorama experience, in a nutshell: Lots of cowboy hats and sparkly shirts—and a midget zooming by on a scooter.
(Actually, he might have been a dwarf. I’m sure someone will write in and correct me, so I’ll just say right now that I’m not sure which category he falls into. He was small. That much I know. He is part of the MusikMafia, the country supergroup fronted by Gretchen Wilson, Big and Rich, and the rappin’ Cowboy Troy, who all played at the main runway event. Who knew that Chicago people would lose their cool during the song “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy?”)
