Best Incorporation of Mexican Heritage Into Fashion Design

Ciprianamía  Nelissa Carrillo has designed Nike sneakers for Serena Williams, and she once had her own genderless streetwear brand. But it wasn’t until 2021 that she looked to her cultural roots for inspiration, employing fabrics and sewing techniques representative of her Mexican heritage. The new brand, Ciprianamía, launched quietly, but this year the Chicago native … Read more

Time Traveler

Liv Melchers’s three-year-old Able Shoppe put Elgin on the map as a destination for vintage wares and fashion. Now she’s moving her act to West Town, with a pop-up at 1821 West Chicago Avenue through September that’s focused on her favorite things. Midcentury modern decor “One should not be the oldest thing in one’s home. … Read more

Your Next Shopping Destination: Crown Point, Indiana

A vase from Blue Pear Mercantile

I’ve always been willing to travel for retail therapy, and I knew I’d found a new fix when I stumbled upon the Instagram feed of Blue Pear Mercantile: a satisfying scroll of botanical posters, French soaps, handmade jewelry, geodes, and feathers of all varieties. GPS indicated that its location on the historic square of northwest … Read more