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Rock Your Look

Combining her lifelong love for premium denim, fashion, and music, the Chicago native Mallory Ulaszek launched her first business, Cityblue Apparel & Denim (1444 N. Wells St.; 312-664-2222, citybluedenim.com), earlier this fall. Read more

Double Whammy
The sisters Alexis and Camille Cozzini recently kicked off a dual-business collaboration in the Gold Coast, allowing them to open separate and individually owned boutiques under a shared address at 710 North Wabash Avenue. Read more
Men’s Room
Within the past year, the Lake View locations of Kulhman Company and Jake shuttered, leaving Southport Avenue with few clothing and accessory options for men. Mel Nelson, owner of M2 Boutique (3527 N. Southport Ave., 773-248-9866; 121 S. Washington St., Naperville, 630-548-9955; mboutiquechicago.com), thinks that guys in the neighborhood still need... Read more
Frugal Finds

The Chicago native Jill Sevelow loves finding great deals on clothing and accessories. “I’ve always been a bargain hunter,” she says. “I love the thrill of the hunt. I’ve never paid full-price for anything in my life.” So the former department store buyer opened... Read more

Phase-Free Fashion
As a mother of three, Ellen Sternweiler knows how difficult shopping can be at each stage of pregnancy. Like any expecting mother, she searched for items that kept her changing body comfortable from season to season. “I got really tired of having to buy Read more
Underground Hideout
After 14 years of running the Only She boutique (onlyshe.com), owner Terri Vizzone decided to “shake things up.” She had enjoyed selling clothing and accessories to women but wanted to expand. “We wanted it to be not just fashion but art of... Read more
Tween Scene
Previously only available to Chicagoans via catalog and online, PBteen (2111 N. Clybourn Ave.; 773-525-8349, pbteen.com), the latest affiliate of Pottery Barn, recently opened a store in Lincoln Park. The new shop, which shares an address with Pottery Barn Kids, is designed specifically for... Read more
Posh Pair
While growing up in Winnetka, sisters Jennifer and Maggie Gelber always joked about opening a boutique together in Chicago. “It wasn’t a serious plan. We’d just say, ‘Yeah, one day we’ll open a boutique.’ We came up with names [for the shop] and talked about designing clothes,” Maggie says. But the plan became real after Maggie graduated from the University of Iowa in May 2008 and... Read more
Season-Free Styles
Knowing she wanted to spend her life designing clothes, Shernett Swaby (her last name rhymes with baby) launched her first collection, a line of underwear for men and women, at age 19. “I did it as a way to make money to create the stuff I wanted,” she says. Within a year, the underwear sold in... Read more