Photo: Chicago Fashion Fest

Chicago Fashion Fest, a street fest sidewalk sale combo event, is in Wicker Park this weekend.

Fashion Fusion

The main drag of West Division Street (from Wolcott to Paulina) will be closed off this weekend for the fifth-annual Chicago Fashion Fest (chicagofashionfest.com), a massive shopping event combining a 60-store sidewalk sale with everything this city loves about street fests: food, beer, and live music.

The sidewalk sale will wind through Damen, Milwaukee, and North Avenues, with the bulk of the action happening on Division Street. There, you’ll find booths set up by local boutiques and runway shows taking place every few hours—the biggest of which will be the Wicker Park After Dark show on Saturday at 8 p.m.

Look for participating stores such as Apartment Number 9, Moon Voyage, Kokorokoko, Helen Yi, and Eskell. View the full schedule of events at chicagofashionfest.com. A $5 donation is requested at entry.

 

Top Sales This Week

High-end women’s clothing boutique Perchance (3510 N. Southport Ave., 773-244-1300, perchanceboutique.com) is in its final days on Southport. As the shop’s owners prepare to consolidate stock to Perchance’s Gold Coast store, they’re now offering a two-for-one deal on all merchandise, which is already marked down 30 to 80 percent.

Shop furnishings and antiques marked up to 50 percent off at The Golden Triangle’s (330 N. Clark St., 312-755-1266, goldentriangle.biz) annual four-day sidewalk sale, held Thursday through Sunday. There are lots of treasures to be found—everything from a gorgeous ceiling panel from Thailand (originally $7,000, now $3,500) to rows of unique home accessories priced between $50 and $100.

 

The Best of the Rest

  • Meet Threadless (1260 W. Madison St., 773-525-8640, threadless.com) artists and shop their tees at the Threadless Family Reunion on Saturday. The event is open to the public so long as you RSVP. Grab a swag bag, try out the screen-printing station (bring your own tee or tote bag), and play carnival-themed games from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • One of our favorite local jewelry designers, Laura Lombardi (lauratlombardi.com) will present her Fall 2013 collection at a trunk show at space519 (900 N. Michigan Ave., 312-751-1519, space519.com) on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Home goods and gift boutique CarefulPeach (1024 North Blvd., Oak Park, 708-383-3066, carefulpeach.com) holds its semiannual storewide sale now through Saturday. Nearly all merchandise is marked 30 percent off, including dining and tabletop items, French table linens, handmade jewelry, and artisanal apothecary treats.
  • Through Saturday, all new furniture, lighting, and flooring orders placed at Haute Living (222 W. Kinzie St., 312-329-9000, haute-living.com) are 15 percent off.
  • In honor of Coco Chanel's birthday on Monday, August 19, women’s clothing and accessory store Sofia (100 E Walton St., 312-640-0878, sofialivelovely.com) hosts an online flash sale featuring a few of Coco's favorite things (we’re betting on little black dresses, baubles, and bags). Sign up for Sofia's newsletter at sofialivelovely.com to be alerted.

 

Openings and Closings

On Thursday, The Dailey Method opens its second North Shore location in Northbrook with a full weekend schedule of free classes. Click here to sign up.

After 11 years of sourcing great plus-sized fashion, vive la femme (2048 N. Damen Ave., 773-772-7429, vivelafemme.com) is closing shop. Effective immediately, all purchases made with a credit card are 10 percent off and cash sales are 20 percent off.