07/31/07

Unchained

Fancy Free
Famous brands are taking the city by storm, the splashiest of which include Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, and Nanette Lepore, all planning to open boutiques in October. Free People (1464 N. Milwaukee Ave.; 773-227-4871), a brand of affordable, boho comfort clothing, joins the trend with a new Wicker Park shop. The brand splits the difference between the hipster street wear of Urban Outfitters and the ornate femininity of Anthropologie (the  three brands are owned by the same parent company). Flowy tops and tunics range from $68 to $88, tanks start at $24, and patterned summer dresses are $138. Fall items already in stock include a feminine, shearling-lined vest ($98) that manages to be warm and trendy; a wool, herringbone jacket...

Posted at 07:29 AM in Sales Check | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/24/07

Cerulean Dreams

Something New, Something Blue
A new shop-Cerulean 1 (3657 N. Southport Ave.; 773-525-6870)-has opened in the former Shane space in Lake View. Peddling a similar aesthetic as its predecessor in the space, the boutique carries casual wear for men and women. We found a cute V-neck tee hoodie from Laquette with a drawstring waist ($90), 7 Diamonds button-down shirts for men ($97), an easy fit black dress from Michael Stars ($152), and a white-on-white striped dress from Rebecca Beeson ($94). The owner, Jennifer Dulhanty, says she carries many of the same lines as Shane (Dulhanty took over the space from that store's owner, Shane Limbacher), but plans to expand into dressier options, particularly for women. The boutique also sells jeans from Big Star...

Posted at 07:20 AM in Sales Check | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/17/07

Sole of a New Store

A Good Sole
We understand that there are die-hard shoe fetishists out there who are willing to endure sky-high heels at any cost, financial or podiatric. We applaud your commitment. But for the rest of us shoe lovers who are less willing to suffer for fashion, check out the new South Loop boutique House of Sole (1237 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-834-0909), stocked with designer shoes that actually integrate comfort into the mix. And we're not talking about clunky orthopedics-the gorgeous stacked heels from Chie Mihara ($360) are upscale enough for a night out but created by a Spanish designer who incorporates years of orthopedic expertise into the line, and the fashiony heels from Corso Como have extra padding near the toe. Owner Tiffany Bullock, who...

Posted at 06:28 AM in Sales Check | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/10/07

Something New in Old Town

New Kids in Old Town

Newcomer Uri (1445 N. Wells St.; 312-475-9002) carries a selection of casual designer wear from old favorites such as Alvin Valley (look for the label's chocolate brown trouser short for $150), along with brands that are hard to find elsewhere in the city. These include Ardistia, a New York brand, which makes items such as a beautiful wide collared, cropped jacket with a pleated edge and puff sleeves ($424) and a skirt suit with a wool gabardine jacket adorned with decorative metal buttons. Dressier options, such as a rouched black dress from designer Heike Jarick ($330), are found alongside casual wear, such as a sweat pant with a three-button detail on the bottom cuff ($100) and a pale yellow hoodie tank with a front...

Posted at 07:45 AM in Sales Check | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/03/07

Wine and Flowers, Together

A Vision in Red (or White. Or Rosé.)
Finding a hostess gift just got a whole lot easier. Although A.Vision  (910 N. Damen Ave.; 773-227-5700, avisionchicago.com) has been in its current location as a wedding and corporate event planning company for more than two years, it just opened a retail store within the space. The shop carries bottles of wine and flowers by the stem; it also does floral arrangements and offers delivery of wine/flower pairings. "If you're heading out to a party or just going home, you can grab a bottle of wine, a couple of stems, and you're out the door," says retail manager Kerry Abdow. "It's the grab and go philosophy." The store carries about 33 different bottles at any given time-reds, whites, rosés, champagnes,...

Posted at 08:20 AM in Sales Check | Permalink | Comments (0)