Edition: Hot Town: Summer in the City
Shopping: Your Buck Stops Here
Author: Rebecca Taras
The fashion frontier of Bucktown-Wicker Park is exposed.
The main shopping areas are centered where Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenues intersect. Walk north along Damen Avenue to Armitage Avenue to discover some of the hippest boutiques selling the latest trends. Eskell has recently relocated from Lincoln Park to Bucktown, serving as a flagship for their popular house clothing line. Nonconformist store Hejfina also serves as an interactive design lab, showcasing up and coming Chicago artists and various speakers on current topics in art and architecture.
Chicago has a fair share of local designers, many of which reside in this area. Boutiques, including Habit and P. 45 are big supporters of local designers. Michelle Tan recently opened a boutique carrying her clothing line and a small selection from other local talent. Roslyn Boutique has gained a following for those who enjoy finding originals. Owner and Designer Roslyn Dulyapaibul chooses only 4 of each item.
At Apartment Number 9 men can find everything from designer clothing, grooming products, bags, shoes, ties and accessories. The store offers both well-established and emerging designers, including the likes of Andrew Dibben, Jack Spade, John Varvatos, Michael Kors, Paul & Joe, Moschino and Theory. Psycho Baby and Red Balloon have become two of the hottest spots to pick up kiddie threads as hip as the parents picking them out.
For high style but lower prices, try spots like NEW'D, a high-end resale boutique offering an amalgamation of new and used men and women's clothing from designers such as: Seven for all Mankind, Citizens of Humanity, Hudson, Theory, Ben Sherman, BCBG, Marc Jacobs, Ted Baker and Miss Sixty. NEW'D will also buy, sell and trade gently used apparel and accessories, offering 50% of the estimated resale price for in-store trade and up to 40% cash back.
New York is not the only place you can find an ongoing sample sale. Beta Boutique is a premier women's designer sample sale event in Chicago, showcasing the hottest women's designer clothing 50-90% off retail.
The neighborhood shopping has recently been expanding to Division Street between Ashland and Damen Avenues. Some of the hot spots within the area include: Untitled, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Tangerine, Clothes Minded and Stitch.
The area also boasts some big names, including American Apparel, Crossroads Trading, Urban Outfitters and Scoop NYC.
