It’s been just six weeks since the opening of Sarca, but the store has already made its mark on the Chicago fashion scene—and its closets.

Opened in early December by Alexis Cozzini, the high-end women’s clothing shop is a treasure trove of edgy finds. “I had known just in the back of my mind over the years brands that I wanted to have in my store when I opened it,” Cozzini says. She’s certainly had a lot of time to ruminate—she broke into the fashion biz at the tender age of 15.

“I worked in Lincoln Park at Celeste Turner,” she says. “It’s not there anymore, but it was like the hottest boutique at the time. I worked there after school in high school… and I loved it.” Read the rest of this entry »

By Emily Torem

Two still fresh-on-the-scene streetwear boutiques in the South Loop prove that the Windy City is not just a place for trends to proliferate; it’s where they’re made. Lifestyle store Jugrnaut stocks everything from clothes and accessories to art, hats and action figures, while self-described “sneaker geek and stylist” SuccezZ focuses on providing rare and limited-edition footwear to the shoe-obsessed. Both stores are big supporters of local talent, whether it’s through music, art, style or design.

Jugrnaut

“There are people who are fashion forward in Chicago that are ahead of the curve, like in Japan, but not that many. It’s a slow process, but we’re getting there,” says Roger Rodriguez, one of the South Loop streetwear shop Jugrnaut’s owners.

The team of four men—Rodriguez, Brian Navado, Manny Rodriguez and Arthur Banks—opened the store in October of 2007 after a previous venture fell through. The four own and operate the shop, as well as their own eponymous brand, which includes hats and shirts with the store’s lightning-bolt logo. The partners emphasize that the store is more than just a retailer of apparel. Read the rest of this entry »

1747 S. Halsted, (312)733-0407, dvchicago.com (3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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Goods: Vintage clothing with modern tailoring for men and women, but primarily for women. Shoes and accessories, including hats, jewelry and designer sunglasses. Designers: Dior, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, Oscar De La Renta, St. John and others. Read the rest of this entry »

900 N. Michigan, Level 3, (312)944-0040 (No Ratings Yet)
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Goods: Men’s and women’s denim, shoes and accessories. Designers: The store houses thirty women’s denim brands and twenty men’s, including C.R.A.F.T. Denim, Hudson, G-Star, Rebecca Minkoff, House of Harlow, Naked & Famous, Nobody and Grace Sun to name a few. Read the rest of this entry »

5668 N. Clark, (773)447-8527, mrandmrsdigz.com (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Goods: Men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, accessories and gifts. Designers: Mixing couture vintage with great new finds, you can find everything from classic Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel to fun tees, hoodies and frocks from labels like Eva May, Nabi and Corporate Punk. Read the rest of this entry »

200 E. Delaware, Unit C, (312)335-1353, urbanstyleemporium.com (No Ratings Yet)
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Goods: Formerly known as Only She, the store has expanded from women’s clothing and accessories to also include gifts and art. Designers: Lorain Croft, Elm Design and Ivan Grundahl. Read the rest of this entry »

1405 N. Wells, (312)587-9800 (No Ratings Yet)
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Goods: Men’s and women’s couture clothing and shoes. Designers: Big names like Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Moschino and Richard Tyler are present, to name a few. Read the rest of this entry »

Terri Vizzone believes in retail therapy—you know, that calming, healing effect that being in a store with fabulous things has on a woman’s psyche when she’s just broken up with her boyfriend? Or lost a pet? Or even just woke up on the wrong side of the bed?

Taking the theory to heart, Vizzone has made over and relocated her store, Only She, into a shopper’s paradise—a safe haven, if you will, for all things fabulous. Newly named the Urban Style Emporium, Vizzone returns to her original block with a new look and a new vibe.

“We want it to be a place that people feel relaxed,” she says. “Sometimes people just need eye candy…sometimes, you need to just take a break in your day, and we want you to feel like, yes, you can do that, and we’re not going to be breathing down your neck, ‘are you gonna buy something, are you gonna buy something?’”

Having relocated once before, Vizzone decided the third time was a charm. “I figured, if I’m gonna’ move the store again, I want to come right out of the box doing something different. The whole world is changing, everything is shifting, so you need to shake it up a bit!” she says. Read the rest of this entry »

By Nicole Briese

Wake up, Wells Street—Trevian has arrived. With just three little words, Chicago’s resident fashionista has made her presence known, and Old Town just may never recover: Hot. Ass. Sale.

Painted in the window of Wells Street’s newest boutique, the unapologetic advertisement is definitely turning heads. “We wanted to see how [the neighborhood] would respond to our least aggressive window display,” owner Trevian Kutti says. Opening her namesake in March, Kutti has decided the time has come to introduce Old Town residents to luxury retail—Trevian style. “[We’ve been] taking our time… gauging the [area,]” she says. “As you can see, the sign in the window is like the warmup. It’s like touching water to see if it’s too hot. Right now it’s lukewarm.”

But not for long. Not if Kutti has anything to do with it. Known for her Oak Street staple G’Bani, Kutti is no novice to the world of retail—or the controversial “statement window.” “We do windows that show we are human beings before we are a business,” Kutti said in a New York Times piece that featured her button-pushing displays in January 2006.

Currently in the process of relocating G’Bani to Old Town, Kutti and husband B.J. have already begun implementing their plans to dominate the block with their latest venture. “We wanted to make Trevian completely upscale, so now we do Moschino, Richard Tyler [and] Chloe…to bring a destination luxury boutique to Wells Street,” she says. Read the rest of this entry »

By Marla Seidell

John Fluevog has angels on the soles of his shoes.

Urban Angels, that’s the name of this particular mid-calf boot, which like the Fluevog stores, hit their twentieth anniversary this year. In addition to the angels stenciled on the soles, there’s a personal message from Fluevog inscribed: “Resist all things, including Satan.” Soles are made from biodegradable Hevea tree latex soles. “Really comfy,” notes Fluevog.

Judging from his rock-star appearance—dark blue denim, a red, white and blue button-shirt with a pattern of stars at the center, tousled strawberry-blond hair, Prada sunglasses on top of head, and a thin line of white goatee on his chin—you wouldn’t think that Fluevog, designer and creator of cult-status funky shoes since the mid-eighties, is the kind of guy to stamp spiritual phrases and angels on his products. Read the rest of this entry »