UPDATE: The current version of this listing is found here.

5668 N. Clark, (773)447-8527, mrandmrsdigz.com

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 (3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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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 (7 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5)
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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 »

1539-41 N. Milwaukee, (773)772-1983, fluevog.com
Goods: Men’s and women’s shoes Designer: John Fluevog Owner: The Vancouver-based designer John Fluevog has a handful of stores in North America. Read the rest of this entry »

1452 W. Chicago, (312)243-3100, dovetailchicago.com
Goods: Men’s and women’s vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. Designers: Cole Haan, Cortina, Joseph Magnin. Read the rest of this entry »

2708 N. Halsted, (773)327-7782, solemateschicago.com
Goods: Men’s and women’s clothing, sneakers and accessories. Designers: Sir & Madame, Public School, The Brooklyn Circus, Cheap Monday, WeSC, Nike and Air Jordan. Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE: As of January 2012, Buffalo Exchange has closed its Lakeview location.

1478 N. Milwaukee, (773)227-9558; 2875 N. Broadway, (773)549-1999, buffaloexchange.com
Goods: Men’s and women’s gently used clothing, shoes and accessories. Designers: Varying—Buffalo houses anything from Express and Banana to hipster labels American Apparel and Cheap Monday. Read the rest of this entry »