1933 N. Damen, (773)276-7645, shernettswaby.com (No Ratings Yet)
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Goods: Women’s apparel and handbags. Designer: Project Runway Canada contestant Shernett Swaby is the creative force behind the fabulous lace and pleated pieces found here. Read the rest of this entry »

900 N. Michigan, 5th Floor, (312) 867-0900, yolandalorente.com (No Ratings Yet)
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Goods: Women’s apparel and accessories. Designers: All of the clothing is hand-painted and designed by the store’s namesake, with jewelry from local artist Elaine Fisher. Read the rest of this entry »

4140 N. Sheridan, (773)472-7220, blakestandard.com

Goods: Women’s contemporary sportswear. Designers: The label’s own line is backed by creative director and designer, Pierre Colorado. Owner: Having worked for huge lifestyle labels like Abercrombie & Fitch, Perry Ellis and Levi’s, Colorado brings his twelve plus years of design experience to Oakbrook with thus, his latest venture. Vibe: SoHo chic. The store is meant to embody the London loft Colorado sees the “Blake woman” inhabiting. Price Range: Moderate-Expensive. Shopper’s Perks: Although the Blake Standard line has been featured in boutiques like Perchance and Cinnamon, Oakbrook serves as their flagship – the very first to debut and exclusively feature the line in its entirety.

What do you do when you’ve designed for some of the biggest labels in the world before your fortieth birthday? Brands like Perry Ellis, Levi’s and Abercrombie & Fitch? If you’re Pierre Colorado, you take matters—and fabric—into your own hands and launch your very own clothing line.

“When I was ready to leave Abercrombie, it was kind of a life-changing decision,” he says. “I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go. I had opportunities in both New York and Los Angeles, [but] I just wasn’t ready to go to another corporate community.”

Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Colorado took the plunge. “Having my own label is something that I’ve always aspired to,” he says. “I was always interested in it. I was always drawing, sketching—I was always drawn to fashion.” Read the rest of this entry »

By Ilana Kowarski

Formé Millinery owner Jenny Gerst sometimes feels as if she is lost in time. “I definitely believe that I’m reincarnated from a different generation,” explains Gerst, who has been obsessed with the twenties and forties from the time she was a child in Kokomo, Indiana, collecting vintage clothing and films. A small-town girl with a love for high fashion, Gerst decided she wanted to be a designer from an early age, convinced that clothes from earlier eras captured the feeling she thought was missing in modern clothing. And now her vintage hat designs are getting noticed. Even local bakery La Petite Sweet made a cake in the shape of one of her millinery creations.

Growing up, Gerst’s mother used to make clothes for her and Gerst was impressed with her mother’s style and attention to detail. “Who would have known that those moments with my mom were shaping my mind to do what I do today as a milliner,” she marvels. 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 »

Photo: DJ MP

Ordinarily you don’t think about community building when you are building your personal wardrobe, but, according to Formula Werks owner and artist Escape 76, his fashion line does exactly that—“creates a loose community of folks who ‘get it,’” who are “different, original, unique and don’t really care what others think.” A Chicago-based fashion company proud of its collaborative projects and independent streak, Formula Werks includes a group of artists who have decided that some of their work should be displayed on human beings, rather than in museums, who design a fashion line and create “wearable glory for the angry, unappreciated, and self-indulgent” while “having fun with their friends” in the art world, with a group of friends that includes both world-famous artists and local companies like Rotofugi Designer Toy Store and Gallery. Both socially conscious and irreverent, Formula Werks sponsors new artists from around the city, and creates spunky T-shirt designs that run the gamut from crude to funny to serious, ranging from slogans like “Fuck you” and “Scumbag Nation,” to images of Abraham Lincoln as a pirate (via Rotofugi), to declarations that people “better recognize” Chicago, to messages supporting the Iranian political protestors and Cancer survivors. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Elizabeth Jochum Photography

Designers: Elizabeth Del Castillo and Kelly Whitesell

Background: Kelly Whitesell and Elizabeth Del Castillo both attended the University of Indiana’s Apparel Merchandising program. In addition, Whitesell studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

Design Aesthetic: Eskell’s signature look focuses on vintage with a contemporary twist. “Kelly has more of an edgier look and I’m more feminine so we mix modern with vintage,” says Del Castillo.

Designer Inspirations: Alexander Wang’s edgy and modern designs and Narciso Rodriguez’s classic and feminine aesthetic.

Chicago Inspirations: One of their biggest sources of inspiration is their customer. “I always keep in mind the functionality of clothing,” Del Castillo says. “People in Chicago dress appropriately to the weather and are more casual in that way.” Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Elizabeth Jochum Photography

Designer: Annie Novotny

Background: Annie Novotny graduated from the School of the Art Institute in 2004 with a BFA in Fashion Design, but she could always be found in the school’s Fiber and Materials Department “weaving, dyeing and making weird things.”

Design Aesthetic: The philosophy is all about balance and sustainability with Frei. She combines elements of menswear tailoring with organic fabrics “which allow for a more natural or softer feel” to her designs.

Designer Inspirations: Though Novotny doesn’t generally keep tabs on other designers, she admires Marni’s laidback elegance as well as Alexander McQueen’s glitz and glamour. “I really love the theatrics; I think it’s pretty mind-blowing with what he does,” she says.

Chicago Inspirations: Her main source of local inspiration is Chicago’s creative community and her many talented friends that she can always bounce ideas off. Read the rest of this entry »

Now, here’s progress: A Chicago story in one of the iconic fashion magazines that doesn’t involve Ikram or Michelle Obama. The March issue of W, with Madonna back for a cover shoot and portfolio, features a profile of Chicago designers Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters, aka Creatures of the Wind.