Clothing & Accessory shopping in Chicago
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Strange Cargo
One of the coolest stores in Chicago for retro T-shirts and thrift-store-esque hipster wear, Strange Cargo also sells wigs, clunky shoes and leather jackets. Buy a vintage-style T-shirt, then use the iron-on machine to enliven it with a message or decal of your choice. There’s an excellent selection of kitschy ones featuring Mike Ditka, Harry Caray, the Picasso statue, the Hancock Center and other local icons – all supreme souvenirs.
reviewed
-
B
Threadless
Those seeking that perfect ironic, eccentric, limited-edition T-shirt will find it at Threadless. The company runs an ongoing T-shirt design competition on its website in which designers submit ideas and consumers cast votes (750,000 weekly). The company then releases the seven winning styles in limited quantities of 1500, and they’re only available for two weeks. The new designs appear in-store on Friday, before they’re posted online on Monday. Prices range from about $15 to $25. Bring back your shopping bag and get $1 off your next purchase. There’s a kid-focused outlet at 1905 W Division St.
reviewed
-
C
Alley
A skull and crossbones mark the door at this one-stop counterculture shop. The vast emporium offers everything from pot pipes to band posters to human-sized dog collars. Loud, obnoxious punk-rock tees (‘I’ve got the biggest dick in the band’ etc), fetish shoes and leatherwear are some of the house specialties. The scene unfurls through a labyrinth of rooms, including a couple devoted to tattooing and piercing.
reviewed
-
D
Workshop
Local designer Annie Novotny of Frei Designs has her workshop in this Pilsen storefront. She’s made the front half into a store that sells her skirts, tops and dresses (all made with ecofriendly dyes and fabrics) as well as jewelry and housewares from other ecominded makers. Check out the beeswax candles from the Chicago Honey Co-Op. She also uses the space for occasional sewing classes.
reviewed
-
E
Belmont Army Surplus
Don’t be fooled by the name – the goods at this sprawling store go well beyond combat gear. Fashion-of-the-moment clothes hang from the 1st floor’s racks. A rainbow array of Converse, Vans, Adidas, Dr Martens, Red Wing and sky-high goth shoes fills the 2nd floor’s shelves. The 3rd floor is where you finally get to the peacoats and other vintage military wares.
reviewed
-
F
Denim Lounge
The entire family can get outfitted in jeans here, from the kiddies on up to mom and dad. It’s all cool, easily wearable designer brands, and the four-dimensional fitting station lets you check out the look from every angle in high definition (not always a rewarding feature). The lounge is attached to a hip kids’ clothing shop called Madison & Friends.
reviewed
-
G
Akira
Several fashion design students work here, manning (or woman-ing, to be precise) the denim bar, which is stocked with more than 20 different brands of jeans. There’s a focus on up-and-coming and newly popular lines. This particular location is women-oriented, but two other Akira shops – one for men’s clothing and one for shoes – hover on the same block.
reviewed
-
H
Levi’s Store
Welcome to denim’s mecca. The sheer volume of Levi’s for sale here will spin your head: skinny cut? boot-cut? flare 501s? petite? dark washed? They’re all in the stacks, in every combination imaginable. Prices span the gamut, from basics at $45 to fashion-forward styles costing upward of $245. There’s a second store in Wicker Park.
reviewed
-
I
H&M
This Swedish-based purveyor of trendy togs is usually packed with customers clawing the racks for high fashion at low prices. Men and women will find a variety of European-cut styles ranging from business suits to bathing suits. There’s another outlet at 22 N State St, but this one is bigger.
reviewed
-
J
Crossroads Trading Co
Crossroads sells funky, name-brand used clothes for men and women that you can count on being in good condition. Lots of jeans usually hang on the racks, including Seven for all Mankind, Citizens of Humanity and Miss Sixty labels. Shoes, coats and handbags are also abundant. You can sell or trade items, too.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Una Mae’s Freak Boutique
It’s unlikely that the solid suburban women who once wore the pillbox hats and fine Republican cloth coats on sale here would ever have thought of themselves as freaks. Along with the vintage wear, Una Mae’s has a growing collection of new, cool-cat designer duds and accessories for both men and women.
reviewed
-
L
T-Shirt Deli
They take the ‘deli’ part seriously: after they cook (ie iron a retro design on) your T-shirt, they wrap it in butcher paper and serve it to you with potato chips. Choose from heaps of shirt styles and decals, of which Mao, Sean Connery, Patty Hearst and a red-white-and-blue bong are but the beginning.
reviewed
-
M
US #1
From the outside this place looks not so chic. Inside, however, you’ll find rack after rack of vintage ’70s bowling, Hawaiian and western-wear shirts, as well as towers of old Levi’s and designer jeans. The owner knows his stuff, and merch quality is high (though so are some of the prices).
reviewed
-
N
Zara
New products arrive weekly and inventory changes biweekly at Spanish fashion house Zara. It’s sort of Gap meets H&M, with youthful, off-the-runway styles at low prices in women’s, men’s and kids’ clothing. The three-story building is Zara’s biggest US store.
reviewed
-
O
Barneys New York
Barneys provides the quintessential Gold Coast shopping experience. Its six floors sparkle with mega-high-end designer goods, while the penthouse holds a posh restaurant with a toasty fireplace. The on-site concierge books theater tickets for customers.
reviewed
-
P
Penelope’s
Named after the owners’ ridiculously cute pug, Penelope’s is a warm boutique for 20- and 30-somethings. It offers both men’s and women’s fashions (they’re new but look thrift-store bought) along with housewares, jewelry and nifty gifty things.
reviewed
-
Q
Free People
Owned by the same parent company as Urban Outfitters (young hipster styles) and Anthropologie (older feminine styles), Free People lands in the middle with boho-chic tank tops, cardigan sweaters, herringbone jackets and patterned dresses.
reviewed
-
R
Ms Catwalk
Ms Catwalk stocks fun, flirty clothing and garnishes for women. T-shirts feature images from Buddha to Supergirl to Junior Mints candies; hoodies, low-rise corduroy pants and big silvery bags accessorize your selection.
reviewed
-
S
Vive La Femme
Plus-size shops for women are often woefully lacking in style. Not so at Vive La Femme, where larger women can find sassy and classy designs in sizes 12 to 24.
reviewed
-
T
Jil Sander
Jil Sander’s minimalist colors and simple designs somehow manage to remain fashionable long after other trendsetters have disappeared from the scene.
reviewed
Advertisement
