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Jazz Record Mart
Musicians, serious jazz and blues aficionados, and vintage album collectors flock to this store, which is thoroughly stocked on the jazz and blues genres. Bob Koester and his dedicated staff can find just about anything, no matter how obscure. If you're looking to complete your Bix Beiderbecke collection, the Jazz Record Mart will help you get it done.
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Jil Sander
Jil Sander's minimalist colors and simple designs somehow manage to remain fashionable long after other trendsetters have disappeared from the design scene.
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Jimmy Choo
The prices are almost as high as the stiletto heels at Jimmy Choo, revered foot stylist to the rich and famous. Oh go ahead - be like J Lo and Beyonce. All it takes is a toss of the head, the willingness to drop around C$800 on a pair of kicks and the attitude that footwear doesn't make the outfit, it is the outfit.
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John Fluevog Shoes
Bold and colorful shoes by the eccentric designer are the order of the day at this close-out haven. They come as tough-girl chunky or sex-kitten pointy as you like, with equally hip selections for men.
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Kate Spade
Beloved by the women of Lincoln Park, Kate Spade specializes in bags constructed with clean lines. This store also offers jewelry, shoes and sunglasses by a host of designers.
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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, and in every combination imaginable. Prices span the gamut, from basics to fashion-forward styles costing upward of $245.
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Lissa On Maxwell
This women's boutique can be pricey but the owner does a nice job handpicking designers on the rise, and you'll likely be the only one wearing in town their floaty dresses, fitted trousers and stylish jeans. The pieces are usually structured and long-lined so they'll look good on most body types.
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Loopy Yarns
This isn't your grandma's knitting shop. Loopy Yarns caters mostly to students from the nearby Art Institute, so the books, patterns, needles, hooks and designer yarns are about as hip as they come. Beginners can learn to knit or crochet in a workshop while advanced practitioners can learn more complex techniques while making a reverse-cable scarf or argyle vest. Check the website for the schedule.
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Lori's, The Sole Of Chicago
Lori's caters to shoe junkies who tear through boxes and tissue paper to get at Franco Sarto, Apepazza and other European brands. The general frenzy morphs into a true gorge-fest during season-ending sales in July/August and January/February; lines can form out the door during these sales.
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Lululemon Athletica
Canada's famous yoga-wear maker opened shop in Chicago recently, giving locals access to its colorful togs made of organic cotton, hemp and bamboo. They're flattering, too: the Boogie Pants and Groove Pants 'give every girl a great-looking butt', swears one devoted customer. Bonus: the shop offers free, one-hour yoga classes at Sundays; call ahead to register, and bring your own mat.
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Medusa's Circle
Not sweating enough? Medusa's carries everything for raven-haired folk who like to wear dark velvet clothes on hot days. It's mostly girly tough stuff, like T-shirts of kittens armed with guns, and purses decorated with skulls wearing pink bows.
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Midwest Stereo
This is a hub for DJ gear, both used and new. If you're looking for a basic mixer or a Technics turntable (or a PA system that will quickly make you the talk of your neighborhood), this is your store.
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Mint
Mint's teensy showroom displays handmade handbags, scented candles, jewelry, soaps, greeting cards and other crafty creations by Midwestern artists. Designers rotate in and out, so there's always something new on the shelves.
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Mng By Mango
This Barcelona-based company offers trendy women's clothing for justifiable prices. It's geared mostly to 20- and 30-something urbanites - think Penelope Cruz, who is the company's spokesperson, as well as one of its designers. New shipments arrive twice a week.
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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 to accessorize your selection.
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Nau
The wares at Nau (it means 'welcome' in Maori) are similar to Lululemon, only the outdoor clothing ratchets up a notch in cleverness (for instance, a skirt you can wear while riding your bike to work, and a dress designed to enable its wearer to bust out a karate kick, should the need arise). The eco-conscious fabrics include organic cotton, recycled polyester and a corn-polyester blend.
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Niketown
It's no longer the unique, museum-ish store it once was (outlets have cropped up in many other cities), but this Nike temple has all the flash and sparkle you'd expect from the shoe giant. It remains hugely popular, with every swooshed T-shirt, sweatshirt, jersey and hi-top imaginable.
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Penelope's
Named after the owners' ridiculously cute pug, Penelope's is a warm boutique for 20- and 30-somethings. Offering both men's and women's fashions (they're new but look thrift-store-bought) along with nifty gifty things, Penelope's further ups the ante by providing an arcade-style stand-up Ms Pac-Man game to keep significant others occupied while loved ones try on clothes.
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Pivot
About as opposite as you can get from neighboring Self Conscious, Pivot goes green instead of gangsta. All items are made from eco-friendly fabrics, such as the soft bamboo T-shirts. Even the shopping bags (50% recycled content) and clothing racks (made of reclaimed wood and steel) were created according to sustainable principles.
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Porte Rouge
This sunny, French-kissed shop offers hand-painted crockery and chic kitchen accessories that make even the most marginal, grilled cheese-burning cooks among us look gourmet.
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Poster Plus
Located across from the Art Institute, this superlative poster store carries reproductions of many of the museum's best-known works, along with a number of fun, Chicago-specific historical prints dating from the late 19th century. Upstairs in the vintage room, European and American poster originals abound.
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Powell's
This leading store for used-books can get you just about any book ever published. Shelf after heaving shelf prop up the well-arranged stock. Another outlet is located in Lake View.
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Prairie Avenue Bookshop
This is easily the classiest and most lavishly decorated bookstore in the city. The beautiful architectural tomes - including many hard-to-find titles - rest on hardwood shelves, and the thick carpet muffles the noise of customers. Soon you'll want to don a smoking jacket, stoke a pipe and curl up in a corner leather chair.
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Ps: Accessories
As the name implies, this shop features shoes, jewelry, purses and belts. It's more laid back than many Gold Coast shops, ie you grab your own shoes from the boxes stacked on the floor. The relaxed attitude shows up in the decent prices, too.
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Puma Store
Visiting Puma's minimalist, white-walled store has been described as daytime clubbing. DJs spin tunes (mostly on weekends), and buff young bodies bounce to the beat while checking out men's and women's shoes that are impossible to find anywhere else. The first floor is devoted to the brand's sporty urban clothing line.
