The Chicago Traveler

Alright, I’ll admit it. The whole retro fashion fad? I don’t get it. I stopped wearing my ‘80s outfits for a reason. But if vintage is your thing, then browse through the racks at Strange Cargo.
The racks and shelves (just north of Purgatory Pizza) are full of retro clothes, shoes, jeans, pea coats, accessories, and more. While most of the customers found perusing here don’t look like they even remember the ‘80s, they appreciate the quirky store for its old trading cards (“Saved by the Bell”?!), button-pins, and hundreds of iron-on T-shirt decals.
And just in case you don’t find a …read more

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“Necessity is the mother of Invention.” Well, these two Chicago moms needed a place to get fashionable, comfortable duds for their little ones. When they couldn’t find one, they decided to create their own.
When designer Nicole Rairigh gave birth to her first daughter Ashor, her line of mini-wear, a.k.a. Ashor’s Room, was also born. Rairigh had just graduated from fashion school at Columbia College and started making clothes for little Ashor. She began introducing the clothing to various boutiques, and now these locally-designed duds can be found in stores all across the country. All of the screens and patches are …read more

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I know nothing about shoes, except that I can never find them in my size. However, if you ladies know your shoes better than you know your friends, check out the new boutique on Damen Avenue, just north of Hot Chocolate: Grace.
Heels, flats, boots, pumps, wedges: shop owner Kristi Ryan has ditched the stale office work and collected all these and more at her splendid shoe store in Bucktown. Peruse among names like Anya Hindmarch, Missoni, London Sole, Jean-Michel Cazabat, and Luciano Padovan. Ryan has made it a priority to find shoes that are high-quality but little-known, so you may …read more

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If you’re looking to get decked out in cutting-edge, high-end duds from head to toe, look no further than Intermix. It’s what every fashionista in Chicago is talking about.
Intermix exploded into the fashion scene when its flagship store opened in New York City in 1993, and although locations can be found across the country, its first Chicago outpost just recently emerged in the Gold Coast (just a block away from Tails in the City and Le Colonial). Chicago’s growing fashion scene is nothing to be scoffed at, so this store fits right in.
“Intermix” literally means “to mix things up,” and …read more

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Sensual Steps is a Chicago boutique that opened just a couple years ago. This store promotes a unique line of contemporary women’s shoes and accessories. But Nicole Jones just wasn’t getting the business she had hoped for in her South Side Sensual Steps Shoe Salon. (Whew, say that five times fast!) So, she decided to take her business to the streets.

Music, cocktails, chocolate, and shoes help create the ideal Girls’ Night Out. But this sexy shoe party comes to you, care of the Heels on Wheels. These gals get all decked out in their pink jumpers and bring the decorations …read more

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