City Fashion Guide: Chicago - Topic of the day 6/3/24
Share your favorite spots in the windy city here
23 Replies
Clothes -
Notre and SVRN are sick, independence is very cool, Gemini is ok in a very diff genre
On my list but haven’t visited -
- Richard’s fabulous finds
- una mae’s
Wooly mammoth, dinner at spice room, fiance likes whatever the place adjacent to independence is called
Independence, mildblend, Notre
(would very selfishly be open to neighborhood and food recs for any future trip planning)
Believe that’s Gemini 😉
spice room kinda fell off after the pandemic imo
Im not allowed to have original thoughts 😭
I ❤️ richard’s
I really wanna go to Schwa for dinner.
the Office cocktail bar under Aviary had some of the best drinks I’ve ever had + immaculate vibes and service.
Im afraid to try a new spot and they still got all i need. Where are you going?
Milk Room, three dots and a dash, Aviary for cocktails
Also I went to Mr Beef for a chicago beef because The Bear, but I heard that’s not the best option!
lou malnati’s deep dish PIZZA 🍕
uptown for all the vietnamese and thai food you could want, and an amazing Oaxacan joint (Kie-Gol-Lanee)
Cafe Tola for some good coffee & the fattest empanadas you can get your hands on (go early in the day)
Couple of vintage spots:
- the goody vault is a favorite of mine on the higher end, lots of cool hand mended pieces, well curated
- good form is expensive but has a gorgeous show room and is good for inspo
- vintage house chicago does lots of little pop ups all over the city with various vendors
- richard’s fabulous finds for tailoring and more, I always end up spending at least an hour digging here
Schwa is a good fuckin dinner
I've been to neither El Ideas nor Oriole, but fully trust the recommendation of both I've received
There are 3 great stores right next to each other on Division St:
* Independence (https://independence-chicago.com/)
* Gemini (https://geminishop.com/)
* Penelope's (https://shoppenelopes.com/)
Milwaukee St runs for many miles, diagonally, through the city. There is a great segment in Wicker Park that has:
* Some great vintage/thrift stores, such as Una Mae's (https://www.unamaeschicago.com/), Ragstock, and Buffalo Exchange
* Mildblend Supply Co (https://mildblend.com/), a shrine to denim and indigo.
* An Adidas flagship store
* Carhartt and Levi's stores
West Loop has:
* Notre, https://www.notre-shop.com/
* Patagonia with Worn Wear
* Fjallraven
* A couple of others I'm forgetting, because it's not really my thing.
Also of note:
* Moth (https://mothchicago.com/): A "thing, Japan" and "thing, Scandinavia" store. Has a limited, expensive selection of clothing, plus Shoes Like Pottery
* Richard's Fabulous Finds (http://richardsfabulousfinds.com/) has a nice selection of vintage suits and menswear.
Magnificent Mile is where all the typical mainstream brands and stores are, including Ralph Lauren, Zegna, Orvis, etc. Many of the high-end/luxury brands are all clustered together on Oak St (Armani, D&G, Loro Piana, etc.)
The loop is mostly "meh" for clothing, but it does have Uniqlo, Allen Edmond, and Charles Tyrwhitt.
Way out in Skokie, the Westfield Old Orchard mall has LL Bean and Brooks Brothers.
Right by O'hare is Fashion Outlets of Chicago, which is a soul-crushing wasteland that nevertheless has a Converse store an an Etro outlet.
Independence
Independence | Chicago | All Goods American Made
Featuring all-American made brands including Engineered Garments, Post Overalls, Gitman Vintage, Velva Sheen, Imogene + Willie, Left Field, Makr, and Oak Street Bootmakers.
Gemini
Gemini Shop
A thoughtfully curated collection of clothing, accessories, home goods & gifts for men and women. Sister store to Penelope's.
Penelope's
Penelope's
An easygoing Chicago neighborhood boutique stocking an edited selection of labels for men, women and kids. Blending classic shapes and tailoring with contemporary fits and details, we champion accessible, comfortable but elevated style and don't take ourselves too seriously.
If you want restaurant recommendations I can do that too.
Is dashing chicago worth checking out in person? Its out of the way from where im usually at.
For the mile: George Greene, Ralph, North Face (Carries the weird collabs like Jun Takahashi)
Outside of the usual suspects I'd Chuck in:
* American Decay (Vintage NA Jewelry)
* Robin Richman/Misanthrope (in the back of Robin Richman) -- Really cool womenswear at Robin (And Beirendonck!), Carpe Diem ripoffs at Misanthrope
* 2nd street in Wicker park (Designer Consignment Chain)
* St Alfreds
Most of the good spots already listed, good work Chicago team! I’ll second/add some secondhand spots since most of these seem to be centered around new/retail: I’ve had luck at various thrifts, including the village discount outlets and salvation army outlets (can vary in size but usually have at least some mens’ clothing), Out of the Closet, Brown Elephant (have only tried the Andersonville one personally), and Elliott Consignment. On my list but haven’t been yet: Ford General (Old Town, higher end NA/EU/JP brands), Dearborn Denim (miUSA denim), and Life of Vintage (curated vintage/thrift). Also open to give other (restaurant/entertainment) recommendations, I’m most familiar with the north side but have tried a good bit and happy to answer questions
Also will plug the 260 sample/overstock sales, they have a location downtown proper and rotate through usually a brand every 1-2 weeks. Often not men’s fashion focused (tends women’s fashion and home goods) and strange layout but about as cheap as you will find for new product from some retailers. They had Acne Studios last week, and have had Canada Goose, North Face, and various streetwear brands before.
While I’m at it, lots of shopping/browsing for music heads here as well: Reckless Records, Shuga Records, Dusty Groove, Rattleback Records, Gramaphone Records are all good record stores, and Saturday Audio Exchange (that’s a store not an event) have a variety of speakers and audio gear.
One non-clothing shop I would recommend checking out is The Spice House. There are other spice stores that run on a similar model but most of them were founded by former employees or family members.
Also O'Hare has really good food: The Publican has an outpost at O'Hare, and Tortas Frontera has a few locations.
I went to El ideas about 6 years ago and it was amazing, and quite a deal for what you're getting. Not sure if that's changed but I would say very worth a visit.