Chicago purse/clothing shopping hot spots?

jandelvis

jandelvis

Member
Apr 2, 2007
3,002
2
#1
hey ladies!
i'm going to chicago for the first time this weekend and wonder if you have any recommendations for shopping (purses or otherwise)! the weather looks lousy so i'm going to be exercising my credit cards rather than taking a sail!

in terms of purses, i shy away from logos (LV, gucci etc) so the Magnif. Mile might not be my cup of tea. i've heard good things about the Nordstrom Rack (i love digging for a bargain!) so I'll be going there, and also to some of the boutiques/consignments in Wicker Park.

any other recommendations? THANKS A TON! :heart:
 
#2
jan - I know this is off topic - but if you like pizza, you should try Pizzeria Uno - its right in downtown (I forgotwhere it is exactly - my friend took me there, but everyone would know where it is - its across from a Nordstroms). Its the home of the original pan pizza - its really good!!!

I would also suggest you try out Filene's Basement! They have a few of those around town! Last time I was there it was another 40% off the sale price! I got a all leather CBGB bag there for $90!!!!

There's also That's Our Bag on North Michigan Avenue
www.thatsourbag.com

Chicago's awesome! I enjoyed it a lot!
 
#3
There's are outlets of Marshall's, Filene's Basement, TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack around town. You'll surely find great deals there.

Will be going to Chicago later this year also, and I'm curious to check out That's Our Bag, just to see the collection of Tano bags they have.
 
#4
thanks, you guys! we have filene's basement, TJ Maxx and Marshall's here in Boston, but for some reason i am intrigued by Nordstrom Rack b/c i've heard of tPF girls getting Mulberry and MJ bags there for SUPER cheap, and those kinds of brands don't come around to filene's/tj maxx etc (atleast in boston).

we are definitely going to make a deep dish pizza stop! thanks for the tip!
 
#5
jandelvis said:
in terms of purses, i shy away from logos (LV, gucci etc) so the Magnif. Mile might not be my cup of tea. i've heard good things about the Nordstrom Rack (i love digging for a bargain!) so I'll be going there, and also to some of the boutiques/consignments in Wicker Park.

any other recommendations? THANKS A TON! :heart:
Click to expand...

I live in Wicker Park. The consignments on Milwaukee on the southern side of North are...eh. You want to shop on Damen Avenue (Bucktown) north of North Avenue up to the freeway overpass.

I recommend:

On Damen: Beta Boutique, Michelle Tan (she makes her own purses, I own one), Helen Yi (but reaaaally expensive), Akira (on North Ave), Roslyn, Raizy, Eye Spy for glasses. On Milwaukee, Scoop NYC (but know what you want, no returns). There's a consignment called Sheldon's Closet on Armitage near Damen.

In Lincoln Park near Halsted: Lori's shoes, Barney's C:huh:p, Blue Mercury, and just walk down Halsted from Fullerton to Armitage, where you can go West on Armitage (where Lori's is).

Michigan Ave: Just have to do it; ignore the Disney store and other places like that (yak). Don't bother with Watertower Place or Macy's. Try Oak Street, with Prada, Barney's, and Graff's, just to drool.

And be sure to visit Millenium Park and play with the Bean. :wlae: And honestly, Gino's East, near NM, is better than Uno.
 
#6
Not to dash your hopes, but I've never seen any really nice bags at the Nordstrom Rack downtown. They usually have a bunch of Betsy Johnson type bags, a few Calvin Kleins, and maybe one or two old MbMJ bags. Hopefully you'll have better luck when you go!

What I love about the Nordstrom rack though, is their selection of jeans! I always leave with at least one pair.

I hope you have fun in Chicago!
 
#7
THANK YOU bittymonkey! awesome recommendations! i'm not sure who/what the Bean is (I'm guessing not the Boston Baked Bean who walks around our tony shopping district, Newbury St ;)) but Google is about to tell me!
 
#8
Oh one more - I heard Oakbrook Mall is decent too. I didn't get a chance to go when I was there, but it was recommended to my by my friend who's in Milwalkee, who goes to Chicago often.
 
#9
maedchen said:
Not to dash your hopes, but I've never seen any really nice bags at the Nordstrom Rack downtown. They usually have a bunch of Betsy Johnson type bags, a few Calvin Kleins, and maybe one or two old MbMJ bags. Hopefully you'll have better luck when you go!

What I love about the Nordstrom rack though, is their selection of jeans! I always leave with at least one pair.

I hope you have fun in Chicago!
Click to expand...


no worries about dashing my hopes - i should know better than to expect anything in particular at these kinds of places:nogood: -- that's the recipe for a broken retail heart!

thanks for the tips on jeans!
 
#10
thanks 'mosquito and melvel! i'm cutting and pasting this into my Chicago word doc now :smile:

and for all of you please PM me or something if you come to Boston/Cambridge... i can relay some shopping secrets of my own :woohoo:
 
#12
I like Saks and on Rush Street there's Jake - a good boutique. Also check out Barneys and all the other stores on Oak Street. Sometimes Bloomingdales has some good bags. I agree with skipping Water Tower Place altogether.
 
#13
honestly, Gino's East, near NM, is better than Uno.[/quote]

YUP!! Gino's is a Chicago ICON!! My DH is from Chicago and we HAVE to go there everytime we go back for a visit!!
 
#14
You should definitely check out the outlet mall in Aurora - It's about a 45 minute drive outside the loop (downtown Chicago) or the Metra train takes you right there - I still haven't gotten there myself, but there are a lot of great designers out there, and I've heard of some people getting some fantastic deals.
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=63

There's also Gurnee Mills up in Gurnee (about an hour or so north of Chicago) -
http://www.gurneemills.com/static/node592.jsp

For boutiques, Active Endeavors has three locations - one in Lincoln Park, one in Evanston, and one in Glencoe -
http://activeendeavors.com/stores/default.asp
There used to be a store downtown (right behind Nordstroms) but they closed it about a year and a half ago - I was so bummed!!

I'm not sure the exact location, but theres also a Scoop NY - I think it's in Lincoln Park, but not certain. I haven't gotten there myself (it's hard for me to get places that aren't right downtown), but you might want to check it out.
 
#15
I live near the outlet mall in Aurora, and I don't think it's worth the trip at all. There's nothing there except Coach and Dooney and Kate Spade -- all old styles. Oak Brook, however, is great, but not as great as downtown.
 
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