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Vfish is one of the brands featured in Clever Alice's popup sale. (August 12, 2012) |
Nordstrom (nordstrom.com) kicks off its Half-Yearly Sale for women and kids on Wednesday (May 22), with up to 40 percent off pieces from Vince Camuto, Steve Madden, Paige Premium Denim, Eileen Fisher and more. Shop in store or online with free shipping and returns. Nordstrom Fashion Rewards members earn double points on Nordstrom credit or debit card purchases May 22 and 23; some restrictions apply. Sale ends June 2. See nordstrom.com or call 800-933-3365 for more information.
Oak Park consignment furniture store Divine Consign (809 S. Oak Park Ave., 708-386-3366, divineconsignoakpark.com) fills a tent with more than $500,000 worth of outdoor furniture from designer showrooms, at 50 to 90 percent off Merchandise Mart prices, Friday through Monday (May 24-27). Showrooms such as Anacara, Treasure Garden, Woodard, Zuo, Jane Hamley Wells and Ebel will be represented. More than 300 new furniture pieces and accessories are shipping in specifically for the tent event.
Missoni, Helmut Lang, Rag & Bone and other designers — 20 in all — have created exclusive styles in honor of retailer Intermix’s 20th anniversary. Check out A.L.C.’s striped maxi-dress ($398), Proenza Schouler’s PS1 crossbody pouch ($1,325) and all at Chicago's Intermix stores (40 E. Delaware Pl., 312-640-2922; 841 W. Armitage Ave., 773-404-8766; 1633 N. Damen Ave., 773-292-0894) and intermixonline.com.
Icing, a jewelry and accessories retailer with 392 locations in the U.S., opens a 1.200-square-foot store at 133 State St. on Saturday. See icing.com.
Sprout Kids in Highland Park (644 Central Ave., 847-780-4827, sproutkidshp.com) is hosting its second fashion show on Saturday (May 25) at 11:30 a.m. Children ages 2-8, chosen from the North Shore's Top Kids Model contest in March, will walk the mini-runway wearing summer children's fashion. Sister store Beanstalk Toyland & Bookstore (654 Central Ave., 847-432-8300) is holding a family-friendly event in conjunction with Yelp's Passport to Highland Park. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and will feature a magician, face painting, storybook readings from Nili Yelin and other fun activities. See http://www.yelp.com/events/highland-park-passport-to-highland-park.
Rain or shine, Randolph Street Market (1340 W. Washington St., 312-666-1200, randolphstreetmarket.com) kicks off its summer series this weekend, with vendors setting up shop inside and out in the West Loop, selling vintage fashion, artisanal food, art and more from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There's also a beer garden, old-fashioned carnival games and concessions, fashion shows and more. Tickets are $8 online, $10 at the door. The first 10 people in line Saturday score free admission and a chair massage.
Annie O in West Town (324 N. Leavitt St., Suite 200, 312-421-8676, annieo.net) holds its spring sample sale from noon to 7 p.m. Wednesday. The sale is cash only and features items from brands such as Tulle, Kensie and Lucca Couture priced at least 20 percent off wholesale. Right, wholesale, not retail. There's also a $10-and -under section.
Sheryl Lowe, a jewelry designer, Hollywood makeup artist, and wife of actor Rob Lowe, appears in the designer jewelry department at Neiman Marcus (737 N. Michigan Ave., 312-642-5900, neimanmarcus.com) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday.
West Town boutique Study Hall celebrates its recent move (2016 W. Chicago Ave., 312-733-4255, shopstudyhall.com) at a grand opening party Saturday, with snacks and special deals from 5 to 9 p.m.
Clever Alice (cleveralice.com) begins its summer pop-up sample sale Wednesday (May 22) at 17 E. Pearson St., featuring three floors under-the-radar brands and three Chicago-based favorites Anna Hovet Designs, C/Fan and vfish, all up to 75 percent off current retail. Summer brands include MICKEY & JENNY, 81 Poppies, Nombre, Wendy Katlen, CZ Falconer, Knitted Dove, Olena, Dats' Inizio, MC Planet, Faubourg du Temple, Totem and more. It's open Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m. through June 2. Closed Memorial Day.
Cityblue (1444 N. Wells St., 312-664-2222, shopcityblue.com) and sister store CB (662 N. Western Ave., Lake Forest, 847-283-8888) offer 20 percent off everything through the remainder of May.
Dress for Chicago's instant summer with resort dresses, starting at $80, and other warm-weather wear at designer Samantha Sleeper's Gold Coast pop-up shop through May 26 at 46 E. Oak St.
Squasht Boutique (2556 W. Chicago Ave., 773-292-4123, squashtbyles.com) marks its third anniversary with giveaways, 20 percent discounts, spiked snowcones by Jo Snow and other treats from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday.
Designer Peter Som, whose signature print dresses have been worn by Michelle Obama and other luminaries, has launched an 11-piece capsule collection for Anthropologie. In Chicago exclusively at the 111 E. Chicago Ave. location (312-255-1848), the pieces range from a zebra blouse ($128) to a maxi ($368). The collection is in select Anthropologie stores and anthropologie.com as part of Anthropologie’s Made in Kind initiative, a limited-edition collaboration with like-minded talents in fashion and art.
The Golden Triangle (330 N. Clark St., 312-755-1266, goldentriangle.biz) hosts a Made in Chicago group show featuring furniture by Jacob Wener of Modern Industry, jewelry by Margaret J. Harris, photography by Laurel Feldman and painting by Pamela Staker. The show runs through May 31.
Prepare to scratch -- and scan -- your head at The 3D Printer Experience shop (316 N. Clark St., 312-896-3399, the3dprinterexperience.com), where anyone can translate a digital file, created in a 3D modeling program, into an actual 3D object, such as a piece of jewelry or an iPhone case. As a novelty, the shop also can scan your head or body and churn out a modern version of a sculptural bust. (I love the idea of an annual birthday bust of my daughter.) Objects can be rendered in two types of plastic, nylon or other materials. For the head scan, the smallest object is about 2 inches tall and costs $25.
Ulta Beauty has opened at The Gateway Center (16 S. Halsted St., 312-243-0411, ulta.com), coinciding with Ulta's nationwide Love Your Hair festivities, with a beauty deal a day, through June 1. On Fridays at any Ulta salon, treat yourself to a $20 blowout. Plus, get tips on The Secret Layer (how to create an easy-to-manage style with movement), Shattered Blond (a key color look), the Yoga Knot (a relaxed pinned-up style that looks better as the day goes on) and more. To check out the deals and tips see www.ulta.com/loveyourhair.
Cosmetics emporium Sephora has opened a Lincoln Park location, in the 5,350-square-foot space formerly occupied by Z Gallerie (939 W. North Ave., sephora.com). A purchase of $50 or more gets you a free 60-minute makeup session with an expert artist. Or you can try a complimentary express service, ideal if you need help applying faux lashes, for example.
The only Loft store with a dedicated floor for petites has opened at 670 N. Michigan Ave. (loft.com). Loft's new two-story concept store will be stocked with tribal prints, sequined stripes and other summer trends in the form of pleated shorts, tank dresses, rompers and evening jumpsuits, plus beaded belts and bangles.
RefreshEase, a Logan Square designer resale boutique (2735 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-278-8445, www.refreshease.com) hosts a weekly shopping happy hour -- well, two -- from 5-7 p.m. Fridays. Unwind from the work week with champagne, music and 20 percent off regularly priced merchandise.
ZipFit Denim, dedicated to helping men quickly find jeans using proprietary fit technology, has opened a second store at Woodfield mall in Schaumburg (2nd floor, next to Lord & Taylor, 847-517-7006). The Chicago-based startup opened its first store in The Shops at Northbridge on Michigan Avenue last October and says it exceeded its revenue goal for the year by 36 percent. As the company grows, ZipFit’s goal is to move entirely online, where the process is equally simple. Shoppers go to http://www.zipfit.me to find their fit quickly using the company’s fit technology, consisting of two surveys, Quick Match and the Fit Finder. Quick Match provides results for fits based on jeans similar to what he already owns. The Fit Finder is for men who don’t have a pair they love and need help finding one. Brands include 7 for All Mankind, Bleulab, Fidelity Denim, Agave Denim, Paige Denim, DL1961, Joe’s Jeans, Mavi Jeans, Notify Jeans and Earnest Sewn. The customer then selects the jeans based on his results and quickly checks out. The jeans purchased are altered and shipped free of charge to the customer. The customer’s information from his measurements for past purchases is stored for future purchases. ZipFit plans to open a third location in July at Old Orchard mall.
Through June 30, home design showroom Ligne Roset (440 N. Wells St., 312-222-9300, ligne-rose-usa.com) takes 20 percent off all items in its popular Togo collection, in any of the 899 fabrics and leathers, in honor of its 40th anniversary. The collection includes the Togo fireside chair, ottoman, sofa with or without arms, MiniTogo for children ages 4-12 and the new two-seater lounge, introduced this year.
Stella Boutique (2116 Central St., Evanston, 847-864-5565, www.stellaevanston.com) continues the 2nd Annual Pop Up Indoor Art Fair for the month of May. Featuring local designers and a sprinkling of artists from other states, Stella will highlight handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, accessories and home decor.
Luxury beauty and spa retail chain Bluemercury has added a Highland Park location (638 Highland Park, 847-432-7200), carrying more than 50 cosmetic, skincare and hair care brands such as Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, NARS, Trish McEvoy, M-61, SkinCeuticals, Revive, T. LeClerc, Serge Lutens, Acqua di Parma, Diptyque, La Prairie, La Mer, Jo Malone, YSL, Armani and Chanel. Products are displayed according to brand in an open-air format.
Get same-day deals on services at spas, salons and fitness studios in Chicago, as well as New York, Miami and other major cities via SpaFinder Wellness' Last Minute service (www.spafinder.com/lastminute). Customers instantly schedule same-day or even next-day appointments at deeply discounted rates, which can range from 30 to 80 percent off at posh spas such as the Elysian at the Waldorf Astoria, MySpa at the Fairmont Hotel and others. Available appointments are posted same day, as well as for the coming two days, making it possible to schedule discounted weekend appointments as early as Thursday each week. Sign up for daily emails to receive updates.
Chicago Luxury Beds (440 N. Wells St., 312-985-0836, www.chicagoluxurybeds.com) revives its popular Hästens trade-up event. Through May, shoppers can trade in their old bed and receive a 10 percent credit (up to $3,690) on a handcrafted Hästens continental bed.
