Even though it’s called the Second City, Chicago has really been the last city to know about the latest fashion trends – somehow Los Angeles surpassed the Midwest in terms of being a big city. Ah wait, that’s because it has Hollywood and movie stars and other fashionable people walking the streets at any time. Chicago can be fashionable…but forget it when it’s 12 below.
If you’re familiar with Chicago and its neighborhoods, when I say “funky,” “eclectic” and “trendy-but-in-a-punk-way,” Wicker Park should come to mind. A Marc Jacobs flagship store opened at 1714 N. Damen Ave. in that trendy neighborhood in Chicago recently. Even though at first glance couture doesn’t seem to jive in Wicker Park, really, the Marc Jacobs store makes sense – the designer is known for opening stores in odd neighborhoods, and Marc Jacobs’ style itself just seems to blend well with the inhabitants of the ‘hood – sneakers, legwarmers, full skirts, hoodies and all.
A Betsey Johnson boutique would probably also make sense in Wicker Park – she is yet another eclectic, funky designer – but her new boutique has opened in trendy Lincoln Park at 2120 N. Halsted. Lincoln Park is trendy in a different way – often called “land of the Trixies and Chads” by yuppie/college student haters, instead of being artsy-trendy, this neighborhood is more about what’s trendy now, with most of its inhabitants wearing preppy threads during the day and nightclub garb at night. Betsey is known for quirky vintage-inspired collections and bold, colorful prints – and it’s expensive, a common thing for anything in Lincoln Park – so we’re sure her boutique will thrive.
