SERVICES
Best Place to Get Streetwear From the Rapper Who’s Taking Drill Into Pop
CORY DEWALD PHOTOGRAPHY
Exclusive773
Best Local Designer Making Something New Out of Something Old
Alma Wieser
almawieser.com
An avid researcher of fashion and art history, Alma Wieser takes classic ideas and translates them into original contemporary designs for her line, Renovar. She got her start back in junior high, when she altered vintage garments to suit her sophisticated taste, and currently offers a lower-priced line
Akira
various locations shopakira.com Runner-Up:
Penelope’s
Chicago’s got plenty of great boutiques to pick up streetwear—Leaders 1354, Jugrnaut, RSVP Gallery, Saint Alfred, Fat Tiger Workshop—but the best place to get T-shirts from Lil Durk’s Only the Family collective-slash-label is at Exclusive773. OK, this south-side shop is the only place in town that sells OTF’s wares, which hints at just how deeply embedded this place is in the local hip-hop scene. RondoNumbaNine and Lupe Fiasco shot the video for Rondo’s “Life of a Savage (Remix)” at Exclusive, and plenty of local hip-hop royalty eventually sidle through the store—take a peek at its website to peep photos of looming figures Twista and King Louie posing in the shop, and, of course, the best rapper taking drill into pop (see B13), Lil Durk. If T-shirts branded with French Montana’s Coke Boys aren’t your bag, you can still drop by to grab a Bulls bucket hat. —Leor Galil
Best Boutique for Men
Best Vintage for Guys 1425 W. 18th, 312-850-2510, kneedeepvintage.com
of reworked vintage items, but her latest high-end collection—inspired by legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland—also includes new items. Her aesthetic is “complex simplicity,” clothes that seem minimal but have an elaborate construction. Prices range from $150 to $2,500, but if you’re in need of a more affordable vintage fix, Wieser sells a well-curated selection of second-hand clothes, accessories, and jewelry at Heaven Gallery in Wicker Park, a nonprofit art space she runs with her husband, Dave Dobie. Don’t be put off by the poorly crafted sign on the door: up those stairs you’ll find the perfect pieces for that swanky event you have to attend. —Isa Giallorenzo
Best Boutique for Women
857 W. 87th, 773-488-4040, exclusive773.com
Knee Deep Vintage
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READERS’ POLL Haberdash
various locations haberdashmen.com Runner-Up:
Akira
Best Local Clothing Designer
Squasht by Les 2556 W. Chicago 773-292-4123 squashtbyles.com Runner-Up:
Anna Hovet
Best Local Fashion Blogger
Tavi Gevinson
COURTESY TAVI GEVINSON
BESTof GOODS &
thestylerookie.com Runner-Up:
Refinery29.com/ Chicago
Best Vintage Store
Knee Deep Vintage 1425 W. 18th 312-850-2510 kneedeepvintage.com Runner-Up:
Kokorokoko
I can’t speak to the women’s selections, but for my money Knee Deep Vintage in Pilsen has the best men’s vintage clothes anywhere in Chicago. I was hipped to the shop by my brother, who has a really sharp suit he bought there for a paltry $50. That was four years ago, and since then I’ve procured virtually every button-up shirt in my closet, a few polos, a couple of sport coats, and a vintage corduroy bomber jacket that one online outfit is selling for $150 (I bought it for $30). Owner Carlos Lourenco has impeccable taste, and he offers his finds for absurdly low prices. I was hesitant to write this place up, since I’m so reliant on it for my wardrobe. But the J
Best Resale Shop
Brown Elephant
5404 N. Clark and other locations 773-271-9382 howardbrown.org/hb_brownelephant.asp Runner-Up:
Unique
Best Shoe Store
Alamo Shoes 5321 N. Clark 773-784-8936 alamoshoes.com Runner-Up:
Lori’s
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JUNE 26, 2014 • CHICAGO READER 33