This Week’s Top Story
Kit and Ace (821 W. Fulton Market, kitandace.com) opens in the West Loop today. Owned by mother-and-son team Shannon and JJ Wilson (wife and son of Lululemon founder Chip Wilson), the brand specializes in “technical luxury” apparel. Translation? It sells high-end clothing that’s practical and comfy, such as bomber jackets in machine-washable cashmere.
Top Sales This Week
Online women’s boutique Clever Alice will host its Fall 2015 Pop-Up Shop Sample and Stock Sale (say that five times fast!) September 30 to October 4. Held at 7 East Huron Street, the sale will offer goods discounted by up to 75 percent. Represented designers include Ray Ray NYC, Jordan Louis NY, and Chicago’s Anna Hovet. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, and is open from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Elements (741 N. Wells St., elementschicago.com) has sale items available indefinitely in-store and online. Goods include a cozy, printed tassel scarf (reduced to $129.50 from $185) and a white topaz bangle bracelet (reduced to $90 from $150).
E-commerce
Ikram (15 E. Huron St., ikram.com), the esteemed women’s boutique, has just launched a new, e-commerce-enabled website. The site has editorial-style photos of ballerinas sporting designer goods, as well as a shop stocked with items such as a dress with embroidered beehives from Simone Rocha.
Openings
A Valentino handbag shop is now open at Saks Fifth Avenue (700 N. Michigan Ave., saksfifthavenue.com.) On Saks’s first floor, the boutique is Valentino’s largest shop-within-a-shop in the United States (who knew?). It carries the brand’s classic handbags, totes, and cross-body bags, as well as on-trend pieces like the camouflage-print bags.
Mountain Warehouse, a UK-based outdoor store, will host its grand opening at the Fashion Outlets of Chicago (5220 Fashion Outlets Way, Rosemont, fashionoutletsofchicago.com) on Sunday. The shop carries travel and camping gear, as well as apparel for yoga, cycling, skiing, and other active endeavors.
Markets
The last Randolph Street Market (1340 W. Washington St., randolphsteetmarket.com) of the season takes place on Saturday and Sunday. At the themed “urban antiques market,” some 250 vendors will showcase goods including furniture, accessories, clothing, and artisan foods. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days; “early buying” hours start on Saturday at 8 a.m. Find ticket info here.
Retail News of the Week
- This year’s iteration of Fashion Focus Chicago has backing from The Council of Fashion Designers of America. Read more.
- Staffers at Barneys Chicago are pushing to unionize. Read more.
- Acadia Realty Trust has purchased a South Side shopping center for nearly $20 million. Read more.
- Skoog PR founder Melissa Skoog began her career as Anna Wintour’s personal assistant. Read more.