Recent Store Openings: Hollister, Horton's Home Furnishings, Jimmy Choo (Feb 07)

Escape the doldrums of winter, and the heartbreak of the Super Bowl, with a little surf, a little light, and a little height.

The new stores featured this week offer ingenious ways to battle SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

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HOLLISTER  

Water Tower Place       (Mag Mile)
835 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL
312.475.1758

www.hollisterco.com
 

Hollister is a brand of surfing-themed clothing. Entering the store, artfully designed to look like a posh, ocean-side cabana with flourishing plants and wooden shutters, is like stepping into another world. Surfboards hang on the walls. And a video screen with live footage of Huntington Beach can be just a little cruel to a winter-weary Chicagoan.   

Hollister is a great place to shop for hip wear for lovers of sun, sea and surf. There are loads of bathing suits, especially bikinis sold by the piece, and teeny, tiny shorts. Casual wear includes jeans, sweaters, tanks and tees, jackets, and fleece separates. Surfing magazines are available here, too.  

Friendly salespeople contribute to the easy Southern California mood. Though it’s in a mall, not on the beach, the newest Hollister store is a welcome getaway from the reality of winter.  

Good find? Destroyed jeans for $59.50 and leather flip-flops for $24.50. Also check out their clearance items with deep, deep discounts.

 

 

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HORTON’S HOME FURNISHINGS & LIGHTING

1617 N. Clybourn Ave.  (Lincoln Park)
Chicago, IL
312.337.9172

www.hortonshome.com
 

A little light goes a long way in improving a SAD mood, and Horton’s Home Furnishings' new store, the only Chicago location for this LaGrange-based company, is full of uplifting light.   

Horton’s is best known for its varied lighting choices. The store carries a full line of chandeliers, lamps, torchieres, sconces, and ceiling fans in a wide range of styles and finishes, from contemporary to Tiffany and Early American.

While Horton’s is primarily a lighting store, its reputation for fine furniture is well deserved. Except for the price tags visible on each piece, the furniture section could pass for the interior of a Gold Coast home. Standout offerings are attractive end tables in faintly colored, slightly distressed wood; large, luxurious leather couches; and handsome living room suites.  

Complementing Horton's impressive display of lighting fixtures and furniture is a smaller collection of framed photographs and other artworks. The many eye-catching accent pieces include corner tables, votive holders and Asian-inspired lamps.

Good find? Bella Votive holder, a wheel of little white lights in castor iron, for $199.99.  

 

 

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JIMMY CHOO

63 E. Oak St.   (Mag Mile)
Chicago, IL
312.255.1170

www.jimmychoo.com
 

Chicago fashion lovers. Are you ready for somewhat painful but incredibly lovely feet? The first Chicago Jimmy Choo boutique opened on Oak Street in February, and it’s full of darling stiletto shoes sure to inspire a run of shoe fever, particularly a fever for pointy-toed shoes with high, slender heels.   

Jimmy Choo is a line of high-end shoes, boots, sandals, handbags, and wallets with simple  but elegant styling. The shoes are long-time favorites of fashionistas, and have become an icon of pop culture following their appearance in Sex and the City.

The Chicago store is a small boutique, feminine and serene, decorated in mauve leather and mirrors. The shoes are set into built-in shelves. The back half of the shop has a few handbag and shoe combinations behind lock and key. If there is anything more enticing than a great pair of shoes, it’s a pair of forbidden shoes.  

Good finds? Electric blue Mahala shiny leather and suede handbag, at $1,895. And, of course,  the shoes. Prices start around $450, and run up, up, up. Styles vary from flat, upscale versions of the flip flop to 4-inch heels to 4.5 inch peeky-toe platform shoes. Be on the lookout for the Kennedy shoe in glossy patent leather, with 4.5 inch heels partially dipped in gold metallic. No matter how high the heel or the price, Choo is a name not to be sneezed at.  

 

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We recommend checking with stores for product availability, prices and store hours. Suggested prices may change without notice.  SeeMore Shopping is not responsible for errors or omissions.

SeeMore Shopping Contributing Writer - C. Magnotta

Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. SeeMoreShopping incurs all expenses associated with reviews.  Publ. 02/23/07.