What’s one of the biggest perks of living in a large, trendy city such as Chicago? The shopping, of course.
Naturally, staples like Topshop and chains like H&M are always great places to find those new styles and matching accessories. However, if you’re looking for a place a little more personalized and offering a smaller but more unique selection of items, hop on the CTA brown line and get off at the Armitage stop. Turn left, cross the street and soon you’ll come across Shop 857 – a discreet store sandwiched next to Lush located at 857 W. Armitage Ave.
Upon entering, you’ll notice the clean and simple design of the shop, highlighted by a pink neon sign that says “Shop 857.” Immediately, your fashionista senses will be entertained by the multiple racks of clothing. The shop, which opened in Feb. 2010, holds racks aligned with dresses, tops, skirts, shorts, pants and jumpsuits.Neatly organized and offering only a few pieces for each style, the clothing sold at Shop 857 is exclusive to the store and has a certain quality to it that sets it apart from other shops.
Designers such as Addison Story, Rory Beca, Stateside, Amanda Uprichard, House of Harlow, Luna, Twinkle and many more display themselves at Shop 857. The clothing at the Lincoln Park store offers spring-y, bright items such as a pink and turquoise color block blouse by Rory Beca ($245) to red high-waisted shorts by Amanda Uprichard ($125) – just in time for the sunshine of April and warmer temperatures of May. Shop 857 also provides shoppers with more basic necessities, such as racer tanks and tunics from Stateside ($52-$85), which can work with any accessories, pants, shorts or skirt during any season. In addition to colorful pieces enhanced by small details, Shop 857 also offers a wide selection of edgy jewelry. A fang pendant necklace from Art Box ($22), and a cuff adorned with crystal skulls also by Art Box ($20), can complement any outfit from Shop 857.
Owner Kelli Kincaid said the pieces sold there reflect not only her own style, but also certainly anyone with an eye for fashion as well. Kincaid chooses clothes from Los Angeles and New York City-based designers, and travels to New York City about twice a year to purchase pieces from sellers.
Shop 857 recently participated in DePaul’s “For the Sake of Fashion” fashion show, run by the blog streetstylechi.com. Shop 857 is also taking part in the upcoming fashion and social event titled “Lincoln Park After Dark” on April 11 from 7-10 p.m., featuring local shops such as Shop 857 and others from the Lincoln Park area. Shop 857 also has website shop857.com and Twitter account @shop857. The price range of the pieces sold varies from about $50-$300, but the average is about $120, according to Kincaid.
This weekend, enjoy the beautiful weather and take the train or walk to 857 W. Armitage to indulge in some quality pieces from L.A. and New York handpicked by Kincaid. Once you enter, it will certainly be your new favorite shop.
