Zara

Skokie, 66 Old Orchard Center
847-329-0808, zara.com

I can’t even tell you how many times people have asked me, “When is Zara coming to Chicago?” The massive Spanish retailer is beloved by budget-minded style hunters for its dedication to cosmopolitan style and up-to-the-last-second mimicking of street trends—designs can hit the stores just two weeks off the drawing board. And now I can finally say it has arrived in Chicago . . . sort of. You’ll have to trek out to Old Orchard mall in Skokie, at least until sometime next year, when two locations are slated to open downtown. At the Skokie opening last week, the store’s two floors were a sea of stormy grays, purples, and black, with just a few flashes of color here and there. Zara tends to be more expensive than competitors like H&M and Forever 21—a pair of dove-gray flats with a basket-weave detail at the toe were $99, a bit pricey when you consider that over at Nordstrom you can find better-quality shoes in a similar style and color for about $20 less. Slate-colored low-heeled ankle boots with a buckle across the front seemed like a better deal at $69. A superlong gray knit cardigan looked both comfortable and crisp, with vaguely military styling and lots of pockets and buttons ($89), while for the same price a short double-breasted coat in a tweed of blue, pink, and red resembled something you’d see on one of those effortlessly chic girls riding the Paris Metro late at night. The men’s section carries a selection of basic but sleek suit jackets ($189) and pants ($89) as well as jeans in bright shades of aqua, fuchsia, and violet ($39) and sneakers made with gray pinstriped fabric ($49). In the kids’ section it was no surprise to find miniature motorcycle jackets ($49) and velour hoodies bearing the legend “Always Love” in rhinestones ($24), but I was heartened to see adorable, age-appropriate princess coats as well ($69). —Heather Kenny

Zara Skokie 66 Old Orchard Center	The Dressing Room Shoes Lincoln Square 4657 N. Lincoln	Succezz South Loop 1329 S. Michigan	Grasshopper 510 Bucktown 1944 N. Damen
Belmont Army Lakeview 855 W. Belmont	Phaiz West Town 673 N. Milwaukee	Andersonville Galleria Andersonville 5247 N. Clark	2 Sisters West Loop 1167 W. Madison
Golden Age Pilsen 1500 W. 17th	Pivot West Town 1101 W. Fulton	Charlotte Russe Loop 10 S. State	Renegade Handmade Wicker Park 1924 W. Division
Gray Old Town 1361 N. Wells	Florodora South Loop 330 S. Dearborn	A.Okay Official Lakeview 3720 N. Clark	Intermix Gold Coast 40 E. Delaware
Bess & Loie West Loop 1015 W. Lake	Gamma Player Wicker Park 2035 W. Division	Malabar Bucktown 1880 N. Damen	Mia Mora Logan Square 2639 W. Fullerton
Roslyn Bucktown 2035 N. Damen	Ouest West Loop 1063 W. Madison	Kaveri Lincoln Park 1211 W. Webster	Lissa on Maxwell University Village 729 W. Maxwell
TK Men Bucktown 1909 W. North	MNG by Mango Downtown Water Tower Place	Doggy Style Pet Shop Wicker Park 2023 W. Division	Sweden Shop Albany Park 3304 W. Foster
Permanent Records Ukranian Village 1914 W. Chicago	Michelle Tan Wicker Park 1872 N. Damen	Akira Bucktown 1814 W. North

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