Mireya Acierto

Charlotte Russe

10 S. State, 312-726-4205

August 24, 2007

FOR MANY OF us high-low dressing means doing the bulk of our shopping at Forever 21 and Target so we can afford that rare Stella McCartney jacket (even on sale) or those exquisite Chie Mihara pumps. Must-have designer pieces aren’t likely to get more accessible any time soon, but the good news is that now there’s even more interesting inexpensive stuff to fill the gaps between them. Earlier this month State Street got a Charlotte Russe, another chain retailer specializing in trendy fashions at low, low prices. The styles are targeted at the late-teens-and-early-20s crowd, so there’s less office-appropriate merch than at similar stores—and maybe more satin short shorts ($19.99). Printed cotton maxi dresses ($17.99 and up) are a deal, and there are plenty of those baby-doll tops (average $21.99) that fit almost everyone, although a pretty red one with a blue flower-and-vine print was marred by a chintzy attached faux-leather belt. I appreciate the dedicated shoe section, where I lingered over brown satin ballet flats ($18.99) and pumps in brown corduroy and a houndstooth fabric ($21.99). Rings of giant purple, yellow, and brown “gems” set on silver or gold metal bands at $6 each (or two for $8) looked surprisingly nonjunky. The store is better organized and easier to navigate than its competitors, but expect long lines for the dressing rooms—it’s the price we pay for these rock-bottom prices. —Heather Kenny

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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