ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

Boutiques We Love

In the latest issue of ReadyMade, we brought you the story of Wendy Yao and her eclectic clothing-and-music store, Ooga Booga in Los Angeles ("Shop Girl," August/September '09). Here's an expanded look at boutiques we adore.

Eskell
1509 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago; 773/486-0830, eskell.com

Owners: Kelly Whitesell & Elizabeth Del Castillo

Modus Operandi: Friends since high school, Whitesell and Del Castillo attended a costume design program together before branching out on their own. Whitesell ended up at FIT and ultimately landed design jobs at cult-favorite labels Mayle and Miguelina, while Del Castillo spent time sourcing fabric and handling production at Spiegel. The duo teamed up in 2005 to open Eskell, where they showcase small, slightly old-fashioned-feeling labels like In God We Trust and Seneca Rising, which fit perfectly alongside special vintage finds.

Local Flavor: Whitesell and Del Castillo launched an eponymous line in tandem with opening their store, but it received so much preemptive press that it sold out before they got the doors open. Crafted from sweet, vintage-inspired fabrics, it’s a spot-on array of cute little rompers and Peter Pan-collared dresses. Now, Eskell can be found at some of the country’s best stores.

Little-Known Fact: The duo maintain a blog at via-eskell.com, where they post inspirational pictures and videos.

Hejfina
1529 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago; 773/772-0002, hejfina.com

Owner: Heijy Choy

Modus Operandi: Milwaukee Avenue, which was once littered with empty storefronts, is now one of the city’s shopping strongholds. This is primarily thanks to Choy, whose exceptionally curated, forward-thinking store offers some of the most inspirationally cool labels in the country. She was one of the first boutique owners to stand behind Alexander Wang and Rag & Bone, and now also devotes her racks to rompers by Bodkin (the Earth-friendly collection from former Nylon Fashion Director Eviana Hartmann) and high-waisted pants by Bruce. These days, she’s also excited about French label RoseAnna: “It’s an amazing collection of chic layering pieces, including a knit miniskirt and a chiffon Liberty Print sleeveless tunic.”

Local Flavor: Choy stocks Creatures of the Wind, a label of gorgeously worked dresses launched a year ago by an Art Institute grad. And she also stocks the uber-delicate jewelry line Etten Eller, made by Tini Bloom, who used to work at Hejfina. “She moved to New York a year ago, but she got her start in Chicago!”

Little-Known Fact: Once upon a time, Choy was a management consultant shuffling between New York and Chicago. She fell in love with Chicago because of its architecture (“After all,” she explains, “it’s the birthplace of the skyscraper”), and after a considerable amount of research and some consistent prodding from her now-husband, she figured she could create a viable lifestyle store.

Impulse & Tokotaelo
Impulse:  3516 Fremont Pl.N., Seattle; 206/545-4854; Tokotaelo: 913 Western Ave., Seattle; 206/623-3582, tokotaelo.com

Owner: Jill Wenger

Modus Operandi: Named because Wenger has always strongly believed in going with your gut, Impulse opened in 2003 in a space you would never find if you didn’t know where it was (a small room in the basement of a building in Fremont, to be exact). “It keeps it hidden and special,” Wenger explains, a sentiment that’s reflected in the artily turned-out Isabel Marant dresses and patterned Rachel Comey tops. Six years after opening her first store, Wenger decided she wanted to branch out and open a second shop that reflected a slightly grown-up aesthetic. “I’m definitely more focused on a tightly curated wardrobe now,” she explains. “At a certain point, you start to figure out what pieces are most flattering on your body and what pieces you’re going to wear again and again.” Tokotaelo is the more seriously timeless and foundational result, offering a selection from Hope trousers to Future Classics shifts. The Latin roots of its name means “reach to the edge of the stars,” a credo Wenger strongly believes in. “You should do what you love,” she explains, “If you build it…”

Local Flavor: When Wenger was just starting out, she had no capital to buy collections outright, so she launched the boutique as a consignment shop for local designers. These days, Wenger has built up enough of a reputation to woo labels like Martin Margiela.

Little-Known Fact: Before moving back to Seattle to open Impulse, Wenger worked as a graphic designer in Australia.

Jinny
844 N. High St., Columbus; 614/291-3600, shopjinny.com

Owner: Jin Fillinger

Modus Operandi: Fillinger, a former L.A. fashion editor and stylist, decided to open Jinny after she came to the revelation that she was “tired of dressing celebrities and wanted to dress real people.” Her slick, two-year-old space has quickly become the spot in Ohio for forward-thinking fashion lines like Preen, Yigal Azrouel, and Isabel Marant. She stocks loads of lines that are hard to find in the Midwest, including A Peace Treaty’s beautifully woven scarves, Heimstone’s silk dresses, and ALC’s perfectly draped bubble dresses. Fillinger also stocks pieces by Columbus-born Nary Manivong, who turns out strongly cut, one-shouldered dresses and shifts in bright reds and yellow.

Local Flavor: Whenever Fillinger tells people she meets around town that she owns Jinny’s, “their faces light up because they confuse ‘Jinny’ with the amazing local gourmet ice cream brand ‘Jenny’s.’ High praise though!”

Little-Known Fact: Fillinger wrote “my first and only gushing fan letter to my then-favorite band, New Kids on the Block, when I was a teen.” After waiting for weeks for a reply, she finally received a letter addressed to “Mr. Jin.”

Jumelle
148 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn; 718/388-9525, shopjumelle.com

Owner: Candice Waldron

Modus Operandi: Wrapped in delicate floral-print wallpaper, Waldron’s slice of a shop skews toward a deeply feminine sensibility, despite its location in the unisex-centric, hipster-heavy Williamsburg. The pieces on the rack are both interesting and pretty, effortlessly chic and graced with slightly progressive touches. The airy racks are lined with asymmetrical dresses from Gary Graham, Therese Rawsthorne tanks, and leopard print skirts from Peter Jensen. There are loads of names here that you can’t find anywhere else, including a recently launched collection from Natasha Stolle, who lines her python-patterned clutches with maps of the U.S.

Local Flavor: It’s all in the family—Waldron’s twin sister, Carla, manages the store (Jumelle means twin in French). Plus, ample NYC designers are represented, including Brooklyn-based Electric Feathers.

Little-Known Fact: Before opening up shop, Waldron was an Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist. In her next life, she wants to learn how to build custom furniture: “Taking a woodshop class is high on my to-do list—I want to be handy!”