<p>I will be visiting DD in Chicago soon. I am wondering where I should take her shopping for winter gear such as coat and boots. She lives on the NW side, but I will have a car so we can either drive or take the train. Would we be better off in the city somewhere like Michigan Avenue or State Street, or should we head to the suburbs for a mall or outlet mall?</p>
<p>There is a nice North Face shop downtown. :)</p>
<p>Also REI has a few stores that have a good selection:
Chicago area
Lincoln Park
1466 North Halsted Street
(312) 951-6020
Northbrook
888 Willow Rd
(847) 480-1938
Oakbrook Terrace
17W160 22nd St
(630) 574-7700
Schaumburg
1209 East Golf Road
(847) 619-6729</p>
<p>In the western suburbs you could shop the REI noted above, Dick’s Sporting Goods ( about a 2 minute drive just west of REI ) and stop at Oak Brook Mall ( about 2 minutes east of REI ). The Mall has Macy’s, Nordstrom and tons of other shops. Parking is much easier in these locations than in the city and if you take the train you will be lugging everything around. Happy shopping!</p>
<p>It seems too soon to shop for winter. I hope the stores are beginning to stock winter gear since they’re already stocking Christmas stuff… But I still can’t think winter until November. By then the weather will definitely be in fall mode and she can find out what others are wearing (if she needs to “fit in”). I would think it easiest to shop at a major mall with the various department stores. She can ask around as to where locals would shop. I’m trying to figure out which school…</p>
<p>Find out if anyone wears boots as well- they typically don’t further north in Wisconsin. The sidewalks tend to be cleared quickly. btw- you can tell how warm a coat is by sticking your arm up a sleeve- some aren’t good at blocking cold and wind. Fashion versus comfort. We often tell students they can wait until second semester as the weather doesn’t really get cold until late December (then you can catch the sales as well).</p>
<p>If you can’t find anything in the stores, you can order online fromREI or EMS. Both carry all the name brands.</p>
<p>There is an Eddie Bauer store on Michigan Ave. in Chicago and a few other locations in the w and nw suburbs. There are a couple of LL Bean stores, one is in a very nice, comprehensive mall in Skokie. There is a Northface store and an Uncle Dan’s in Evanston, both of those have other locations in Chicago. There is even a Lands End ‘Inlet’ in Niles, and a little known fact about that place is that if you order anything from their catalog using a computer they have in the store, your order will be sent to you with no shipping charge.</p>
<p>Yes, the problem with wearing boots is that then you have to wear them in class, or carry other shoes. A hassle… my D1 went to school in a snowy area, and she got a pair of Clarks that were sort of sturdy and could be waterproofed, and wore those on rainy/snowy days for four years. D2 picked a California college and probably hasn’t taken off her flip flops since she got there. :)</p>
<p>Also… this comes up every time we have a winter clothes thread – most students are not so keen on Eddie Bauer, Lands End, and to a lesser extent LL Bean. They consider those their parents’ (and grandparents’) brands. NorthFace and REI are more popular with kids. There are always a few exceptions, someone will pipe up about how their kid loves their Lands End jacket – but they are rare.</p>
<p>If you are on the northwest side of chicago, you can also easily get to major malls such as Northbrook Court or Old Orchard where they have all the major department stores and chains.</p>
<p>To me it just depends on what kind of day you want. You can walk up one side of Michigan ave and down the other or you can go to the mall. The “difference” in the store merchandise will be scant so it’s more about how you want to spend the day. Patagonia is making a resurgence with “my boys.” They wore it went they were toddlers, migrated to North Face and are now “back” to Patagonia. Everyone in my family loves the Patagonia down “sweaters” with a shell…they have totally replaced the North Face Denali’s as the favored outerwear.</p>
<p>No fashion plate here, my kid wears a heavy Lands End coat that keeps her warm. Where would you shop at home?</p>
<p>If you go to Macy’s on State St. you can snack at Rick Bayless’s food court store - [Frontera</a> Fresco: Restaurants - Rick Bayless | Frontera](<a href=“http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/fresco.html]Frontera”>http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/fresco.html)</p>
<p>If you take 94 north to Northbrook Court, you can visit the nearby Chicago Botanic Garden, if that’s of interest. If you want massive selection, go to Burlington Coat Factory. Dicks, or Sports Authority, would have boots if you don’t find something somewhere else. BTW I just ordered Sorel boots recommended here and wow are they nice - comfy, lightweight, yet they claim to be impermeable.</p>
<p>The two outlet malls further north on I-94 would have coats and boots galore. Gurnee Mills in IL and Pleasant Prairie (WI) are about 10 minutes apart. Gurnee Mills has a Cabella’s and a Kohls, while the later has more upscale outlets.</p>
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<p>Old Orchard Mall is a tad bit closer to the city than Northbrook Court, by about 10-15 minutes. I much prefer the store selection at Old Orchard than Northbrook Court (Old Orchard has a Nordstrom’s; Northbrook Court doesn’t). That being said, Old Orchard is an outside mall (very nicely designed), so if the weather is not good that day, then I’d bypass Old Orchard for Northbrook Court. </p>
<p>Shopping Michigan Ave is an experience all in its own. You’d almost need some sort of game plan before starting off, that included a list of which stores are a priority for you, or it could turn into a whole weekend affair. If it were me shopping with one of my Ds for functional winter clothing, I’d be looking at REI, Dick’s, or Sports Authority. I haven’t been in a Patagonia store yet, but I do get their catalogs, and I suspect I’d really enjoy their store! Parking downtown is very expensive. But with the money you’re going to be spending on outfitting someone for winter, it will seem negligible! </p>
<p>While yes, it is not technically winter now, you will have the best selection as far as colors and sizes if you shop now, but you will pay full price. Or if you can find what she wants in a store in a specific size and color, you can then go home and shop on the internet and try to find a better price. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But you’re taking a chance.</p>
<p>Does Chicago ever have a tax holiday? The sales tax rate is still 9.25%.</p>
<p>No tax holidays. The tax rates around the area do vary considerably, though. For example, Oak Brook is 7.75%, Northbrook is 8.75%, Gurnee is 7.5%, and Schaumburg (home of Woodfield Mall and environs) is 9%. [Illinois</a> Sales Tax Rates | FindTheData](<a href=“http://illinois-sales-tax-rate.findthedata.org/]Illinois”>http://illinois-sales-tax-rate.findthedata.org/) If you’re shopping enough, it can start to make a difference. I do most of my shopping at Kohls and TJ Maxx but make sure to stay in Du Page County rather than Cook.</p>
<p>Patagonia has really nice stuff.
My H is still wearing a Patagonia jacket hes had for 22 years.
I buy most of my clothes from REI, you learn to layer in the northwest, when you are in & out of buildings & as the weather changes.</p>
<p>I have two pr of these boots.
Love them.
[Merrell</a> ‘Captiva Strap’ Waterproof Boot | Nordstrom](<a href=“http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/merrell-captiva-strap-waterproof-boot/3289933?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=ESPRESSO&resultback=945]Merrell”>http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/merrell-captiva-strap-waterproof-boot/3289933?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=ESPRESSO&resultback=945)</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the suggestions. At home I would probably hit the mall for department stores like Macy’s, JCP, and Kohls. We also have an outlet mall at home with a Columbia outlet, but it looks like there is only a regular Columbia on Michigan Avenue. Her shopping tends to be Forever 21 or H&M, but I don’t think they will have anything warm enough. I will let her choose whether she feels like hitting a suburban mall or downtown. Sounds like there are plenty of options either way we go. BTW, someone was trying to figure out the school. It is SAIC but she lives off campus, so she takes the train downtown every day.</p>
<p>Living north of Chicago, Woodfield Mall, when I need to go to O’Hare or Ikea is the shopping area of choice. At times I’ve found amazing bargains there, partially because Nordstroms has such a wide selection. There is also Nordstrom Rack on Michigan Ave. </p>
<p>Offspring would still not wear Land’s End or Eddie Bauer, though those brands are really trying to appeal to younger consumers. </p>
<p>EK, those boots are great! Merrell does such a great job with functional shoes.</p>