Chicago - April 04, 2007

Bag, You’re It

Bess & Loie Opens

You manufacture excuses (at breakneck speed!) to justify your bag habit. The snakeskin clashes with your BlackBerry. Your neighbor bought the same one. (She also makes dresses for her plants, ew.) It reminds you of grandma.

That last excuse must have been what Allyson Holleb was thinking when she opened Bess & Loie, a West Loop boutique named for her stylish nanas. (We never said it had to be your grandma.)

The new shop combines the best of old (exposed brick, vintage chairs, antique fixtures) and new (Hayden-Harnett, Sea Bags, Linea Pelle, and lesser-known lines like Knox) with men’s accessories (for good measure).

Holleb understands you need to ponder before purchasing, so she’s created a space as cozy as granny’s, with a stocked kitchen where you can snack while you deliberate. 

Sweets always help the decision-making process.

Speaking of rationalizations.

Bess & Loie, 1015 West Lake Street, between Carpenter and Morgan Streets (312-226-2247).