Chicago - September 04, 2007

Small Wonder

Pivot Boutique Opens

Going against the grain is your MO: You heeled it during flat fest. And you’re not going within ten feet of patterned tights.

But some trends — like saving the environment— are always worth following.

Get a head start at Pivot, a new ecoboutique in the Fulton Market district. The space, filled with recycled furniture, fluorescent bulbs, and toxin-free paint, would make Leo DiCaprio’s voice crack.

As would the clothes, all made from organic cotton (grown with natural fertilizers), bamboo (extremely renewable, so soft), soy (from soybean hulls), or hemp (pesticide free). Especially fetching are Bahar Shahpar’s smocks and minis and Sans’s bamboo tees. Beau Soleil, Ciel, Perfectly Imperfect, and others have also jumped on the sustainable bandwagon.

Twenty-four-year-old shop owner Jessa Brinkmeyer was raised on a farm in Nebraska, which may account for the strong ties to Mother Earth. She’s donating 1 percent of her sales to Growing Home, a nonprofit that provides organic farming jobs to the underserved.

Which makes this young’n the cream of the crop.

Pivot, 1101 West Fulton Market, at Aberdeen Street (312-243-4754 or pivotboutique.com).