Out of the West

I was wandering around Lincoln Park on a beautiful day, not looking forward to work in the evening, but aware of my fledgling bank account, when the next thing you know, I’ve spent almost $ 200 at Out of the West.
They had a rack of pants outside with a sign that said $ 15, so I crossed the street and peeked my head in. I saw a lot of fun prints and maxi dresses, and a few sale signs hanging around, so I began to shop. The only two employees in the store were at least managers, if not the owners. They were amazing, very kind and more knowledgeable than I expected. The woman seemed genuinely excited to help me put together outfits and suggest similar pieces.
It was then that I started to worry that a big sales push was on its way, but I never felt uncomfortable. I got a $ 200 pair of jeans for $ 25, another top on sale, and two full price dresses, which were still only $ 42 and $ 68 (so don’t let the three dollar signs and the designer jean prices scare you.)
The woman helping me even understood my obtuse comments about how I loved that my $ 68 beautiful maxi dress hit me right above my natural waist but still in the perfect spot, and she found another dress with the same magically slimming formula. She knew her products inside and out. I’m getting longwinded so I’ll wrap up by saying that its not as expensive and I expected, very cute things when you take the time to look through the racks, and amazing customer service from the owners. One star docked because the two younger sales associates who arrived halfway through my shopping seemed much less pleasant than the owners, but I only had to deal with them for checking out. I will be back.

This was my favorite shop while vacationing in Chicago by far!
There are loads of hand-​crafted jewelry items, and there are a wide array of women’s jeans.
The staff is over the top friendly and helpful, and you truly feel like you’re visiting the shop of an old friend. They spent over an hour with us as we mixed and matched several of the handmade bracelets they have for sale (at the best price in town). They even offered to mail us 2 or 3 to try, trusting we’ll send them back or buy what we like. GREAT OWNERS. We plan on having some custom jewelry made for my wife, as well.
Bottom line, if you’re in Chicago, you shouldndobyourself the favor of spending some time in Out of the West. Before long, you’ll be part if the family and chit-​chatting about music, concerts, colors, food, and more. A definite gem in Chicago!

OOTW is a great shop to stop in and buy a great pair of jeans and cute top. They have a wide selection of clothing and the jewelry is awesome. The store owners are fantastic people with an in depth knowledge of their products. I go here to buy gifts and of course things for myself. A definitely stop when shopping in LP.

Maybe, it’s just me not being able to pull off a Western look. I want to buy cowboy boots and all, but the closest it looks like I’m going to be to this is my brown fringed heels. There’s a strong incense that seems to be lit on an ongoing basis, so if you don’t like the smell of that then it will be tough to shop around in the store. They seem to specialize in offering a variety of denim, and the sales aren’t really that good though. The staff was super busy when I was there so no one even seemed to have an opportunity to acknowledge me.

I GUESS THE CUSTOMER ISN’T ALWAYS RIGHT AT OUT OF THE WEST
I am relatively new to the neighborhood and had wanted to stop in this store for some time. While jeans are not my first choice of apparel, 16 months in Chicago has taught me to be more practical. I didn’t really have time to try on clothes that trip, but did find 2 cute coats on sale and a fun ring made by a Chicago artist. Even as a denim-​neophyte, I noticed the large array of difficult-​to-​find labels, as well as many interesting t-​shirts, boots, and other accessories. I vowed to return when I had more time to finally give jeans a chance. My 2 cute coats, yet to be worn and still sporting the tags, turned out to be rags as the sleeve lining on one ripped as soon as I put it on, while the other has threads that keep coming loose merely by hanging in my coat closet. With receipt in hand, I returned to Out of the West to see what could be done.
The first associate that assisted me very nicely stated the store policy that my particular sale items were «Final Sale.» As I consulted my receipt, I realized that he was correct. As he attempted to further help me, the other associate (manager?) barged over, interrupted the first associate, and barked that «All Sales are Final!» When I tried to explain about the quality issues, I was cut-​off and informed that «it’s not like you paid $ 700 for these coats… these are Sale Coats!» At that point, I was uncomfortable to be challenged in that manner in front of other customers and asked for my «Sale» coats back so that I could leave and possibly start researching consignment shops.

Having worked retail off and on since practically elementary school, I can’t imagine treating a customer with such rudeness. Of course I was wrong as I didn’t review the return policy more carefully and would have dealt with my error, even with the quality issues, if I had been treated with more respect. In most instances, I have found that by assisting customers in finding a solution not only ensures the business additional sales, but fosters a sense a loyalty as well. I will now go out of my way NOT to shop at Out of the West and head over to Halsted for a pair of jeans. It’s too bad because I really, really need some jeans and those floral rings are super-​cute!

I went through here looking for Christmas presents, and lo and behold they carry JOE’s jeans. I had no idea. BTW, I LOVE Joe’s jeans. They have a great selection of other jeans too though! The other stuff in the store is ok — just go for the jeans.
The manager knows everything there is to know about what size you are, the style you should wear, and what trend is on the up and up. He made sure that I would buy not just an ok pair of jeans — but the BEST pair of jeans. It’s fabulous.

I bought a pair of AGs here in the fall– there aren’t a lot of other stores that carry the selection that they have. I learned from one of the salespeople that they have an agreement with the other stores on Armitage that they can’t carry the same denim styles as any of the other stores on the street. Never knew this– but I think it sort of sucks because that means they can charge what they want and not worry about competition.
Anyway– I will say that they have the BEST tailor that does alterations for jeans in the city. Both pairs I have gotten done here are so well done– you would never even know they have been hemmed. That is especially difficult when you have to take 3 or 4 inches off– like I usually do. I think they charge $ 15 if you buy the jeans there and $ 25 if you don’t– whatever it is, pay it. Totally worth it if you spent the money on a good pair of designer jeans.

Huge selection of high-​end denim and a really helpful staff to help you sort through it. You can trust the staff for an honest opinion too, which is invaluable in my opinion.

Whenever I buy a pair of Levi’s, I prefer that the legs are more tapered (instead of the fashionably wider boot cut). Many places that do alterations won’t do denim. So I’m always comfortable bringing mine here. They’ve always done a good job at a reasonable cost.

I’m with Andrea. only check it out when the Sale banner is outside. I love this place for their Sale jeans. I picked up an adorable pair of 7’s marked down to $ 49 from $ 200. They have a nice assortment of brands and styles for denim. I found the other stuff to be not very cute for the most part.

Hadn’t been here in awhile, but used to find cute stuff here all the time so thought I’d stop in while walking by today. And to be honest I remember the stuff in here being a lot cuter… not sure if it’s the merchandise or my taste that has been changed.
But Sara S is right when she says make a run for it when you see a sales banner out front. They were having one of these sales today and fellow Unilocaler Tristin M picked up an adorable tank top reduced to just $ 12 (i believe it was about $ 50 before). The price was so good I considered buying one myself!

This is a great store for jeans and cute clothes. If you hard a hard time jeans that look good on you this is the place to go. They also have a lot of cute stuff that is reasonable priced. The have the cutest store dog too.
I just wanted to add that yes the jeans are spendy but those brands of jeans are the same price any where else you might find them. If you get them here you support a great locally owned shop.

My name is Marissa and sometimes I spend 100+ dollars on designer t-​shirts.
I am a big fan of Out of the West purely because they have an awesome collection of really cool, unique t-​shirts, which I’m very into right now (especially ones with rhinestones on them… I am such a dork). I was there yesterday and I tried on a bunch of cute stuff… yes, most of it costs a lot of money but sometimes it’s worth it. ;)
One cool thing, they have a great collection of bags that LOOK designer but are only 30 – 40 bucks! I thought this was really cool, as you’d expect them to carry only 400 dollar bags.
The service wasn’t super-​friendly but it was good enough, and I will definitely be back.

This place is awesome… if you have no problem dropping 3-​hundo plus for jeans. Great googley moogley.
They do have cool stuff, but it’s so expensive and usually not worth it. Personally, I’d rather buy a round for everyone in the Wrigley bleachers than one pair of boots @ OOTW.

The store is designed for women with deep pockets who are trying to look like they don’t. When you see the big sale banner go up, make a run for it. I got an amazing deal on a pair of Seven’s that I still brag about. Otherwise, take your piggy bank. And your roomate’s. And couch change.