Blake

As a personal shopper and stylist, I never review stores, good or bad! However, today, at the request of several clients, I ventured into the store. I was there less than a minute and never got to see any merchandise. However, what I did witness in that minute were the rudest and nastiest owners and sales people. My only question is how are they still in business? Especially when there are amazing rival stores in Chicago with great merchandise, great sales people and great owners! Seriously Unilocal!I think it is time to allocate a ZERO STARS option!

All of you one-​star raters: I feel your pain. Blake has nice clothes (so do lots of stores) and occasionally pleasant sales people (ditto), but the RUDEST OWNERS in the city. Possibly any city. Including Paris. I had so many unpleasant experiences here that I finally stopped coming in. I feel so good whenever I spend my money somewhere else.

Great shop. Visited early December and there was a SALE! Lots available. All sales personnel were very nice to me. I find if i am nice and friendly to them, they are likewise nice to me. Great variety — yes $$ so that is why I love a sale. Interesting items and not all black!
A bit off the beaten track but worth the visit if you are this sort of shopper.

WORST STORE I HAVE BEEN TO IN MY LIFE. I don’t care how expensive your merchandise is. If you are rude to me for no reason and talk to me like I’m a child I will leave the store and never come back. I’m shocked Blake is still in business. I don’t recommend going here. Take your business to Barney’s or Neiman Marcus where they hire people that know how to sell.

Yes, this is a swanky spot, with price tags and a shopping environment to match. This is not the local, welcoming boutique (aka my version of Cheers) where the shopgirl will gush over your outfit/​hair/​bag immediately when you walk in. Sometimes that is ok. After all, the designs at Blake are straight out of the latest magazines. Right off the bat, I can think of one specific Saint Laurent dress that I’ve seen on the pages of not one, not two, but three fashion publications this spring. I went in with the intent to look around and a strong desire to buy something beautiful to take the sting out of a neverending Chicago winter– still going strong as I write this. I walked out of here lighter in pocketbook than I’d care to admit, but ultimately satisfied with the Dries van Noten peep-​toe shoes that I picked out. In fact, I am so satisfied that I’ve spent the last few days cataloging possible combinations and convincing myself that these heels elevate even the most quotidian pieces in my closet. Will I be back here every week, or even every quarter? Likely not. But, I am glad that this spot exists to provide inspiration and beauty, especially on a string of mundane, early spring days.

I really want to give this store more stars because their selection is unparallelled in Chicago but I just can’t do it.
Pro:
If you’re looking for ultra high-​end gorgeous clothing this really is the place to come. More so than just stocking high end clothing they stock incredibly unique architectural pieces that I love.
Con:
You just have to go in with the lowest possible expectations of service. I didn’t know you were supposed to ring the bell, so I pulled on the door handle and 3 people just stood there and gave me dirty looks before one finally buzzed me in. The one man that was working in there was hands down the rudest sales associate I have ever come across but, wouldn’t you know it, the more stuff I tried on the nicer he was to me! Who would have thought.
I finally settled in with a woman named Adrienne who came out of the woodwork and was absolutely wonderful to work with. She was friendly and helpful and made good suggestions but not in a pushy way. If you plan on shopping here I would call ahead, see when she is working and go when she is there.
I hate places that act snooty because for some reason they either think they have the privilege or because they think it raises their appeal some how and unfortunately this store falls directly in that category. If I had not worked with Adrienne I would have bought my clothes and never returned but thankfully I had a positive enough experience with her to go back.
Bottom line: If you’re looking for some really amazing clothing, call ahead for Adrienne and then head to Blake. If she isn’t there then just go in with your standards for service set at their lowest.

I walked into Blake for the second time in my life wearing workout clothes and was treated wonderfully. I worked with Rachel and ended up walking out with the most amazing Mary Katranzou dress. I won’t go here everyday, but every single time I need an amazing dress!

I had hands down the worst shopping experience of my life here, and beyond that a degrading and horrible experience.
I purchased a pair of Balenciaga shoes and slacks here a few years ago, and it was so awful, worse than I thought anything that could happen in a clothing store could ever be, that I am only sharing it now.
I attempted to pay with a Visa Bank Card, and the bank asked the sales girl to call them to verify, since it was a large purchase (around $ 3,000). The sales girl then told me to call them, even though they had given her a reference number –THIS WAS NOT A DECLINE, but a safety check as I was using a checking account/​bank card rather than a credit card. She then asked to see my ID again, and hinted that it was fake and spent a long time staring at it and turning it around. SERIOUSLY. Unheard of. She then took it to another sales girl and said that she didn’t think it was real-​and was looking at me, and holding the ID up and saying that the address looked strange, like I was a con-​woman — IN FRONT OF CUSTOMERS that they were waiting on. She was accusing me of trying to commit fraud in front of the other sales people and customers.
Rather than calling she then suggested that I walk to B of A-​IN THE SNOW!!!
And yes, I walked in the snow many blocks and back, to find out why they asked for a security check, and to release the sale. The bank said all was well and that this is routine.
I came back, and the bank asked her to call when she ran the card a second time. This time she called, after I asked her to please do so, and said she couldn’t get through and hung up right away. So I called on my cell phone! SERIOUSLY on my cell phone since she wouldn’t, and the B of A security people just asked for a number off of her credit card/​debit card machine and put through the sale. She gave it to them, then pulled the phone away from her ear and write down the phone number that appeared on my phones caller ID to verify that it was not apart of a scam! Still implying that I was committing fraud. This had gone on for so long that being rung up had taken over an hour-​including making me walk in the snow. Anyone else would have left, or attacked her, but I REALLY wanted the shoes, had wanted them since I saw them in Vogue the season before, and no other store in the US had them in my size.
She then asked to see my ID a THIRD TIME!!! Showed it to her co-​worker who told her it was fine — AGAIN– STILL A REAL ID. My state issued CA drivers license, and she just stared at it for minutes moving it around in her hand.
THIS IS THE WORST OF THE WORST.
LACKING IN ETIQUETTE, UNTRAINED, POORLY HIRED, UN-​EDUCATED, UN-​REFINED, ACCUSATORY, OFFENSIVE and INAPPROPRIATE staff. I have advised everyone I know not to go near this place, stylists, friends who lead fashion tours to out of town shoppers, and serious Chicago shoppers. I was accused of elaborate fraud in front of many people by this sales girl. It is crazy that this happened in a luxury retail environment-​this isn’t a swap meet.
NOT A FUN PLACE TO BUY THINGS!!! It was a major purchase and instead of enjoying it I wanted to cry.

I have 2 memories of this place. Waiting way too long to be buzzed in when they were on Lincoln and being ignored once they moved to their new location on Chicago Ave.

I love Blake! Whenever I come into town I check it out to see what’s there. I really feel pained when I receive the flyers in the mail announcing ‘Sale at Blake’ and i’m within a mere 1100 miles away. Uuuggg! I’ve bought some classic pieces from that store and whomever says if you haven’t worn a piece in 2 years donate it is a damn fool — because i’ll own my Blake attire forever. I’ve purchased some kicking thigh highs and a rocking Thomas Wylde leather jacket both of which i’d consider being buried in for my next life.
I’ve read that the sales people are snooty/​stuck up but more hilarious i’ve found have been the customers putting on to impress THEM. I’ve been snubbed more by the consumers until i’ve found utterly amusing when one woman was freaking out as she had to split up charges on several of her husband’s credit cards. Absolutely amusing!
Anyway …no matter how unnecessarily arrogant one might consider those Blake people you’ll continue to be buzzed in and yes spend your rent check and your grocery money on that fabulous pair of incredible pair of whatevers. It’s always easier to imagine «you’re better than» when shopping at Blake!

A pretty damned good collection.
A bevy of accessories that are anything but pedestrian.
At first the woman who buzzed me in was a bit aloof (read: stank) but I was in such a good mood I wasn’t going to let faux snooty behavior stop me. I mean, after all I am a Midwestern gal. And if I can’t win you over with my charm, I’ll simply kick your ass.
I went in search of Dries Van Noten cuffs. They didn’t have the one I wanted, but I found one that was even better. Another dark haired tall beauty (Kelly I think??) helped me out and she could not have been nicer. She was way cool and understood my apprehension to drop so much money. But I was celebrating a special occasion. She even offered to ship the item for me to save $ 40 (because I live in LA and the sales tax is way cheaper).
If forced to critique I’d say that after dropping all of that money, Blake could do a MUCH better job at supplying customers with chic bags. Seriously you drop a sh*tload of money, then they give you a wack ass bag? Seriously the bag looks like its from some Party store. no, the dollar store. If I’m dropping that kind of money, I want bells and whistles dammit. And I certainly don’t mind being feted with tea and crumpets. Pay attention BLAKE. Just cuz you’ve been in the game a while don’t mean sh*t won’t turn on you… (not that I’m wishing any thing other than success).
I like these girls. But I’ll wait for the next bi-​annual sell.
Shopping at Blake does make you feel grown. Or broke.

Their collection is fantastic. Great Designers, great cloth.
Great Fashion great assortment beautiful store.
Every time I have been in this store I was never given the time of day or been asked if I need any help. Leaving the store never a goodbye. Huge turnoff.
Does not want to make me buy something there.

I love the clothes at Blake. They are cutting-​edge, innovative, fun, sexy, and very very cool! (This place is for the very «urban» fashionista with an edge). They carry lot’s of Thomas Wylde, Roland Mouret, Dries van Noten, etc. The only problem is, the minute I cross their threshold, I know I will be walking out about $ 1,500 lighter in liquid assets!
Yes, sometimes I feel a little intimidated having to be «buzzed in», and yes, they only have one garment (in the smallest size possible) on the racks; they will pull your size for you — but whatever you wind up buying, will certainly be unique and you will NOT look like everyone else when you are wearing it!
Blake’s sales are legendary — if you wait, you can often find 50−60% off some amazing pieces (which is really helpful in this economy!)
I only wish I could walk in here more often!

If I ever win the lottery this will be one of my first stops. Gorgeous, unique clothing and accessories (boy would I love some of those shoes), but just a tad out of my price range. OK, a lot more than a tad…
But if you’ve got some dough to spend or perhaps a really special occasion (I may have to find one just to justify spending $ 1300 on this one fabulous purple dress they have there now) Blake is so worth checking out!

As good as it gets for fashion. Ikram and Blake. Done. And Ask for Rachel. She is professional, easy going, not pushy and has excellent taste.

Highly satisfying, quite expensive, worth every cent.
A cashmere necklace by Martin Margiela?
Thomas Wylde bloomers?
THE Balenciaga look for S/​S 08?
Yes, lovely, you are still in Chicago. Have a great time!
See Also: Dunzo’s well-​crafted review.

20 years ago on Lincoln Avenue this place used to be edgy but intermittently affordable, with a secondary emphasis on playful London street fashion. («Those trousers have WORMS on them!» bleated my office mate. «If you look closely it’s a hedge of thorny vines the way Beardsley would have drawn them,» I told him patiently.) Now the store appears to have moved to an otherwise appealing block on Chicago Avenue and degenerated into a museum. And it no longer has its decennial sale, which is a pity, because the quality has always been such that the heavy-​duty stuff I bought at said sale in 1995 that dated back as far as 1985 is still gorgeous and practical. All things go.