Soutache

Soutache has gorgeous buttons, ribbons, and other embellishments for your hand crafted items. I have loved the special finishing touch these unique items provide. And the proprietor is very amiable and helpful in assisting you in your selection. Definitely shop here, you won’t regret it.

Cozy crafting haven with a wall of buttons, a wall of ribbons, feathers and other supplies.
I came in here to find some buttons to replace lost ones from my winter coat. I have tried Joann’s, fabric stores in the south loop, and nothing had both quality and personality. Well this place must be made for exactly that dilemma! There’s an entire wall of quality buttons in interesting materials from military style to cloth to vintage. Well-​organized with buttons of similar themes and sizes bunched together. Walked out with two sets I love and have gotten a number of compliments on the new take on an old coat!

This is a magical place if you are looking for ribbon, embellishments and great customer service. I got there the most beautiful Japanese ribbon for my wedding cake (3 tiers and this orange ribbon was placed at the bottom edge of each tier) and Miley made some ribbon flowers as accents to cover the seams. I also used the same ribbon in some parts of our wedding photo album.
Additionally, Miley made the headpiece based on the design I envisioned. It was truly amazing to work with her; she is an artist with great energy.
I discovered this place in 2010. I bought many embellishments with feathers for my hats (I am into hats!). Their ribbon flowers will change a dull outfit into one that truly shines! Thank you Miley!

I first visited Soutache looking for sashes for my flower girls. The owner of the shop spent her time helping me find just the right shade of ribbon.
She was so helpful that I jokingly asked her if she had bow-​ties for the ring bearers. She didn’t normally sell them, but she was very excited to help me out and make them using the same ribbon as the sashes. They’re so adorable and will be perfect for my wedding!
The owner goes above and beyond at this store, and I highly recommend it!

«There is a heaven on earth — and I have found it!» I said these very words the minute I walked in.
Brides to be looking for ribbon or embellishments, this is your place. I looked far and wide for blush ribbon for my wedding invitations. Pink is NOT blush and I can tell you not a single store in Chicago had anything close to what I was looking for. Miley was incredible to work with and stayed late more than once to help get the ribbon I needed.
Not only did I get ribbon for all my 150 invitations, Miley helped me select ribbon for my bridal bouquet, flower girl dresses and headbands, cake ribbon, programs, and my wedding dress. Very reasonable prices and an endless selection you won’t find anywhere else. Oh did I mention they have those expensive wedding sash appliqué’s you pay an arm and a leg for anywhere else on rolls?
I highly recommend this store to brides as well as anyone looking for quality ribbon and embellishments.

I placed a special order here for some beautiful organza ribbon for my bridal bouquet, the owner spent a lot of time with me making sure we selected the perfect item and promptly followed up with me when it arrived!
I love the owners passion for embellishments and the great service here!

I don’t know why this doesn’t show up in a Unilocal search? But anyway– if you need any kind of button that exists, this is the place to go. The owner is super sweet and helpful. I found rhinestone buttons for the sash of my wedding dress here– I have no idea where else I would have found them. Places like this make me glad that I live in a city :).

This was impossible to find on Unilocal.I almost added it myself, then magically it popped up.
Anyway, Soutache is adorable, and the woman who worked there was quite adorable as well. It feels a bit old-​timey, and I liked that. It’s very peaceful.
I make these little fabric bracelets with buttons sewn on around the whole thing (Nerd, checking in)…and so I wandered in to check out the buttons. I obviously found cute buttons, but I only got 7 very small buttons (centimeter wide) and spent 10 something bucks.
I’m sorry, that is too much. I like that crafty hobby things can be very inexpensive, but I spent almost 11 dollars on a few buttons.
I would never make a trip here to get supplies, but if you’re walking down Damen, it’s a super cute stop.

I love this place. Totally feeds my new love of buttons. This shop is simply amazing. Mali was a dream to work with, helping me find a collection of buttons I can take with without breaking the bank. There are ribbons, fabric (lace, chenille and silk) for embellishment to add to your clothes, accessories. I make my own hair accessories and this place was heaven for me. HIGHLY recommend! We need more small businesses like this in the Chicago and the burbs!

There is a heaven on earth — and I have found it!
I *love* passementerie. My foray into vintage clothing construction all those years ago introduced me to fashion plates showing beautiful trims on garments one can only dream of today. Bullion trims … lush loveliness to adorn an otherwise plain garment.
I had no idea this place existed. Thanks to my friend, however, that’s changed and Soutache has a new ardent client. I’m *very* pleased with their selection, I even saw some hand made trim in progress! It’s literally the closest to the fabulous trims I used to find in NYC that I could get!
In addition to their wonderful offerings, they ALSO have classes. CLASSES!
those who love a personal touch on their garments have a new destination! Those who adore vintage, and need a special «omph» for a favorite garment — can find it here. unusual buttons?! YES!
I love this little shop. It’s a bit of a trek for me too, but I can plan it into my errands easy enough!

I’m not really the target audience for this shop. I don’t craft, embellish or do anything like that. I don’t even know how to sew a button on a shirt. And I am duly ashamed.
But I came here with some friends who are into this stuff, and they loved all of it. They bought some lovely ribbon. I bought a beautiful silk flower pin.
Also, they have Frida Kahlo buttons! I loved looking at all of the ribbon and buttons and flowers. I really wish I could do something with them.
On another note, Miley, an owner, once did some rather complicated alterations work on a suit for me on short notice. I was too nervous to take it to a cleaners (bad experience with that). She doesn’t do this normally, but she did this time and I appreciated it. My suit looks great. Plus, Miley is wonderfully nice to boot!

Recommended by the Painted Lady across the street. Beautiful dyed ribbons, little flowers, feathers (which I am deathly disgusted by so I walked right past them) buttons, (which I was disappointed in the selection, at least for me, I was looking for better more unique ones with rhinestones and what she had didn’t suffice the uniqueness factor for me.) I bought some little flowers and also 3 yards of 3 different colors of dyed ribbons that I am in love with.
Totally reasonable prices for the beautifulness of what I got. Happy. AND the owner was such a sweet thing. I’d go back just to chat with her.

The cozy, handmade, artsy, Parisian vibe was the first reason I loved the store.
The second was the owner, Mylie, who went out of her way to locate an item for me, knowing I was very much in need of it, and on a major time crunch. Her follow up was beyond helpful, professional, and just super nice– I really respect that!
The third is the selection– she has gorgeous, unique items that one just cannot find anywhere else!

I love, love, love, love Soutache. It’s hard not to spend a lot of money in there — but it’s money well spent!
If you need interesting buttons, trims, ribbons, closures, or other embellishments, then Soutache is the place.
You’ll be inspired by the small projects found in the shop– unique uses for the beautiful ribbons and buttons (sometimes vintage) that the owner sells. And the owner (Myley?) is also wonderful — always helpful but never hovering.
Go here for beautiful buttons, amazingly gorgeous hand-​dyed silk ribbons, etc. I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars in this store!
The only downside is that it is a little hard to get to from my neck of the woods :(I have to take 2 buses to get there from East Lakeview — however, this makes any trip I make to Soutache a special one!
Check it out!

Soutache made me feel like I found a small town place in the big city. Wedding shopping can be pretty scary and I’ve found that most people in the wedding industry are crabby 90% of the time so I was trying to find everything online. I mean… how hard can it be to find a beautiful purple sash for my dress?
Apparently, VERY difficult. However, I was directed to Soutache by one of the bridal shops. Upon walking in, I was greeted by Mylie (the owner). This woman was so warm and kind and willing to find whatever it was I needed.
On top of it, she made a special order and had it in the shop within the week.
And for an emotional touch, when I stopped to pick up the ribbon, Mylie and another woman asked me about the reception. For some reason, for the first time in awhile, I got truly giddy talking about it. There’s something special in that store…

Oh it’s a feathery, ribbony, embellished paradise in here! There’s spools upon spools and drawer after drawer just waiting to be touched and pulled. Cups of every type of button imaginable and a whole display case of feathers. The supersweet owner says «drawers are meant to be opened.» You can buy already hand made flower hair pieces and pins or take a class and learn how to make your own.
For $ 50 you can take a group or private class complete with materials for making two flowers.
I wanted so bad to buy something, but just couldn’t figure out what to get. Her stuff is of a fabulous quality and she’s willing to order anything for you. SO much better than any craft store. This place is perfect if you’re looking for embellishments, hair pieces, or fabulous faux flowers to complete your bridal look.

This place always makes me so happy the moment I walk in.
Beautiful trims, ribbons, flowers and feathers and buttons.
Do it yourself or the wonderful owner, Mylie will help out.
I can’t walk into this place without buying something and am addicted to her handmade French silk ribbon flowers.
Prices are super reasonable… just returned and have a nice little shopping bag of flowers.

If you want to embellish ANYTHING, this is the place. Soutache has every kind of upscale ribbon, trim, feathers, and tons of beautiful buttons to embellish anything you could bring in! Knitters love their buttons, especially since Tender Buttons is closed here in Chicago. Brides can get ANY color of double faced satin or Petersham grossgrain ribbons they could want. Soutache is very accommodating in finding any kind of color or type of ribbon you need! The store also does all kinds of special order projects for people. For brides they can make shoe clips, hair flowers, embellish a veil etc… They can embroider a sweater or pillow for you, or add a custom made flower to something.
They also teach many beautiful flower making classes with wired or satin ribbons, and silk ribbon embroidery, also embellishing your clothes with just adding ribbon or trim. A wonderful place to be!

Mandy P. your review makes me sad!
In my opinion, Soutache is by far the best place in the city to go for quality embellishments. I do a lot of wedding invitations & this place keeps me sane. Their selection is so wide, with all sorts of ribbons in all different price ranges. There’s tons of different stuff, ranging from really traditional & classy, to more contemporary & funky. Sure, if you’re running in & need 80 yards of something that day, it might not be your best bet, but for someone doing a specialty project, it’s the place to be. I always go in & peruse what’s on shelf, & then many of the ribbons are available in different colors & widths, so don’t be afraid to ask to see swatch books.
I always recommend this place, & everyone I ever send over there raves about it. I think for brides or serious crafters, this is one stone you must not leave unturned. It’s one of my *favorite* discoveries in the city, & Maile, the owner, is so wonderful to work with– so helpful & knowledgeable, & always willing to go above & beyond to get you what you need, when you need it.
I was actually telling a group of friends about it this past weekend, & it was mainly girls & then one girl’s husband. He must’ve heard me wrong, because after my plug, he said, ‘Oh, they have great reubens? I love reubens.’ We just laughed. Not reubens, ribbons. Ribbons!
Long story short? I love Soutache, & I want everyone else to love it, too.

I’m sorry to be the one to do this, but I have to say that I was disappointed by this place. I have read so many RAVE reviews of Soutache and I’m sure that colored my expectations and hence my experience.
I thought the store was nice. The selection of ribbon was good (for a particular taste) and seemed like high quality stuff. However, I thought the ribbon — and pretty much everything in there — was very conservative. I thought that this was going to be a funky, artsy place that had lots of unique items for embellishing. Not so. I went there seeking some hand-​dyed silk ribbon, or maybe some pretty flowers to put on a gift for my aunt. I found a few different flowers and they were all too big and too uninteresting for what I wanted and they definitely didn’t have the kind of ribbon I was envisioning.
Ah, and I wanted some buttons for my knitting and was very disappointed by the options. There wasn’t much and it didn’t really stand out.
I’m having a hard time figuring out how to describe the things that were there, but I think maybe the best example is the little shoe flower thingies. They sell stuff for making bows/​flowers that you can clip onto the toes of your shoes to «funk» them up. Now, admittedly, on the right person, this could be wonderfully attractive and truly something new. For me, it would never fly. The idea for the shoe things came from Better Homes and Gardens, if I recall correctly. Again, this is great for some people, but not for me.
In short, since I’m doing a horrible job of describing this, I would say: this place is not a five star experience for everyone. Naturally, a store w/​embellishments will cater to a particular taste and it is not going to please everyone. Maybe if they get bigger they will branch out enough to cater to a larger crowd, but I have a feeling that one woman (who seems very nice, by the way) does the shopping for that place and will likely not branch into my style. I’m not going back to find out — it would be a waste of time.