Chameleon

I had the pleasure of listening to Nick speak to another customer about fashion before I had the chance to speak to him. His passion for his «craft» is evident and it was delightful to see. Really cool interesting merchandise AND menswear… always a plus!

Chameleon offers a nice selection of clothes and accessories that are different from what you find at the chain stores, without being too «out there.» It’s a little on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for! I always stop in and buy a few pieces when the seasons change.
Also, the staff is wonderful – they strike a nice balance of being helpful and friendly while letting you browse on your own too. One of my favorite clothing shops.

I am a massive fan of this place. It is the best (and possibly only) place to shop for men’s clothes in Oak Park unless you want to wear an I Heart OP t-​shirt from the Visitor’s Center every day :)
The range of clothing is brilliant, like a previous review said everything is hand picked by the owner, Nick, and he has an eye for a good outfit it would seem. He’s also a really nice guy which helps.
Importantly though, and somewhat refreshing for a salesman, is the fact that he’ll give you unbiased advice. He once advised me NOT to buy a particular t-​shirt because it didn’t look right on me — he may well have saved my fashion credibility!
I have a number of Ben Sherman, Penguin, Paul Frank and even a PBR belt buckle from Chameleon that I cannot think where else I could go to buy. Additionally (because I’m cheap/​frugal) there are usually a number of quality items on the sale rack if you’re looking for a bargain!

When I wear clothing that I’ve bought at Chameleon, I have the confidence that people will admire my outfit and won’t be able to find anything like it at the mall.
When I walk into the store, I am greeted by a kind, professional, but hip individual — often Nick the owner. He carefully selects the merchandise offered by his store and knows little antidotes about the designer (e.g. it’s made entirely in the United States) as well as the individual item! Nick makes it clear that he cares about his store, the community, and local starving artists. Artwork and jewelry pieces are prominently displayed across the store and even sometimes hosted at store parties.
I think that the prices at Chameleon are moderate — even a steal for the brands and quality of clothing. You won’t find common department store prices, but I would compare them easily to Express or A & F, only Chameleon’s clothing is better quality and Euro-​trendy.
I started going to Chameleon when it first opened. I noticed their trendy window display and thought it stood out as a beacon of light among neighboring boutiques that never managed to lure me in their doors. Now I can safely say that I probably wear at least one item from Chameleon on a daily basis — that’s how much they’ve impacted my wardrobe over the years.

Would be 5 stars, but it’s just too expensive!
Great dresses, jackets, hats, belts, tops.
I purchased a lot of Christmas gifts here this year, and the staff was so helpful. They made tons of spot-​on suggestions, didn’t pressure, and stayed focused even when other customers came into the store (granted, the other customers might not have liked this!).

This place is expensive. They have some really cool pieces, but the selection isn’t as much as I expected after reading the reviews. If you’re in the area it is worth a stop in.

We had a fab shopping day at Chameleon. They have a great selection of men’s and women’s clothes as well as some super cute handbags. We’ll be back!!!

Very friendly owner. Always helpful staff. No pressure sales. Even though I haven’t had to make use of it, easy to understand and clearly posted return policy (receipt required).
Excellent selection; when I’m near Oak Park I always make it a point to stop in and see what’s new. Great hats. Reasonable prices. Really cool shirts and interesting things I have not seen elsewhere in chicagoland. I also enjoyed that I was not getting assaulted by overloud music — that usually sends me outside quickly. Did I mention the great hats? Just plain cool.
Downside — 15 minutes per quarter for parking. Mucho lame, Oak Park Municipality. Be sure to have quarters.

Good selection of hip t-​shirts and clothing. Comfortable atmosphere and fairly affordable prices.

I have since heard from the management of this business and are willing to exchange the wallet. I was really surprised to open my inbox and find that they had contacted me. It was very unexpected and has restored my hope in small boutique-​type shops.

Everytime we come to Chicago we make sure to take a trip to Oak Park to Chameleon. Their t-​shirt collection is one of the best and that’s all my husband ever wears. They have some of the coolest fashions you can find in a boutique but more importantly the prices are for normal people who know the value of a buck. The owner is really friendly and it makes me feel good to support a local business rather than horrible chains like Urban Outfitters that just churn out so-​called «trendy» wear. This place rules — Kudos for being dog-​friendly too. We need more shops like this one.

I only had a moment to browse the other day, but I saw a lot of super cute summer dresses and accessories. Everything seemed pretty unique and not overly stocked. The boutique is located right in the heart of the Avenue Shopping District in Oak Park and the guy working was friendly but not overbearing. They have a decent selection of spring/​fall hats, which I love. They have men’s and women’s clothing and shoes also! I am not sure what their designer line is like, but did notice that the prices were not too expensive. It is a lot of t-​shirts, and cotton dresses and things of that nature, so if you are looking for higher end labels, this will not be the place. I did see a few skirts that I would definitely buy for work!

I’ll make this brief because the other reviews are really on target.
The place is appropriately hip for anyone between 20 and my age… significantly older than 20. The owner IS great, the staff are wonderful and the place is stocked with original clothing and shoes and accessories.
When in Oak Park you must stop in.

I’ve only been here once, and it was to support a friend who was having an art show, but I will definitely go back. The owner is nice, the staff is friendly and the selection is good. They have a lot of Ben Sherman and Penguin (like other ppl said) so if you don’t like that kind of style, you may not like it here. However, they have a ton of specialty t-​shirts that are cute too.
I love supporting local businesses, so please go and look around!

This is the only store in Oak Park where I have ever purchased an article of clothing for myself, which is sad because I am kind a clothes horse and I try to shop locally.
These guys have done a great job assembling a collection of moderately priced contemporary clothes in an area that really needed it. They carry brands that you see a lot of everywhere, like Ben Sherman and Penguin, but they seem to have an eye for the good pieces. (As far as the woman’s stuff, I don’t know, but they seem pretty nice)
My one hope is that they branch out a little more in terms of what lines they carry, but I think they are headed in that direction.

We need more stores like this in Oak Park. I know the good folks at Chameleon wouldn’t think so. This store is awesome, very cool fashions that you’d find in NYC SoHo. Both my wife and I walked out with a few things on a whim. The owners are very friendly and will talk to you about your selections. It isn’t cheap, but if you want cheap go to TJ Maxx.

I grew up in Oak Park. Without knowing it, I have been waiting for this store to open for 28 years. From the outside it didn’t attract my attention. In fact, I thought it was a store for high school kids because I thought I had only seen thin cotton t-​shirts and flimsy skirts in the window. Thank GOD I actually went in. What a gold mine! I am not a big «shopper» and a lot of clothing stores don’t impress me (either too boring, too impractical, too cheaply made) but I wanted to try on everything, EVERYTHING in this store! Funky skirts, girly dresses, functional/​cutesy tops, you name it.
So what makes this store different? Why have I been blasé and apathetic at every other store I’ve been in lately but this one just re-​sparked my interest in wearing cool clothes that make me look good?!? This store is different because:
1. The atmosphere is cool, relaxed and NOT snobby. You can tell the owners paid attention to detail when setting up their store. i.e. old piping as shelf-​holders, etc.
2. The owner that was there when I was there was very helpful but very hands-​off. He didn’t come over and start saying «I think you’d LOVE this!» which has happened to me at many other stores. However, when I ran into the problem of wanting to try on the size that was on the mannequins (TWICE) he got them for me in a heartbeat.
3. The clothes! They carry lines that I’d never heard of but always secretly wanted to. You know when you go to Europe and see all these people that look really cool and really good in their clothes and you wonder, where in the world can I buy those clothes? We don’t have those in the U.S. Well, now we do, at Chameleon. They carry a variety of different lines (Paul Frank, Ben Sherman, WESC, plus local socially-​conscious brands), but in particular, this awesome Spanish line called Skunkfunk (ignore the malodorous name).
4. The prices! Tell me you’ve been in any other hip/​fashionable clothing boutique in/​around Oak Park where most of the items were under $ 100? I don’t think so. Chameleon can clothe me even on my pitiful grad student «salary.» The skirts I purchased were $ 68 each. The beautiful dress $ 78. The t-​shirt $ 34. The shorts/​pants $ 60. (See how much I bought?!). There was also a nice sale rack that even had some more formal dresses as well.
5. Location. If you live in Oak Park, this is a dream come true. If you live in the city, take a day trip to Oak Park to eat at one of the millions of amazing restaurants and shop at Chameleon.
6. The owner told one lady «You could’ve brought your dog in the store.» A dog-​friendly business? How refreshing! This really is Europe!
Bottom line: I would give this store 10 stars if I could.

This is the kind of funky little place you expect to see on Halsted St. in Lincoln Park. Very urban, very hipster. The owner, Nick, pointed out to me that a lot of their clothes are «classical,» but there is certainly a trendy presence. The prices went from $ 26 for t-​shirts, up to $ 200 for some dresses. There were some fun accessories as well. Worth checking out.