STREET FIGHT: Division vs. Damen

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The Wicker Park/Bucktown 'hoods are not for the faint of heart. With the cars on the six corners whizzing by, only the intrepid (and sober) person survives. With the high concentration of young folk mulling about, anyone over the age of 35 may feel out of place. And most importantly, the shopping is an animal unto itself, and should only be attempted by a seasoned shopper--one that can navigate the indie selection with aplomb.

Damen over the last fifteen or so years has become the place to shop outside of the Gold Coast. Most of the hip independent boutiques stock some of the most covetable labels, but skew toward the avant garde or...more hip and daring. We count on Damen stores like P.45, a pioneer in Bucktown's fashion scene, as well as Tangerine and Helen Yi to introduce us to some amazing Chicago design talent such as Keith Lissner, Cynthia Rowley and Lara Miller, as well as little known labels.

Divison, the other retail-heavy street in Wicker/Bucktown, is less focused on high end retail and designer names, but still packs a crazy shopping punch. Interspersed with stationary and eyeglass shops such as Paper Doll and D/Vision Optical, stores like Trillium, New'd and the Greenheart shop outfit the cool dresser with casual, comfy basics and eco-friendly wares. So we wanna know, fair Racked followers, do you wanna look like you stepped out of Vogue when you shop on Damen, or would you rather look effortlessy and comfortably chic on Division?

· All Damen Coverage [Racked]
· All Division Coverage [Racked]