Windy City is Cool

A new high-fashion boutique called Ikram will open this week on Chicago's Rush Street. Proprietor of the eponymous 4,000-square-foot store is Ikram Goldman, a Chicago resident since she migrated to the U.S. from Israel 19 years ago and a salesperson for Ultimo for 10 years.

Announcing that “our ladies in Chicago are so cool,” Goldman will embrace such trendy-hot designers as Alexander McQueen, Olivier Theyskens and Angelo Figus. She will also sell high-end vintage clothing.

“The younger (women), the ones who are new to the fashion industry, are really cool,” she said. “There's no other way to say it: They're just cool.

“There are great restaurants in Chicago, great people, great culture,” she said, “and the concept of avant-garde fashion has been around for years.”