LAKEVIEW — Men and women alike have experienced the occasional nightmare shopping trip: Nothing fits, everything is hideous, and it ends with an unsatisfyingly empty bag.
Lakeview brothers Russell and Zachary Layng are hoping to eliminate such shopping woes with a new online shopping service called Scout My Style.
Once users answer a few fashion questions to create a style profile, they can request an item of clothing like a party dress or a work suit. The request is sent to nearby boutique store employees, who respond with suggested items in the store.
"There are tons of really incredible boutique clothing stores in Chicago, and for a lot of these stores, it's difficult to enter into any sort of online state with the time and money it takes to put your whole inventory online," Russell Layng said.
The brothers are hoping Scout My Style will bridge the gap between customers and small, mostly independent boutique stores. So far, 30 stores have partnered with Scout My Style, which is free for customers.
Layng said they originally considered using an algorithm to match style preferences with available clothes, but found the more human approach more useful.
"The beautiful discovery was the people who work at these stores just have an unbelievable knowledge of not only their inventory, but can size you up at a glance and offer truly personalized recommendations you can't get from a technology-generated method," he said.
The Layngs have been developing Scout My Style for more than a year, forging partnerships and working with retailers to perfect the style quiz. What originally started as a laborious, multi-page quiz was paired down after boutique owners explained which questions were the most helpful in determining a person's style.
They then tested the process by showing a friend's quiz to a boutique and picking out several items before seeing if the friend liked the selection.
"We were so excited, because time after time, they were picking out things that our secret shoppers absolutely loved," Layng said.
Currently, Scout My Style is partnering with the following stores:
Andersonville:
Milk Handmade, 5137 N. Clark St.
Mr. and Mrs. Digz, 5668 N. Clark St.
Downtown:
Florodora, 330 S. Dearborn St., Loop
Levelz Style Lounge, 1317 S. Michigan Ave., South Loop
Lakeview:
Hasana, 2937 N. Clark St.
Krista K, 3458 N. Southport Ave.
Uncle Dan's, 3551 N. Southport Ave.
Cram Fashion, 3331 N. Broadway Ave.
True Vintage, 2934 N. Clark St.
Click Shoes & More, 3729 N. Southport Ave.
Lincoln Park:
Adelaide, 1704 N. Wells St.
The Blues Jean Bar, 2210 N. Halsted St.
Calvin Tran, 2154 N. Halsted St.
Comfort Me, 701 W. Armitage Ave.
Shop 857, 857 W. Armitage Ave.
Studio C Style Lounge, 2205 N. Halsted St.
Roscoe Village:
The Denim Lounge, 2039 W. Roscoe St.
Hubba Hubba, 3309 N. Clark St.
Crush Boutique, 2138 W. Roscoe St.
Ukrainian Village:
Anastasia, 1001 N. Damen Ave.
Onyx, 901 N. Damen Ave.
Sir and Madame, 938 N. Damen Ave.
Tarnish, 2024 W. Chicago Ave.
Other neighborhoods:
Apartment Number 9, 1804 N. Damen Ave., Bucktown
Comfort Me, 1508 E. 55th St., Hyde Park
Epitome Inc, 216 W. 31st St., Armour Square
Sarah Jane, 1343 N. Wells St., Old Town
Londo Mondo, 1100 N. Dearborn Ave., Gold Coast
Tribeca Boutique, 1035 W. Madison St., Near West Side
Little Black Dress, 750 N. Franklin St. Suite 104, Near North Side
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