The fact that Chicago has a city-appointed Director of Fashion tells you that this is a great place to shop for haute couture. If you want to dress for success there is one destination: The Magnificent Mile along Michigan Avenue. Along an eight-block stretch, over 460 stores offer luxury items and fashion bargains to suit most budgets, and there are lovely restaurants and cafes aplenty to offer exhausted shoppers refreshment. Another area worth exploring is Oak Street, which provides a renowned concentration of designers and salons.Chicago is equally famous for its art and antiques dealers, which are congregated around the River North Gallery District. There are also some good markets, some of which sell antiques: on Sunday mornings don't miss the Maxwell Street Market, which boasts more than 500 stalls selling everything under the sun. Get there early and don't be afraid to bargain.Malls and department stores in Chicago are generally open from 10am to 9pm Monday to Saturday; and 12pm to 6pm on Sundays. A sales tax of about 10 percent (the highest sales tax of any large city in the US) is levied on most products and is added at point of purchase, not on the price tag.
