The most upscale of the Magnificent Mile's four vertical malls, 900 North Michigan (often called the Bloomingdale's building, for its most prominent tenant), avoids the tumult of Water Tower Place by appealing to a more well-heeled shopper. In addition to about 70 stores, there are a few good restaurants and a movie theater on the lower level. The Chicago outpost of Gucci (ground floor; tel. 312/664-5504) has the same hip attitude as the label's sexy clothing and much-in-demand purses. Also on the ground floor is MaxMara (tel. 312/475-9500), the Italian women's fashion house known for elegantly constructed coats and separates (some of which will cost you about as much as a flight to Italy). Other goodies worth checking out include funky European footwear at Charles David (second floor; tel. 312/944-9013), amazingly intricate French glassware at Lalique (ground floor; tel. 312/867-1787), and an eclectic selection of hats, mittens, scarves, and other accessories at Glove Me Tender (fifth floor; tel. 312/664-4022), which should be your first stop if you're caught here during an unexpected cold spell.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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