Critics' pick: 1154 LILL Studio

SHOE THING Building on the runaway success of its design-your-own-handbag business, 1154 LILL Studio hopes to outfit Chicago’s most fashionable feet with its new ballet flat (named Imelda, of course). Choose one or two fabrics and a color for the dyed leather buckle, hand over $160, and a few weeks later your pair is ready for pickup. More than 30 fabrics and 10 leather colors are available, which means that 36,000 different combinations are possible—and of those thousands, at least one’s bound to put an extra spring in your step. Available at 1154 LILL Studio, 904 W Armitage Ave between Fremont and Bissell Sts (773-477-5455, www.1154lill.com).—Annie Tomlin