Jennifer Berg

When Kristin Skordilis opened her West Loop boutique less than a year ago, she named the store Koros after the Greek goddess of extravagant joy. Skordilis learned of the mythical being on a trip to Greece and immediately felt a deep, "karmic" connection to Koros' name. Later, when searching for words that would capture the essence of her shop, Kristen knew that calling it Koros was simply "meant to be." Indeed, the name fits the shop like a made-to-measure shoe: the word Koros hints at something unique and captures a frame of mind and a certain lifestyle. Similarly, the store Koros is more a museum-cum-gallery-cum-boutique than just a place to shop.

Like its name, nearly everything in the Lake Street boutique tells a story and provides a testament to Kristen's love for travel and culture. At Koros, exotic and historical artifacts are re-imagined as components of the modern shopping experience: Kristen uses a 200-year-old English church altar as a sales counter, fashion magazines are stacked into a hand-carved Peacock house from Indonesia and antique washbasins from a nineteenth-century convent--in a cheekily ironic twist--house intimates and beauty products.

The clothing lines that fill Koros share the discovered-gem feeling that characterize the rare fixtures that decorate the shop: "I like to find undiscovered lines," Kristen has said. "It gives customers a reason to come in; otherwise, we wouldn't be different from Chicago's other boutiques." This fall, Kristen has the Chicago exclusive on scathingly stylish pieces from lines like Hugo Boss Orange, Tory Nichelle and The Wrights.

Along with showcasing emerging clothing designers, Kristen uses her space to champion up-and-coming local artists. From now until mid-October, haunting work from photographer Ryan Ewart will be on display at the boutique. Ewart's photographs, ranging from $650-$1500, focus on the transience of nature by capturing the artist's favorite subject: "I am obsessed with leaves," Ewart has said. "When leaves die they take on a whole new form, oftentimes [resembling] animate beings." Placed on a soaring brick wall at the front of Koros, Ewart's photos are right at home amidst Kristen's menagerie of undiscovered treasures.

(2006-09-05)

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