Blog: Crossroads Style

If you follow our Instagram feed, you know we share Black-owned labels there every Friday. If you didn’t catch them all last month, we have them here in one place for you.

HOME by Areeayl

HOME by Areeayl is a jewelry line of whimsical and imaginative pieces by designer @areeayl, who enjoys creating pieces in real life that she’s seen in her dreams. Scroll through their brand feed to see this vision in action!

Yam

Yam is a made-to-order, handmade jewelry brand based in Queens, NY, and founded by designer Morgan Thomas. The line is inspired by Thomas’ late mother, who introduced her to jewelry making at a young age, and the nostalgic (but modern) pieces are created with deadstock materials and vintage silhouettes. Check out the brand’s feed to see these playful pieces.

LaQuan Smith

All eyes are on the eponymous label, LaQuan Smith. The designer has been a celebrity favorite for almost a decade, creating distinctive pieces and building an impressive global presence. Scroll the brand’s IG feed for lots and lots of glamour.

House of Aama

LA-based fashion label, House of Aama, is designed by a mother and daughter duo committed to 100% manufacturing in LA. The pair “explores the folkways of the Black experience by designing timeless garments with nostalgic references informed by historical research, archival analysis, and storytelling.” Take a look at their resulting designs!

This is just a sampling of all the Black-owned labels we’ve shared on our Instagram feed. Visit our feed to see even more, or join us back on our website next month when we’ll feature our March picks.

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As part of our Staff Style Spotlight series, meet Anusha, a Sales Associate at Crossroads. We asked Chicago employees to bring their style and star in our latest photoshoot wearing their Crossroads finds. Read about Anusha’s personal style, favorite Crossroads finds, and favorite thing about working at Crossroads.

Tell us about your favorite Crossroads find.

I found just the perfect vintage flared suede pants with a wide studded and tooled belt in the most complimentary tan ever; truly my favorite pair.

What are you dying to see come into your Crossroads store?

I hope to encounter some fun Roberto Cavalli pieces to make my wardrobe more playful and psychedelic.

What are your favorite spring trends?

I adore wedge sandals, knit tanks, caps, and dresses, pointelle, ruffles, ruching, high-low skirts, patterned stockings, denim sets, and varied sleeve-length layering.

How would you describe your personal style?

My style is a love letter to all I hold dear, from the ‘60s all the way to the ‘90s, through the synergy of other art forms, I can genuinely harness the practice of balance and explore the scales of gender. My clairvoyance comes through the way I amber eras giving way to nostalgic release, the most potent way to be present.

What is your favorite thing about working at Crossroads?

Crossroads is a safe space to host all our introspective journeys and foster sustainable cycles through our expression. Everyone visiting day to day manifests all they seek in what they can find and provide both to and from the community. To witness and aid in this appreciation for balance is blissful.

Top tips for selling at Crossroads?

Buying is a fluid yet reliable process as long as you remain integral to what you bring to us. With seasons, trends, and so many locations you will always find a time and place where your style will mesh. The whole process is for anyone and we are more than eager to tell you how it works so don’t fret about your first time, we’re here for you!

Thanks for the Staff Style Spotlight, Anusha! As a Sales Associate, Anusha assists customers on the sales floor, monitors the fitting rooms, and processes new merchandise for the floor all while providing great customer service. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? Join our team! Check out our Careers page to learn more about working at Crossroads.

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Secondhand fashion shopping is one of our favorite activities, and the perks are pretty impressive.

First, the beneficial impact of buying secondhand is well-known. Whenever possible, we like to give an existing fashion piece a longer life rather than buying a new one.

Second, it’s undeniably fun. We compare it to a treasure hunt because you’ll never know what you’ll find on the racks. At Crossroads stores, for example, we buy clothing from the public all day every day, so our inventory is different every time you visit.

Finally, you can find really good clothing and accessories. Here are some of those perks:

Finding Designer Pieces at Discount

We’d wear this secondhand Gucci belt with everything.

Gucci Belt, $275

Shopping Unique Pieces

No cookie cutter fashion here: you’ll find pieces as unique as your personal style.

Psychic Outlaw Jacket, $55

Loewe Paula’s Ibiza Flamenco Knot Bag, $550

Getting The Pieces You Missed Last Time Around

Missed the last fashion collaboration when everything sold out? Not to worry – you’ll eventually find it secondhand.

Alexander Wang x H&M, $32.50

Finding Nostalgic Pieces

This is a major treasure hunt find, finding a piece you owned years ago, or a tee to a concert you once saw.

Assorted T-Shirts, prices vary.

Getting Sporty

If you love a sports team, you can increase your gameday picks by thrifting for pieces.

Buying Like-New Pieces Way Below Retail

You read that right. Even like-new pieces are discounted at secondhand, sometimes to only a third of their original retail price.

Nike Air Jordans, $95

What are you waiting for? Add some secondhand shopping to your weekend plans and get your hands on your “new” clothing favorites.

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Spring fashion prints are starting to arrive on our racks, and it has us asking each morning: is it spring yet?

Each season brings us a new crop of trends to swap into our wardrobes, and spring is extra special for the prints that emerge. Here are 8 we love to see!

1. Designer

We are always drawn to a signature designer print, like the one on this sweater by Missoni.

2. Floral

It wouldn’t be a list of best spring prints without including florals! They make every spring print list, and for good reason – they’re an ideal match.

3. Neon

Bright colors fit the spring season so well, and that’s what makes it time for neon prints.

4. Houndstooth

This print doesn’t need to stay in fall and winter. Transition to light sweaters and tees, but keep those houndstooth prints around.

5. Geometric

Checks and pinstripes look amazing on their own, but even better together.

6. Vintage

Retro prints are still making the scene, so keep thrifting those recognizable prints.

7. Plaid

In spring, we move to plaids in lighter colors but never shy away from mixing multiple ones for a bold effect.

8. Stripes

We’re forever and always committed to stripes and love when they re-emerge each spring.

Now go and shop any of our store locations for your favorite spring fashion prints, and bring in your pre-loved clothing to sell for cash or store credit.

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Black influence on style can be seen everywhere. We recently looked at 3 popular fashion trends that were born in Black culture, but we’re still only scratching the surface. Today, let’s look at a few more ways that Black culture has significantly influenced the fashion we wear now.

Hoop Earrings

Now considered a staple accessory in any wardrobe, hoop earrings go far back in history. Visit a museum of Nubian and Egyptian artifacts, and you’ll find beautiful pieces.

However, Black movements in the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s brought hoop earrings into the modern era, as prominent activist figures like Angela Davis began to wear them again. Hoop earrings were back.

Nail Art

Like hoop earrings, nail art can be traced further back in history, but its re-emergence into modern pop culture happened in the 1980s.

The runner and icon, Florence Griffith-Joyner, stole the Olympics scene for breaking world records and the fierce nail art she brought to her races. Like art on a new canvas, it opened the gate for this fashion trend to spread globally. See a photo gallery of her gorgeous nail art here.

Streetwear

By now, the term streetwear is known to anyone who follows fashion. Designer houses produce their own lines of it through bucket hats, oversized pieces, and graphic t-shirts.

However, this style of clothing didn’t emerge from the fashion houses. It was introduced to the world in the late 1970s and early 1980s through hip-hop artists from NY and LA who have left an undeniable mark on how we dress today.

Again, these are 3 modern trends we can’t imagine missing from the fashion world. Their emergence from Black influences of the past can be seen all around us today.

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