Romantika Lingerie Boutique Spices Up Downtown Winnetka

Shopping in downtown Winnetka just got a little sexier, thanks to the recently opened Romantika Lingerie Boutique.

The store — which carries fine European lingerie, high-end athletic wear, designer men’s underwear, sex toys, candles, jewelry and other gifts — opened in it’s new location at 912 Green Bay Rd. about two weeks ago after four and a half years in Wheeling.

“Most of our clients are from the North Shore, and we decided to go to them,” co-owner Kate Gordin said. “This is a little conservative of an area but [North Shore residents] are adventurous but they don’t always show it…everyone wants to spice it up!”

The lingerie carried at Romantika is predominately made by European designers of delicate materials such as raw silk — which means the price of a bra can be more than some shoppers are used to.

“It’s like a good car,” Gordin said. “It’s an investment. We wear our bras every day. You look good, it gives you that comfort and it’s worth spending the money. Women come in and say, ‘I won’t spend $100 on a bra’ but they try it on and they get it. They say, ‘I feel beautiful, I look amazing and I get it.’”

Gordin noted that while the store’s lingerie does make a great gift or the perfect addition to a special occasion, she and her business partner want to change the way women look at fancy lingerie.

“A lot of people do shop for special occasions, but we want to convert their way of thinking — every day is a special occasion!” she said. “We want to change the minds of women. We want to celebrate them, celebrate ourselves."

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Gordin, who is originally from the Ukraine, has worked in intimate apparel for more than 10 years. (Co-owner Sasha Tsupina is originally from Russia.) Her time working with European brands made her dream of one day opening her own upscale lingerie shop — something she feels that many small towns in America are missing. 

“In small towns in Europe, there will be a little hole-in-the-wall and it will have the most beautiful lingerie,” she said. “Here, it’s all mass produced in the millions. How do they have quality control?”

Gordin and Tsupina personally select everything that goes into the store, and rarely order from a catalog. Instead, they travel to the country’s two largest lingerie shows in Las Vegas and New York, where they handpick everything.

“We have to feel the fabric,” Gordin explained. “I try them on. They may look beautiful, but does it feel good?”

The store sits right in downtown Winnetka and has a relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere for shoppers, with comfortable couches, nice lighting, bottles of water and French music playing.

“We did the decorating ourselves,” Gordin said. “This is my second home, I wanted it to be comfortable!”

The ladies at Romantika are happy to help with any questions and to help with finding the right lingerie for their customers. For more information, visit their website here.