Posts with tag Chicago

When it comes to highlighting the popular trends in lingerie, we think the Victoria's Secret catalog edges out Playboy magazine. But when it comes to raw political power, it looks like the landslide victory goes to the publication with a naughty little bunny as its mascot. According to the rumor mill, Playboy's CEO Christie Hefner might be under consideration for a cabinet position with Team Obama.

We love the sassy style of the Evil Kitty collection, designed by Lidia Wachowska. Inspired by an animated character that Lidia created while attending The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, the collection includes t-shirts, dresses, underwear, jewelry and more, all designed with strong, independent women in mind. Lidia, current Artist-In-Residence of The Chicago Fashion Incubator, recently launched the Evil Kittens fan club, which offers exclusive items, contests and discounts to members. We chatted with Lidia to find out more.

Liz Lemon isn't the only who loves Oprah -- there are millions of us who can't wait to hear about O's latest discoveries, and follow her suggestions to the letter. Vision boards anyone?

Traveling pop-up shop Little Black Dress debuted in Los Angeles this week. The sprawling boutique features clothing, jewelry, artwork, and even botanical and floral arrangements--all for a good cause.

Benefiting do-good organizations like Junior League and Dress for Success, Little Black Dress offers clothing from the likes of Kira Plastinina, La Rok and Vivienne Westwood. (Candle designer Dayna Decker even created a Swarovski crystal-encrusted collection exclusively for the temporary store.) After hours, Little Black Dress will hold philanthropic fashion events like "Vino and Vinyasa" and "Movie and a Makeover."

And if the Sunset Boulevard locale is far from home, not to worry. In 2009, Little Black Dress will make appearances in New York and Chicago, too.

We're enjoying all of the Wall Street Journal coverage about Michelle Obama and her sartorial choices. Last week it was about what she wore on The View. This week's Michelle missive reveals the name of the designer behind the purple "fist bump" sheath dress, and so many of Michelle's great looks: Chicago-based designer Maria Pinto.

Online shopping has changed the way that Americans spend their money. Whether you are in Bangor, Maine or San Diego, California, the world wide web gives you access to the best goods in America, all from the comfort of home.

But internet retail cannot fill the special place in my heart that I reserve for new shops in other cities. Whether it's a piece of jewelry, a great outfit or a plain white t-shirt, what you buy on the road can become a special souvenir to remind you -- months or even years later -- of that great trip where you scored that totally unforgettable item.

Earlier this week, I told you my favorite worldwide cities. Well, here are my favorite stateside shopping ports-of-call:

1. New York City
Well, of course, New York is the best city for shopping in America. They have Barneys, they have Henri Bendel, they have Stella McCartney and soon they will also be the first American city to have my favorite international store, TopShop London. If you are in the mood for smaller boutiques or vintage clothing, New York offers you everything you could possibly crave, especially if they make it in black.

2. Miami
There are few urban cities in an America where you will not be tempted to buy or wear anything that is black. Miami is one of these, which for better or worse, is a great place to visit if you are looking for something colorful to perk up your wardrobe. While you're there, be sure to check out the Bal Harbour Shops and the Lincoln Road area. The Bal Harbour Shops was once named the best shopping center in America. (How 'bout them apples?)

4. Chicago
Chicago may very well be known as a great place for boutique shopping. But to me, Chicago will also be the great city of department stores. My favorite, admitted for nostalgic reasons, has to be Marshall Fields on State Street. (It's actually Macy's now, but it's still the same old turn-of-the-century building.)

5. Las Vegas
Over the past ten years, Las Vegas has been transformed from a seedy Sin City to a true destination for luxury shopping. Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton -- why Las Vegas might as well be known as the Milan of United States, of course, with much smaller churches and Elvis Impersonators instead of runway models.

6. Portland
So, Portland might not be the place to go for expensive designer goods, but if you are looking for the unique and one-off item that no one else will have, Portland is the place to go. Check out the Pearl District for hipster boutiques. Just make sure you save some time for digging through Red Light Clothing Exchange, Portland's most famous vintage clothing store.

7. Seattle
If I could create the perfect city, I would definitely put Filene's Basement next to Nordstorm's, which would be only a few blocks from the uber-trendy Marimekko store, which would be just a stone's skip off of the ocean. Sounds an awful lot like Seattle, doesn't it? Well, I might change a few things about the city (like the weather), but on the whole, Seattle is right up my alley when it comes to shopping.

"If you want to be a cowboy, you go to Texas," says Steven Kolb, executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and if you want to be a fashion designer, you have to be in New York. "That's just the way it is."

But despite this well-known tradition, other US cities are vying for attention from the fashion industry. Fashion Weeks are popping up in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami, and some younger, newer designers are choosing to stay out of New York. Forbes highlights five designers in these cities as well as in New Orleans and Seattle:

• Suzanne Perron - bridal wear designer out of New Orleans with Vera Wang and Carolina Herrera pedigree
• Orlando Espinoza - women's separates and dresses in Chicago
• Colleen Quen - dressed Tyra Banks and Paris Hilton out of San Francisco
• Nicolas Felizola - Venezuelan designer in Miami
• Suzanne Jaberg - her line Suzabelle is out of Seattle

You certainly have no problem dressed up in your favorite designers: skinny little Joe's Jeans, Nanette Lepoore jacket, and Manolo slingbacks, but now you can eat designer food. No, no, Calvin Klein isn't selling frozen dinners. Chicago restaurants are serving designer beef.

"Designer" refers to a couple of things here. The beef might come from cows fed on a specific diet that makes it "premium." Companies like Tallgrass Beef Company and Slanker's Grass-Fed Meats in Texas tout the nutritional benefits of grass-fed beef. "Designer" beef can also mean that it shares the same genes with a very expensive, prize-winning bull. David Burke's Primehouse shelled out $250,000 for a black Angus bull named Prime 207L. Now they are guaranteed that "by inseminating heifers with semen from the same bull, the restaurant guarantees its steaks are of the highest quality." In any case, "designer" also means it's very expensive.

And premium, "designer" beef is making its way to actual designers, too. RL, Ralph Lauren's restaurant in downtown Chicago serves steaks from Lauren's ranch about four months a year.

Moo-la-la!

Thursday night marked a big-time, blow-out show at Washington DC's famed 9:30 Club for the hardest working ladies of indie-rock, Sleater-Kinney.

Formed over a decade ago in Olympia, Washington (the band takes its name from an exit along the I-5 corridor), Sleater-Kinney's she-rockers Corinne Tucker, Janet Weiss and Carrie Brownstein have been steadily turning out albums from the Pacific Northwest since the first Clinton Administration.

In an indie-rock world dominated by greasy-haired, ironic t-shirted boy bands, Sleater-Kinney has managed to carve out a space for female rockers. Yet it's not just about being female. As one New Yorker writer opined, "It's insulting to call Sleater-Kinney the best female rock band in the world when they're one of the best rock bands, period."

That said, nothing last forever, and the band's most recent album The Woods may just be their last. An "indefinite hiatus" is going to occur at the end of the current tour, so you'd better see them now. The band plays next in Chicago.