Tag Archives: fashion

What could be more chic than custom shoes?

Posted by under fashion, lifestyle, shopping

 

 

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Sort of a trick question because of course, the answer is nothing-unless you answered custom shoes at half price.

Living Social has a deal for Chromatic Gallerie this week-50% off your order.  I’d never heard of this company before but as a shoe lover it seemed like it was my duty to check it out.  The shoes come in three different heel heights, 45 colors, and 4 different materials.

Although the styles are more basic than groundbreaking, they would be perfect for brides and bridesmaids -they even offer discounts when you buy multiples of the same shoe!

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Photos from the CG website

Fashion Icons-Ikram

Posted by under chicago, fashion, personal
Ikram's Glossy Red Exterior

Ikram’s Glossy Red Exterior

I have a confession to make.  I have never been inside Ikram.  It completely and totally intimidates me.  Perhaps not even the store so much, I have no issue walking into Hermes or Chanel and I can’t really afford anything in there either, but Ikram herself.  For those of you who don’t know, she’s basically the Oprah of fashion.  The woman who single handedly legitimizes any claim that Chicago can have on fashion, and like Oprah, Ikram is a kingmaker.

Ikram may have come to national attention when dressing Michelle Obama but she was at the forefront of the fashion word long before that.

“The influence of a chain like Barneys is obvious, but a handful of other boutiques — including Colette in Paris, Maxfield in Los Angeles, 10 Corso Como in Milan and, of course, Ikram in Chicago — can do as much to establish a market for an emerging luxury brand as any national department store. At the highest end of the fashion industry, they are the gatekeepers and anointers. “Even if an account is from Russia, I always tell them I’m carried at Ikram,” said Stephen Courter of Ohne Titel. “They’ll have more trust in the label.””

Ikram Goldman

Ikram Goldman

In some ways, Ikram is not like most of the women I usually think of when I think of my personal fashion icons.  She doesn’t live to be photographed, or wear the outlandish clothing of Daphne Guinness.  And yet, she’s arguably shaping the world’s fashion scene more than any of the it girls on the covers of magazines.

Ikram and her eponymous boutique don’t follow trends, they set them.  But more then trends she has a high focus on quality and is known for being unfailingly rigorous in the standards for the clothing that she caries.

If you can afford to shop at Ikram, you’re bound to get clothing that will stand the test of time in both form and function.  And you might even catch a glimpse of Ikram herself.

Just don’t expect to see me there.  I’m still irrationally terrified of her.

Photo 1, 2

Fashion and Technology

Posted by under fashion, lifestyle, technology

Cool article about the emergence of the luxury tech sector.  It’s amazing to see how quickly the internet has gone from geek to chic if you will.

One of the great things that the internet has done for the luxury market is that it has given access to a much wider group of people to luxury goods.  Granted, you still need to have money to purchase a something, but the barrier to buy .  Frankly, I can’t afford to buy much of what I look at online.  And yet I still spend time pouring over Moda Operandi now the way I would have done with Vogue in high school now the latest information is always at my fingertips and I’m able to see live streaming fashion from Paris Couture Shows at the same time as Anna Wintour.

So, what good does this access give if you if you can’t actually buy something?  Access gives inspiration.  The same way young writers learn to hone their style from reading others, young creatives grow from seeing the works of others.  Plus, when you’re young and living in a small town in the midwest, it’s a comfort to know that there are others out there who dream of the same things you do.

I also love that a lot of these innovators are women.  When we think of technology I think that there’s still a tendency to think of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg…But the ladies on this list are proving that women are just as able to carve out a profitable niche on the internet.

For me, I have to say the gold standard is still Net-a-Porter.  They were really one of the pioneers of online luxury shopping and continue to innovate both with their fashion and technology.  From developing exclusive products to their website to introducing newer brands to consumers through their well curated mix of e-commerce and high quality editorial content they are still the leaders in the online fashion market.

Tracy Taylor, acting style director, Net-A-Porter

Tracy Taylor, acting style director, Net-A-Porter

Which of these innovators are your favorites?

~Maggie

(Photo from article)

Go Go Go!

Posted by under Uncategorized

I finally went to the Picasso Exhibit at the Art Institute today.  I’m not really sure why I waited so long except procrastination since I was talking about going since the day it opened.  At any rate it was worth the wait (though it was probably a bit more crowded today than it would have been a few weeks ago with people trying to see it before it’s gone).

There’s still two days left if you’re in Chicago and haven’t seen it it’s worth going.

Picasso

Picasso

The good news is if you can’t make it this weekend the next exhibit is about fashion and impressionism.  The gift shop is already filled with fashion inspired goodies.  I can hardly wait :)

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And of course no trip to the museum would be complete without an obligatory reference to Ferris Buler’s Day Off with a shot of the Chagall windows.

Chagall Windows

Chagall Windows

My Met Gala Favorites

Posted by under Uncategorized

As promised, I’m here with my some of my favorites from last night’s Met Ball.

Actually, before I get to my favorites I have to get something off my chest.  It pains me to say it but I was really disappointed in a lot of people’s fashion choices.  So many people, especially younger stars played it so safe.  Ladies, there will be so many red carpets where you can wear a dress that is just “pretty”

So, on to better news-here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites.  If you want to see more of what I liked you can check out my tumblr.

Cara Delevingne.  She is incredibly beautiful and she made Burberry look punk.  Enough said.

Cara Delevingne in Burberry

Cara Delevingne in Burberry

Aubrey Plaza.  I will admit to having no idea who she is and I honestly don’t care.  She’s amazing, built in cape FTW!

Aubrey Plaza in Marios Schwab

Aubrey Plaza in Marios Schwab

Rooney Mara in Givenchy.  Perfectly punk elegance.

Rooney Mara in Givenchy

Rooney Mara in Givenchy

Cameron Diaz. Although this is a little reminiscent of the white Tom Ford Gwyneth Paltrow wore a few years ago I like the color and the belt.

Cameron Diaz in Stella McCartney

Cameron Diaz in Stella McCartney

Sarah Jessica Parker.  That Philip Treacy hat won me over immediately.  I sort of wish she had done the boots and headpiece with a black dress so they could both really shine or did the dress and a simple shoe but you know what, she went for it. Props to SJP for that.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker

Anne Hathaway in Valentino.  I think this was my favorite outfit taking the styling into consideration. Bleach blonde and black works on her.

Anne Hathaway in Valentino

Anne Hathaway in Valentino

I know this one is going to be a controversial choice but-Madonna.  She’s kind of my wild card.  I think she’s wearing a wig and she’s for sure not wearing pants but she embraced the theme and she’s running with it.  Bad ass.

Madonna in Givenchy

Madonna in Givenchy

Thoughts on my picks?

~Maggie

All photos from Stylite


Punk-Chaos to Couture

Posted by under Uncategorized
Comme des Garçons (Japanese, founded 1969), spring/summer 2006 Photograph by Catwalking from the Met's website

Comme des Garçons (Japanese, founded 1969), spring/summer 2006
Photograph by Catwalking from the Met’s website

If you’re at all into fashion (or you looked at this blog yesterday) you’ve already seen a lot of coverage of the Met Gala.  And, although I would never complain about a good red carpet, I thought it was important to recognize the exhibit that the gala was celebrating.

According to the Met’s website - ”The Met’s spring 2013 Costume Institute exhibition, PUNK: Chaos to Couture, will examine punk’s impact on high fashion from the movement’s birth in the early 1970s through its continuing influence today. Featuring approximately one hundred designs for men and women, the exhibition will include original punk garments and recent, directional fashion to illustrate how haute couture and ready-to-wear borrow punk’s visual symbols.

Focusing on the relationship between the punk concept of “do-it-yourself” and the couture concept of “made-to-measure,” the seven galleries will be organized around the materials, techniques, and embellishments associated with the anti-establishment style. Themes will include New York and London, which will tell punk’s origin story as a tale of two cities, followed by Clothes for Heroes and four manifestations of the D.I.Y. aesthetic—Hardware, Bricolage, Graffiti and Agitprop, and Destroy.

Presented as an immersive multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes will be animated with period music videos and soundscaping audio techniques.”

Rodarte (American, founded 2005) Vogue, July 2008 Photograph by David Sims from the Met website

Rodarte (American, founded 2005)
Vogue, July 2008
Photograph by David Sims from the Met website

Sounds pretty cool!  Now how do we get this exhibit to come to Chicago?

~Maggie


Pictures of Met Balls Past

Posted by under Uncategorized

Here are a few of my favorite looks from previous Met Balls.

Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren Collection

Camilla Belle in Ralph Lauren Collection

Camilla Belle is such a classic beauty.  This vintage look really suits her and I appreciate that she kept the silhouette simple with her dramatic hair and makeup.

Source 1,

Christina Ricci in Thakoon

Christina Ricci in Thakoon

This was a love it or hate it dress but I have to give it a 10 for drama alone.  And even though she’s petite, I think Christina Ricci is really working this Thakoon dress.

Source 2

Kate Bosworth in Prada

Kate Bosworth in Prada

I love ombre, I love feather so Kate Bosworth really did it for me in this Prada.

Source 3

Daphne Guinness in Alexander McQueen

Daphne Guinness in Alexander McQueen

Daphne Guinness! What can I say? She’s one of my personal fashion icons.  Never one to shy away from the most fearsome fashions out there, she’s always good for a dramatic look.  I can’t wait to see what she’s wearing this year especially since a theme like Punk is perfect for a brave Brit.

Source 4

 

Met Ball 2013

Posted by under Uncategorized

Today’s the day-it’s time for the Met Ball!

So what exactly is the Met Ball?  Well, in addition to Fashion Week the Met Ball is one of fashion’s high holy days.  Technically, the Met Ball is The Costume Institute Gala and it celebrates the opening of the Met’s fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute and it’s organized by Vogue.

Every year has a theme (This year’s is Punk) and guests dress accordingly.  Attendees tend to push the fashion envelope much more than on other red carpets throughout the year since the event is fashion oriented unlike, say the Oscars where it’s more about who’s wearing the clothes than the clothes themselves.  This risk taking obviously leads to some fashion fails but all and all it’s the most interesting red carpet of the year in my opinion.

Several groups will be live streaming the red carpet tonight but I’ll probably stick with Vogue’s coverage and perhaps see what Moda Operandi has to say about the event.  Will you be watching?

~Maggie

PS-Look for my recap-with pictures!-tomorrow



 

 

Bloggers Block

Posted by under blog, Blogging, chicago, lifestyle, personal

How can I have bloggers block when I haven’t written anything yet?  I think it’s mostly that I’m over thinking things and wanting to find the “perfect” way to start this blog which, of course, I’ll never find so I guess I’ll just start with the basics.

I’m Maggie, I was born and raised in Chicago though I’ve also lived in Nashville, Boulder, Denver, and London.  I used to be a teacher but now I’m an entrepreneur running my own bridal lingerie and accessory company which I blog about here.

I decided to start this blog at the suggestion from several friends and because, if I’m being honest, because I’m single again after being in a long term relationship so I have a little extra time on my hands.  It’s also a great excuse to get out a bit more and check out all the things that make Chicago great including, but not limited to, bars, restaurants, shopping, and events.

Basically, the plan is for this to be a lifestyle blog about Chicago with a heavy emphasis on fashion.  At least that’s the plan for now.  I guess we’ll see as we go!

~Maggie