Portland’s posh Pearl District seems an unlikely stop for a gypsy caravan, but step inside Cargo and you’ll be sure you’ve hit a roving treasure trove. The sprawling 13th Street warehouse space houses “uncommon objects from around the world.” Continue reading
Posted in pearl district, portland, shopping
Tagged pearl district, portland, shopping
Brooke was spotted on the job at moulé, a terrific boutique in Portland’s Pearl District. Her layered look is a great inspiration for the change of seasons.
The perfectly distressed boots? “Riding boots! I’ve had them forever.”
Posted in portland, shopping, street style, wearing
Tagged pearl district, portland, shopping, street style, wearing
Don’t worry gents, I’m still on the market. Yet you don’t need to be a bride to blush at BHLDN, the dreamy new bridal boutique from the Anthropologie family. BHLDN recently celebrated its one-year anniversary by opening its second retail location, and Chicago was treated to a romantic reception.
The stunning 3,600 square-foot townhouse is a treasure trove of glamorous adornment. Between their place cards and pumps, garters and gowns, BHLDN’s attire and trimmings offer a multi-dimensional special occasion. The pastel swathed showroom of the first floor is bursting with lace, tulle, and chiffon that bridesmaids will be begging to re-wear. Glass cases display vintage-looking accessories with a curatorial air. It’s almost as if earrings and gloves were plucked from a flea market and showcased in a museum, begging to be bought.
Atop the winding staircase, angel wings hover over the whimsy of the second floor. Gorgeous headpieces, shoes, dresses, and baubles command attention, while the lingerie room lures you astray. Another nook allows brides to pull the perfect pinwheels and candlesticks to personalize their decor.
And then there are the gowns. About 45 luxe looks strike a pose in the bridal salon ranging from understated, to sweet, to seriously chic.
Over 300 guests attended BHLDN’s launch, which featured guest hostess Darcy Miller Nussbaum of Martha Stewart Weddings. Judging by Chicago’s response it’s a match made in happily ever after.
For Further Exploration
An Anthropologie Anniversary
Design*Sponge Book Signing in Chicago
Posted in chicago, events, exploring, gold coast, impressions, south loop
Tagged bhldn, bridal, chicago, events, exploring, impressions, near north side, oak street, shopping
If your Sunday routine includes sipping and shopping it’s likely you’ve heard of Dose Market. The monthly food and fashion market has been buzzed about since last summer and returns in its first 2012 iteration this Sunday.
Billed as “Chicago’s most dynamic gathering of innovative fashion, artisan food and high design¹,” Dose assembles local artisans in the grand atrium of the River East Arts Center.
I attended the October Dose and was delighted with the vendor offering. It’s clear that each vendor is carefully selected for their unique, local, and well-made wares giving the event a curatorial air. Being used to mega-fairs and markets with many more booths, I made several quick laps before slowing down to visit each vendor. Although each Dose is busy, the intimate atmosphere and small selection encourages you to sample each stand, chatting with the “Dosers” and unraveling the story behind their brand, storefront, and wares. I discovered that Alaskan Salmon’s proprietor spends many months up north personally fishing for his offering, got home herb advice from the ladies at Sprout Home, and found Laura Lombardi to be as lovely in person as her jewelry line that I continuously crave.
Since there is an admission charge for each Dose Market ($8 pre-order, $10 at the door) you should be prepared to make a day of it. Come hungry, come ready to shop, and come with cash. I had planned on just browsing, but since the market is small you feel compelled to buy something to make it worth the trip. That being said, many of the chic eats and outfits offered are quite pricey, so don’t expect to see a bargain booth. Also, as with most markets, not everyone at Dose accepts credit so a cash stash will streamline your experience. The only sourness in the Dose is that I was unable to find the booze booth, and arriving mid-way through the event I found several vendors had already shipped out.
Dose Market is a great Sunday destination for exploring Chicago vendors and sampling with your ladies. Fashion bloggers and arty elitists are abundant (someone please tell me where they find their adorably-dressed boyfriends), so prep your outfits accordingly. While there are returning guests, each month’s vendor lineup is different so the serving is always fresh. Ultimately, I can’t quite afford to indulge every month but look forward to a seasonal Dose.
Dose Market at the River East Arts Center
435 East Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Posted in arts, chicago, eating, events, exploring, river north, shopping
Tagged arts, chicago, dose market, eating, exploring, river east arts center, river north, shopping
Please enjoy a piece by my dear friend Ally Batty, with photos by Sarah Dodge. The talented two are the authors of Go That Do There, an insightful and entertaining account of their road trip across America, which you should check out immediately – if not sooner.
When I tell people I am from Atlanta, the conversation invariably turns to a few topics: my lack of a Southern accent and increasingly, the city’s reputation as a leafy mecca for Southern hipsters and new business. Like many Atlantans, I have few traces of the both maligned and lusted -over Southern dialect. We are a motley crew of old southern money, new business transplants, historically black colleges, changing neighborhoods, and both good and bad urban planning.
In truth, Atlanta is both everything and nothing it is made out to be. If you come to Atlanta looking for narrow-minded frat boys and vapid debutantes, you will find them. But you will also find easy interracial friendships, fierce southern progressives (and the odd thoughtful, intelligent conservative), and an abundance of smart, young entrepreneurs who are weaving a gritty, gorgeous, and delicious cultural tapestry of folksy southern charm and New South economic savvy. So without further ado a few of my favorite Atlanta spots:
L5P
Little Five Points (so named because its center is comprised of a five street intersection) is like a counterculture Disneyland. L5P, as it is affectionately known, is a bizarre little commercial district wedged between dicey neighborhoods and streets lined with old Victorians. It’s the kind of place where on any given day you could pick out a good healing crystal, drink a craft beer, and get a Prince Albert. My church youth group used to hand out pb&j’s to the substantial homeless population in the neighborhood and were routinely turned away by offended L5Pers who merely appeared homeless.
West Egg
A vegetarian friendly, southern-style brunch with a hot, hipster waitstaff, a breezy patio, and a Great Gatsby reference? Oui, merci. West Egg‘s location on the industrial west side is gorgeously mirrored by the restaurant’s clean, wood and concrete-accented interior. Try the fried green tomatoes, black bean cakes with eggs, and the pimento cheese grits. This is Atlanta doing Brooklyn better than Brooklyn can.
Clermont Lounge
Ok, this is a weird one. Mention Clermont Lounge to any Atlantan, and they will immediately recognize the name. Not so strange for a list of best-loved Atlanta spots, right? Here’s where it gets weird: the Clermont Lounge is a strip club in the basement of the now-defunct “pay-by-the-hour” Clermont Hotel. Furthermore, all the strippers are either overweight, over the age of 40, or otherwise less-than-desirable. I may catch some slack on this, but there’s nothing like dancing to funk music with a mixture of bachelorette parties, hipsters, sketchy old men, and a 65-year old named Peaches who can open a beer between her breasts.
Inman Park
In my opinion, perfect Atlanta. Beautiful Victorian homes with wide porches, old growth trees, and commercial districts within walking distance. In-town neighborhoods like Inman Park made it difficult to explain in college how I grew up both within and without the city. There is something so magically Atlanta about the ambient, percussive chirp of cicadas mingled with the thrush of traffic.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
People often knock Atlanta for being an urban desert. And in many ways, the downtown effectively closes down on Friday at 5 pm. But sprinkled throughout the deserted office buildings and shuttered former department stores are beautiful, old churches surrounded by courtyards and brimming with shade trees and hydrangeas. Downtown churches are thriving with parishioners who travel from all over to hear the good word and share some gossip over bitter, burnt church coffee. I grew up at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church which perches like a grand, old matriarch along Atlanta’s pulsing arteries, I-75 and Peachtree Rd. Bitter about the church’s homeless outreach programs, a neighboring restauranteur once paid a handful of homeless people to come into church on Sunday and sit amongst the seersucker suits and Lily Pulitzer. Imagine his dismay when we all shook hands and hugged during the Peace, and not one Buckhead Betty batted a perfectly curled eyelash.
So, yeah, Atlanta rocks. Buy yourself a Delta sale ticket (oh heck, and one for me too!) and come get lost on Peachtree.
- By Ally Batty
Posted in atlanta, drinking, eating, exploring, guest post, shopping
Tagged atlanta, clermont lounge, drinking, eating, exploring, inman park, lp5, shopping, west egg
I’ve got nothing against eReaders. Encouraging people to read more is the goal, and I am all for whatever device accomplishes that. Friends of mine swear by their Kindles and maybe one day I will too, but for me there is something about the magic of ink, and paper, and binding. There’s a thrill in wandering through ceiling-high stacks, seeing books arranged on my shelves at home, and especially lending them to share with friends.
The Newberry Library Book Fair is an excellent opportunity to scour the stacks for gems to fill your shelves. Exploring the 120,000 used volumes on sale is akin to treasure hunting, and with 70 categories there is surely something for everyone just waiting to be found. Newbery’s annual book fair kicks off today at noon, and will run July 28-29 from 12pm – 8pm and July 30-31 from 10am – 6pm. Admission to the book fair is FREE.
If you’ve not visited the Newberry Library, this is a wonderful excuse to check out the unique Chicago landmark. Established in 1887, the research library specializes in humanities and social sciences of Western civilization. While the Newberry is a private, non-circulating collection, it is always free and open to the public. The library holds over 1.5 million books and historic documents, including a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
At last year’s Newberry Library Book Fair, I managed to fill my arms with more books than I could carry in the first twenty minutes, including an author-signed biography of Virginia Woolf, visual history of fashion, a collection of poetry by Yeats, and a literary history of Chicago. Let me know what prizes you find and happy hunting!
“Why?” It’s a question Chicagoans often encounter regarding the choice to trudge through each inhibiting winter (all 5 months of it) for a few short summer weeks. Why? Because we make it count. Between miles of beaches and the Lakefront Trail, outdoor sports, massive summer concert festivals, and alfresco dining or drinking on every rooftop and slice of sidewalk that can be called a patio Summertime Chi makes even the worst blizzard worth it.
Street festivals in every neighborhood are another warm weather fixture, and with over 400 to attend in Chicago you have to set your schedule wisely.
Here’s a recap of the best fests of June 2011.
Do Division: June 4 – 5, 2011
Perhaps my favorite summer street fest, Do Division is a great way to kick off Chicago’s festival season. Wicker Park is packed with craft and artist tents, food & booze booths, interesting live music, and prime people watching.
Printer’s Row Lit Fest: June 4 – 5, 2011
Each June, the Printer’s Row Lit Fest attracts booksellers, bibliophiles, publishers, authors, performers, and organizations to the historic neighborhood for a celebration of all things literary. Read more…
Chicago Blues Fest: June 10 – 12, 2011
Chicago’s largest music festival has featured the world’s most renown blues musicians for nearly thirty years. This free fest is a great way to take in the city’s skyline from Grant Park while enjoying the best blues has to offer, whether seated on the lawn or dancing with fellow fest-goers.
Old Town Art Fair: June 11 – 12, 2011
Art booths are a staple at many summer festivals, but the Old Town Art Fair boasts 620 of the best from all over the country. The featured artists are judiciously selected by a panel of professional artists, gallery owners, and museum curators. The inspiring array includes mediums from painting, photography, and 2D- and 3D- mixed media to sculpture, metalworking, ceramics, and jewelry, so ensure you allot enough time to explore it all!
Block prints by Kreg Yingst capture the imagination of music.
The intricate sculptures of Ted Gall open to reveal worlds within.
Ella Richards captures life with her paper cut art.
Kyle Fokken‘s sculptural self-portrait is “Difficult to Fathom.”
Each of Amy Flynn’s Found Object Robots comes with a story of its own.
Posted in arts, chicago, exploring, listening, old town, printer's row, reading, shopping, south loop, the loop, wicker park
Tagged arts, blues, chicago, chicago blues fest, chicago festivals, do division street fest, exploring, festival, grant park, listening, live music, magnificent mile, old town, old town art festival, printer's row, printer's row lit fest, reading, shopping, south loop, summer, the loop, wicker park
I had to go all the way to New York to see CHICAGO. The musical centering on corruption, sex, song, and crime in Jazz Age Chicago is one of my favorites, and I was thrilled to see it on Broadway.
With a music and dance-centric plot there was little to the onstage set aside from a chair, a fire escape ladder, and a full band. The cast conveyed the rich and playful story to scintillating perfection with their razzle dazzling performance and enticing ensambles.
Inspired by the cast’s ability to transport the audience to Chicago’s not-so-distant days of gangs, gin, and jazz with only a few props and the power of their performance, I attempted the same. Highlighting one Chicago neighborhood, I focused on storefronts in Lincoln Park, one of the old haunts of the North Side gang.
1. Anita Jerry Necklace – Sequin, $285; 2. Music Background Rubber Stamp – Paper Source, 14.95; 3. Lace and Satin Slip – Underthings, $84; 4. Patch NYC Solid Perfume – Art Effect, $24; 5. Mug Shots – Art Effect, $18; 6. Chicago Marble Coasters – Art Effect, $44; 7. Feather Tutu – Cynthia Rowley, $330; 8. Vintage 1920′s Compact – Millionaire Rejects, $125; 9. Tulle Garter Belt – Isabella, $30; The Biograph Theater – 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue
From vintage pieces to reproductions, I found incredible Old Chicago inspiration in Lincoln Park. For example, the compact above was one of several in the store which I was told were twirled around by dancing girls in the 1920′s.
1. Sequin Dress – BCBG, $; 2. Frankly Scarlet Powder Blush – MAC, $19.50; 3. Straw Fedora – BCBG, $38; 4. Seychelles Pot of Gold – Lori’s Shoes, $88; 5. Vintage Crystal Decanter Set – Stanley Galleries, $325; 6. Gold Earrings – The Green Goddess Boutique, $45; 7. Micro-Mesh Gloria-V Bodysuit- American Apparel, $44; 8. Jonathan Adler Pill Keychain – Art Effect, $19.50; 9. Men’s Dancing Shoe – American Apparel, $52; 2121 N. Clark Street
Luckily, you won’t have to go so far to see the Cell Block Tango live. CHICAGO the Musical will run June 7-12 at the Oriental Theater. I recommend you stash a flask in your garter and see what all that jazz is all about.
Posted in chicago, exploring, lincoln park, manhattan, new york city, performing, shopping
Tagged broadway, chicago, exploring, jazz age, lincoln park, musical, new york, performing, shopping
Jamie layers preppy basics with a thrifted cardigan and khaki shorts, and Oxfords by Urban Outfitters. Her update on classic staples is perfect for the unpredictable Chicago spring.
Posted in street style, the loop, wearing
Tagged chicago, shopping, street style, the loop, thrifting, urban, wearing
Chicago Turkish Festival, Daley Plaza - Chicago, IL
There are a few days left to explore the 9th annual Chicago Turkish Festival at Daley Plaza. Stop by this FREE fest through May 25 to indulge in Turkish cuisine, music, dance, and handcrafts. Sip a Turkish coffee in the plaza and enjoy the arts of Istanbul without leaving the Windy City.
Posted in arts, events, performing, shopping, street scene, the loop
Tagged chicago turkish festival, daley plaza, eating, events, performing, shopping, the loop, turkish coffee
