07/27/07

Drumroll, Please . . .

Spoiler alert: we're about to tell you which local indie designers got the nod from Macy's.

So, let me just get this out of the way. I could never do the whole fashion design thing. I can’t sew together a paper bag. I don’t have the patience to dry my hair in the morning, much less affix tiny little buttons or adjust hemlines. My favorite article of clothing is a T-shirt from high school that says Planned Parenthood of Alabama. It has a picture of a rabbit popping out of a hat. My mother always tries to throw it away when I visit.

Posted at 02:19 PM in Coda | Permalink | Comments (5)

07/26/07

Project Runway, Macy's style

Even I could feel the intensity. Thirty or so local clothing designers (when you count accessories, there were 70 in all) had trucked their wares up to the 9th floor of Macy’s in the hopes that they’d get picked up by a major department store. By "picked up," I mean that Macy’s had set aside budget money to add pieces by local designers to their collection. This is huge, seeing as how Marshall Field’s (and later Macy’s) used to buy on consignment only. Now they were going to buy entire “lots” up front—a purchase that could make an indie designer’s year...

Posted at 04:51 PM in Coda | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/23/07

Breaking Wilco News

Wilco is coming to Millennium Park!

I know, I know; like you, I just crowded into the park to see The Decemberists, and it stunk because there were too many people. But consider this: Like the Tori Amos show a few years back, they are going to sell tickets, which will control the crowd. I can attest that the Amos show was pleasant—even on the lawn—and way more fan-friendly than The Decemberists show last week.

So, here are the details...

Posted at 05:33 PM in Coda | Permalink | Comments (0)

07/20/07

Street Style at Pitchfork

After pledging my entire weekend to Pitchfork three years in a row, I consider myself a pro. I know where to set up camp and get the best sound. I know that you need to stuff Charmin in your satchel because the LepreCans run out on the first day. And I know that Pitchfork, in particular, is the best place to witness veritable street style. At one point during the weekend, a friend from New York even turned to me and said, totally unprompted, "Chicago has waaaaay more hipsters than New York." So true. Here were some of our favorites, photographed by Maria Bianco. PLUS: What the critics said

Posted at 01:43 PM in Coda | Permalink | Comments (9)

07/19/07

First Look at Table Fifty-Two

Right before a restaurant opens, they usually throw a party for the media. Since our dining editors review eating establishments anonymously, they never show at these parties (waiting, instead, to dine there shortly after the opening so they won't be "outed"). But sometimes they get curious, and when they do, they send someone like me.

I was jazzed. Earlier this week, I was asked to check out Table Fifty-Two, the debut restaurant from Oprah Winfrey's chef and prolific cookbook author Art Smith...

Posted at 01:47 PM in Coda | Permalink | Comments (8)

07/18/07

Q & A with The Decemberists' Colin Meloy

It’s a musical experiment on the grandest of scales: Tonight the Portland-based rock band The Decemberists sit down with 82 classical musicians from the Grant Park Orchestra to play an hour-long set in Millennium Park. Pre-concert, I chatted with The Decemberists’ lead singer, Colin Meloy, who collaborated with classical composer Sean
O'Loughlin on the arrangements.

Posted at 04:10 PM in Coda | Permalink | Comments (0)