02/19/09
 ALTUZARRA
There's a new designer coming to Chicago, and his sexy
ruched dresses have people heated up. Givenchy and Proenza Schouler
alumnus Joseph Altuzarra has the kind of stuff to draw power buyers
from Barneys, as well as Chicago boutique owner Ikram. First time out of the ring and he has an
order from such an influential force in the retail world. Promising. His incredibly...
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02/17/09
 Swirling paisley eyeshadow, highlighter-bright coats, Thierry Mugler sleeves—it was the 1980s en totale at Marc Jacobs last night.
What I admire about Marc Jacobs:
1. He's one of the few designers who can thrive in a corporate environment and send out a totally creative show within those confines.
2. He's a total extremist whose shows...
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02/16/09
 VENA CAVA
While countless New York women were just beginning to glam up for their Valentine's Day dinner dates, a block of fashion operatives lined up in the West 20s, hoping to get a little love as well. What awaited us at the Vena Cava presentation was not kisses from a loved one but skinny models (somehow they always make me want to eat more chocolate), and many, many gay men...
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02/13/09
 As the fashion citizens of the world unite this week at the tents of Bryant Park for the New York collections, there's much curiosity this season about how budget cuts will affect designers' creations. Fashion insiders say there will be a resetting of the dial—that the weaker talents will be sifted away. As for consumer consciousness, habits are not likely to change so quickly. People will still covet that Miu Miu shoe that will change their lives, making it perfect if even for a few moments...
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10/31/08
 The days following a fashion show are a relief for the designer and
his or her runway production team, but the busiest time for retailers
and sales reps. After all, the clothes would never make it past
editorial spreads if someone didn't work hard to bring them to local
fashion emporiums. Curious to see fashion week from a different angle,
the retailer's point of view, I tagged along with Heiji Choy Black of
Hejfina on a buying appointment for...
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10/20/08
 Every year, models from the Midwest try to make it in the international fashion scene, walking in shows in Milan and Paris and then they go back to … swimming practice and SAT prep courses. That's right, most runway models, especially the neophytes, are barely old enough to drive. With the fashion show cycle over for this season, I decided to check in with two new girls, both Chicago residents who signed with Ford Models and are doing well. Keep your eye out for their faces next time you're flipping through your favorite fashion glossy...
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10/09/08
 Lanvin is much adored for its female-flattering looks. At the
entrance of the show on Sunday, as I watched the editors
come in, I was strangely reminded of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. No one
was in drag mind you (although the Paris Vogue editors certainly can
work a bondage look!), but it was more that cult feeling. Women come
to the Lanvin show knowing all the words to the song and knowing
they will like what they hear...
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10/05/08
 If good manners means starting your fashion show on time, Marc Jacobs has become the fashion equivalent of Emily Post. Scolded by critics for his notorious tardiness in previous seasons, he now aims for precision, by golly. This afternoon we received an e-mail from the press contact: "The show will start at 2:30 p.m. sharp." Well, I arrived sweatily at the courtyard of the Louvre at...
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10/03/08
 Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld to deliver on so many levels: great invitation, swag, celeb turnout, and set. And yes, even great clothes (with the exception of some 80s metallic prom dresses at the end, complete with poofy sleeves. Really, Karl? Really?)
Since the last few seasons have featured elaborate sets—remember the carousel?—an invite like this forcibly gets you thinking about what will be in store. Well, some invites you really can judge by their cover—it ended up being exactly true to what arrived in my mailbox...
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10/02/08
A funny thing happened at the Akris show. I saw something that I just
never, ever expected to see: a jumpsuit. Actually, there were
several.
When buttoned-up Akris is showing jumpsuits, you just know that the
trend has legs. (Har har. Sorry.) And unfortunately, those legs are
attached to the top. And as any girl who has tried to use a public
bathroom in a jumpsuit knows, this is kinda annoying. I mean, really,
how would a jumpsuit work...
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45.0F
Chicago's fashion news editor Elisabeth Fourmont takes you from the front rows of the runway to behind the scenes at the designer ateliers and parties of Paris and New York Fashion Weeks. She also chats with Chicago retailers and models in town for the shows, and posts snapshots of the runway, the streets, and all things aesthetically pleasing. Elsewhere, you can find Elisabeth writing about fashion and France on her personal blog, La Coquette.
