Cool Britannia

From London Olympics fever to Duchess Kate topping Vanity Fair’s international best dressed list, the Brits are captivating us in practically every category. Right on cue, Macy’s (macys.com for stores) channels the English spirit with Glamorama, the retailer’s annual fashion blowout—this time with a Great Britain theme. The show starts Friday, August 10 at 8 p.m. in Millennium Park’s Harris Theater (205 E. Randolph St.). Collections by designers from both sides of the pond—including Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, and Donna Karan—parade down the runway while the R&B singer Robin Thicke and the “swag-pop” duo Karmin perform songs that pay tribute to Brit pop culture. Tickets ($50–$1,000), which benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities, can be purchased online at ronaldhousechicago.org.

 

Top Sales This Week

Knitting enthusiasts, grab your needles. The Chicago Yarn Crawl (chicagoyarncrawl.com) rolls out discounts and fiber-crafts events at shops across Chicagoland through Saturday, August 11. Twenty-seven yarn and craft stores participate, including a few with excellently punny names: Windy Knitty in Andersonville, Knitche in Downers Grove, and Knit Happens in Buffalo Grove.

Travel to Little Italy this weekend for the sixth annual Taylor Street Festa Italiana (Taylor Street between Ashland Avenue and Racine Avenue, festaitalianachicago.com). Aside from events such as a grape stomping demo and a bocce ball tournament, check out a fashion show featuring Chicago-based Italian American designers including Cettina and Kate Boggiano on Saturday, August 11 at 4:30 p.m.

 

The Best of the Rest

  • The hotel bar and restaurant Roof on The Wit (201 N. State St., 312-239-9502, roofonthewit.com/runway) hosts a sky-high fashion event Thursday, August 9 showcasing looks from the Old Town boutique Cityblue Apparel & Denim (1444 N. Wells St., 312-664-2222, shopcityblue.com). The free shindig begins at dusk (approximately 7 p.m.).
  • The international antiques and artifacts store The Golden Triangle (330 N. Clark St., 312-755-1266, goldentriangle.biz) pitches tents for its annual sidewalk sale, held Friday, August 10 through Saturday, August 18. More than 200 items from 10 countries are up to 50 percent off, including a Chinese medicine chest ($2,250, marked down from $4,500) and a French antique reupholstered chair ($1,950, marked down from $3,900).
  • The highlight of this weekend’s Retro on Roscoe street fest (Roscoe Street and Damen Avenue, retroonroscoe.com) may be its lineup of ’80s and ’90s nostalgia bands, but the neighborhood’s shops also offer discounts—such as 20 percent off everything at The Denim Lounge (2004 W. Roscoe St., 773-935-2820, thedenimlounge.com)—on Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12.
  • Score an extra 10 percent off the baby items and women’s clothes, shoes, and accessories already on the sale racks at the boutique Randoons (962½ Green Bay Rd., Winnetka, 847-784-1890, randoons.com) through Saturday, August 11.
  • The eco-friendly design resource Green Home Chicago (213 N. Morgan St., 312-432-9400, ghcdesigncenter.com) takes 30 to 50 percent off upholstered furniture, including recovered vintage pieces, Monday, August 13 through Friday, August 31.

 

Opening

Timberland (625 N. Michigan Ave., timberland.com) kicks open the doors to a new 3,500-square-foot store on the Mag Mile this Friday, August 10 at 10 a.m. In addition to its full line of rugged, outdoors-inspired clothes, shoes, and accessories, this Timberland location stocks a selection of store exclusives, including limited-edition footwear ($150) and tote bags (from $20).