Rat Pack Fever

  When the 125-year-old Chicago-based retailer (and Obama suit maker) Hart Schaffner Marx wanted to refresh its look, its designers took cues from the company’s own history. Once the brand of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, HSM brings back their timeless silhouette (think thinner lapels and flat-front trousers) with the launch of the American Modern … Read more

All Teched Out

Balani Custom Clothiers (balanicustom.com) goes high-tech when its second Loop location celebrates its grand opening on September 15th. The new storefront at 55 West Monroe Street lets walk-ins take all the what-ifs out of the designing process: Customers can manipulate digital “lookbooks” at iPad stations to uncover what works best for them. Want to know … Read more

Auction Packed

On September 16th, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers (1338 W. Lake St.; lesliehindman.com) kicks off its largest-ever vintage couture and accessories auction, featuring more than 700 lots of rare designer pieces. The big-ticket items? A covetable wardrobe selection from the late Eunice Johnson, cofounder of Ebony magazine, including the fashion icon’s sharp Mario Valentino faux leopard pony-hair … Read more

Build-A-Coat

Couture meets utilitarianism with the Cube, MaxMara’s new frigid-weather hybrid. The Italian line’s ingenious invention features a flock of add-on accessories (fox and mink collars and cuffs, belts, hoods, and shrugs) for a reversible parka available in four lengths and six colors. Bonus: The coat’s sumptuous Siberian goose down filling is so microcompressible it easily … Read more

Strutter

The shoemakers Trafton Cole, William Rood, and Edward Haan opened shop in 1928 to bring style and polish to Chicago gents with their high-quality, handcrafted footwear. Cole Haan pays homage to the Jazz Age silhouettes of its founding cobblers with Cole, Rood & Haan, a capsule collection for men featuring dressy loafers ($325), refined work … Read more

Suck It Up

The Barrington native Cynthia Rowley has a solution for the mortifying granny-pantie reveal we all fear: her new lingerie line, Slim. “It seemed ironic that you wear shapewear to look hot, but when you take off your clothes, it can be scary,” Rowley says. Now you can strip without shame thanks to the color-block patterns on … Read more

Hot Topics

TULA (3738 N. Southport Ave.; 773-549-2876) will be the only Chicago retailer carrying Doo.Ri, known for combining couture techniques with sportswear fabrics. . . . BLAKE (212 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-202-0047) has several new exclusive designers on its roster, including Marco de Vincenzo, a Fendi accessories designer, and Versus for Versace by Christopher Kane. . … Read more