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
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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
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
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
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
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
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
No necklace or earring that Shannon Carney (shannoncarney.com) crafts is perfect, and that’s just fine with the Chicago jewelry designer. “When things come together naturally, that’s much more interesting than when things are perfectly clean,” says Carney, 29, of her one-of-a-kind pieces. The cornerstones of Carney’s three-year-old brand are resin and 18-karat gold, but her … Read more
TIFFANY & CO. clutches ($3,200 each) Gear up for the Cadillac of handbags—if Cadillacs came in glazed crocodile leather. This fall, Tiffany & Co. (tiffany.com) adds texture to its diamond pedigree with the launch of the Tiffany Leather collection, a luxe handbag line from the guys behind Lambertson Truex. The location at 730 North Michigan Avenue transforms … Read more
