Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/553637
160 michiganavemag.com illustration by daniel o'leary Fashion? We adore fashion! Forget the other coasts: Windy City residents are as stylish as they come, making careful note of everything that comes down the runway. We accept without question the fact that puffy sleeves couldn't be more now, and we embrace them with Marshmallow Man–like arms. Asymmetrical hemlines are making a comeback, and we have the scrapbooking scissors and the know-how to adapt our entire wardrobes. But sometimes, in the face of weather and wearability challenges, we must do what Chicagoans do best—impro- vise. For instance, consider the new ostrich feathers movement: Michael Kors, Alice + Olivia, Naeem Khan, Balenciaga, Roberto Cavalli—they must have plucked every last f lightless bird to get their plumage on the runways. But is this a look for Chicago? No, poppets, no. The nickname "the Windy City" may have originally referred to our shameless politicians, but "the Blustery City" is right on target. Those feathers will waft toward Lake Michigan the second you step on Oak Street, and then you'll look like a hairless cat. Best to avoid. Another worrisome trend: loose, f lowing pants and skirts. In Chicago, wearing them would be signing your death warrant. Excess fabric around the lower leg is the equivalent of "No capes!," the decree from The Incredibles' formidable supersuit designer, Edna "E" Mode. Slam your billowing trousers in the door as you exit the taxi? You're done. Strut to The Langham in a sludge-dripping f loor-length skirt? Dead from ankle pneumonia within a week. (That may or may not actually be a thing, but why risk it?) Attempt winter culottes at a luncheon for ladies who will naturally mistake them for your fat pants? Utter social annihilation. Statement necklaces are also getting out of hand this season. Yes, they can be striking. But the designers are showing necklaces el grande, with gumball-size beads, tassels, padlocks (no words), buckles, roaring lion heads, and even brooches piled on. Chicago women know that in a city where layering is an art, bulky is not beautiful. Fall Fashion, ChiCago style Design hounDs elsewhere may race to copy runway trenDs, but chicago chic has its own school of thought. by paige wiser And in the colder months (yes, they're coming soon), we have too few opportunities to show off our best assets. One of the biggest colors for fall and winter—and a trend we do embrace—is orange. This is not optional, and will more than make up for the dangers described above. In orange, obviously, you will not risk being f lattened by a snowplow. And in ballrooms, it should be noted that wallf lowers are never in shades of citrus. Local fashionistas may have noticed that the runways were packed with wool, quilting, ponchos, knits, and capes for fall. Well, darling designer divas, tell us something we don't know. These materials are not cutting-edge in Chicago in any season. Much as we try to avoid it, occasionally we must face the extreme elements head on. Our foes are gusts, cold, hail, polar vortices, street splatter, potholes, distracted nannies…. We need all the armor we can get. We would wear a designer tarp if it was slimming and had a provocative pop of color. (One day, we'll tell those West Coast ladies all about down parkas. Some reach all the way to your triple-Scotchgarded suede boots!) So, loose outerwear in sturdy fabrics is in style this season? This one we can be blasé about. We're ahead of the trend; in this case, by more than a century. And what could be more fashionable than that? MA gold coasting september 2015