Posts Tagged ‘School of the Art Institute of Chicago’
Weekend Fashion Events and Sales
Friday, May 21st, 2010
EVENTS + SALES
Ellie Thompson & Co. Scarf Trunk Show (8 S Michigan Avenue, Suite 2203)
From 4-9pm, Ellie Thompson & Co and Pranita Jain, present a trunk show of rare, one-of-a-kind scarves. Complimentary wine, tea and Indian treats will be served.
Raw/State at the Sharp Building (37 S Wabash Avenue)
Now through May 23, this graduate fashion exhibition showcases the work of students pursuing SAIC graduate degrees in Fashion, Body and Garment.
RE.STOCK Shop Spring Sample Sale (1452 N Milwaukee Avenue)
RE.STOCK Shop has a Spring Sample Sale Friday through Sunday. Customers can expect up to 80% off designer clothing for men and women.
Lara Miller Trunk Show at Florodora (330 S Dearborn Street)
Join Lara Miller from 12-6pm at Florodora, as she shows her full Spring/Summer 2010 Collection, takes special orders, and offers custom sweaters. Finally, she’ll discuss her favorite looks for spring/summer.
Image courtesy of Ellie Thompson & Co.
Tags: Chicago Boutiques, Chicago Designers, Chicago Fashion Events, Chicago Sales, Chicago Trunk Shows, Ellie Thompson & Co., Lara Miller, Pranita Jain, RE.STOCK Shop, SAIC, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Posted in StyleBlog | No Comments »
Art and Fashion Collide: SAIC NightWalk
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
Years ago, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent disagreed about whether fashion is art. Karl said no; Yves said yes. Countless others in the fashion industry have argued this same idea, but a unanimous agreement isn’t a likely outcome. I personally waver between the two notions but tend to side with Yves. When I see work like what was presented at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s NightWalk 2010, I can’t help but see a walking art form, an artistic vision.
NightWalk was a show that forced the average fashion lover to expand his or her understanding of fashion design. After all, it can be so much more than what’s worn on the street or to a gala. The designs we saw last Friday night are an exclusive testament to the designer’s imagination and skill, not to the consumer’s taste and pocketbook. By negating conventional clothing norms, the student designers started with a figment of the imagination and brought it to life, as a painter does with a canvas.
Design Rachel Goldberg (BFA 2010). Top image: Designs by Bonnie Alayne (BFA 2011). Both photos by Robert F. Carl
The artistic nature of their work was accentuated by the venue: Griffin Court in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute. Towering projection screens, strategically placed bartenders, and dispersed cocktail tables encased the dramatically long runway, where we saw what felt like hundreds of designs. To start, designer Maria Pinto offered a tribute to the late Eunice W. Johnson, the creator and director of Ebony Fashion Fair, a traveling fashion tour of haute couture and ready-to-wear. We watched a short documentary praising her work, and then a parade of eight designer gowns from the tour whipped down the runway.
The next highlight was Gray Graham, a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist and SAIC alum. As the evening’s Legend of Fashion honoree, he presented 10 looks from his Fall 2010 collection. Gary’s mishmash of earth tones and patterns kept with his ruggedly chic aesthetic that nods to the past but keeps a keen eye on the contemporary. Leather, fur, chiffon, tulle, jersey and organza were woven through a collection of fitted jackets, tapestry skirts, chunky knits, patterned jacquard leggings, and more.
From left to right: Design by NightWalk Scholarship winner Kylee Alexander (BFA 2012), design by NightWalk Scholarship winner Soh Park (BFA 2012), and design by NightWalk Scholarship winner Michael Walls (BFA 2012). Photography by James Prinz
The final show belonged the students. Sophomores, juniors and seniors crafted elaborate and eccentric ensembles that often conjured double takes and gasps. The runway was a theatrical display that ranged from futuristic to regal, whimsical to gothic, distressed to glamorous. Along with their obvious construction skills, the young designers proved their ability to craft the outrageous – squirrel-faced masks, Candyland-like headwear, and stuffed animal trousers – and the breathtaking, like a tangerine velvet gown and purple chiffon ombré dress. There were hints of Alexander McQueen, Maison Martin Margiela, and Halston (a SAIC alum), but it was the clear-cut originality that kept eyes glued to the runway.
The NightWalk 2010 fashion show was an exhibition of talent and creativity. It’s designs like these that demonstrate how fashion is a way of thinking, a way of communicating, a form of self-expression, and an extension of the body. The students of SAIC proved that through fashion, we can find art.
By Meghan Turner
Tags: a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, Alexander McQueen, Art Institute Modern Wing, Bonnie Alayne, Chicago Designers, Chicago Fashion Events, Chicago Runway Shows, Ebony Fashion Fair, Eunice W. Johnson, Grace Lee, Gray Graham, Halston, Karl Lagerfeld, Kylee Alexander, Luis Antonio Rodriguez, Maison Martin Margiela, Michael Walls, NightWalk 2010, Rachel Goldberg, SAIC, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Seth Meyerink-Griffin, Soh Park, The Art Institute of Chicago, Yves Saint Laurent
Posted in Features | No Comments »
A Bold Hue Takes Neutrals to the Next Level
Sunday, May 9th, 2010
Madeline at SAIC’s NightWalk 2010 Fashion Show
Tags: Chicago Fashion Events, Chicago Fashion Shows, Chicago Runway Shots, Chicago Street Style, NightWalk 2010, SAIC, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Posted in StyleHunter | No Comments »
The SAIC NightWalk 2010
Monday, May 3rd, 2010
A design from the 2009 SAIC fashion show
The Art Institute is one of my favorite places in Chicago, especially since the opening of the Modern Wing. When I heard a new fashion benefit, NightWalk 2010, will be held this Friday in the museum’s magnificent new addition, I knew it was an event not to be missed. This late-night (9pm-12am) fashion party culminates the day-long School of the Art Institute of Chicago fashion celebration that starts that same day, with a 2pm fashion show (which quickly sold out) and a 7pm annual gala scholarship benefit, The Walk 2010.
NightWalk 2010 presents the top designs from the SAIC runway show as well as 10 new runway designs by Gary Graham, a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist, 1992 SAIC graduate, and the evening’s Legend of Fashion honoree. The event begins with hors d’oeuvres and an open bar before guests make their way to a standing-room-only “Best of Show” runway presentation of cutting-edge designs by SAIC sophomores, juniors and seniors. Desserts and coffee cap off the evening. Tickets are $100 and support SAIC student scholarships. Come out and support local fashion and design education at a dynamic event featuring breathtaking designs and impressive designers.
Get tickets here.
By Meghan Turner
Image courtesy of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Tags: Art Institute Modern Wing, CFDA, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, Chicago Designers, Chicago Fashion Events, Chicago Runway Shows, Fashion 2010, Gary Graham, NightWalk 2010, SAIC, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Vogue
Posted in StyleBlog | No Comments »
The Creative Lounge Chicago: Nurturing Chicago Fashion and the Arts
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Some say that in life, nothing’s free. However, four Chicago fashion designers are proof that some things do come with a zero dollar price tag. In 2008, Toyota chose up-and-coming designers Anna Fong, Evil Kitty, SERPICO, and Agga B. to help launch the first and only US-based Creative Lounge. One of only three Toyota-funded design studios around the world, the lounge is a rare opportunity that reaches beyond the realm of fashion design. Though these women are the only designers with free reign of the studio, the lounge’s mission is to support and cultivate the local arts as a whole, while also promoting a collaboration between an unexpected pair: Toyota engineers and Chicago creatives.
This collaboration first took shape when the designers were flown to Japan to create garments inspired by Toyota design. When they got home, an enviable 4,000-square-foot piece of Wicker Park real estate was waiting for them. As if the free rent in a vintage building with two floors of work and storage space wasn’t enough, the car company threw in new sewing equipment, furniture and décor. Despite the sketching, crafting, and brand building going on in the studio, the adjacent reception and presentation area caters to a much larger audience with its ability to transform into a party room, sales floor, gallery, stage, screening room, conference room, and photo studio (for us!). For a deeper look at the unique possibilities that lie within the Creative Lounge Chicago, here’s a glimpse at each designer and her thoughts on this extraordinary opportunity.
Anna Fong with her designs. Top: The designers in the Creative Lounge Chicago
Anna Fong
Anna Fong, who was born and raised in Wicker Park and graduated from Columbia College, launched her line nearly three years ago. After working at Ralph Lauren in New York City, she moved back home to Chicago, where the fashion industry was finally taking shape. Since then, the Anna Fong label has grown with the industry to become an award-winning, celebrity-followed clothing line. The classically chic designs combine edgy details, dramatic cuts, and feminine silhouettes that cater to the everyday woman with a penchant for elegance and style.
Of the Creative Lounge Chicago, Anna says:
“This is a great opportunity to give so many talented artists exposure. The lounge
is a place where we can share ideas and learn from each other.”
Lidia Wachowska of Evil Kitty with her designs
Evil Kitty
With no intention of becoming a fashion designer, Lidia Wachowska moved from Poland to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While studying to be a painter, she soon found an interest in graphic design, which ultimately changed her career path. Thus begins the story of the Evil Kitty. In 2005, she launched the line that’s anything but conventional. Through her designs, Lidia bridges the gap between two very different worlds: a funky and playful aesthetic—reminiscent of Japanese street style and punk rock—and a much softer aesthetic that nods to the ‘40s,‘50s, and film noir.
Of the Creative Lounge Chicago, Lidia says:
“Being in this environment is amazing and really boosts your creativity.
We can do lots of things here, so the sky is the limit.”
Melissa Serpico Kamhout of SERPICO with her designs
SERPICO
Melissa Serpico Kamhout’s label, SERPICO, has grown into a successful line revered for its impeccable craftsmanship, attention to detail, and quality materials. After studying fashion design and receiving degrees from both Loyola University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Melissa’s career started in a studio on Halsted. She has since expanded into a studio-boutique space where she designs and sells her collections. Though she doesn’t use the Creative Lounge as her main studio, Melissa’s contribution to the space is no less relevant.
Of the Creative Lounge Chicago, Melissa says:
“It’s a great example of Toyota’s generosity, and [the four of us] have learned from each
other in unexpected ways–both in business and creatively. There’s a strength in numbers.”
Agga B. Raya with her designs
Agga B.
For Polish designer and stylist Agga B. Raya, fashion runs in the family. The daughter of designers, Agga was 16 when she orchestrated her first fashion show. She later moved to Chicago to work as a stylist, and now her clients include Oprah and Elite Model Management. After two years in Chicago, she moved to New York City, where she started her line, Agga B. The label is rooted in classic silhouettes, accented with a modern flair. Very elegant and very wearable. For the past three years, she’s been here in Chicago, emerging as a prominent figure in the Chicago fashion industry.
Of the Creative Lounge Chicago, Agga says:
“We have the best intentions to reach out and make it work. We want to invite as many
people and as many talents as possible to the lounge so they can showcase their work.”
For information about the Creative Lounge Chicago and its events, email connect@chicagocreativelounge.org.
Written and produced by Meghan Turner
Photography by Ace Ujimori
Special thanks to Kaitlyn Groth
Tags: Agga B Raya, Agga B., Anna Fong, Columbia College, Creative Lounge Chicago, Elite Model Management, Evil Kitty, Lidia Wachowska, Melissa Serpico Kamhout, Oprah, Ralph Lauren, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, SERPICO, Toyota
Posted in Features | 5 Comments »