Posts Tagged ‘Vera Wang’

Gilt-Free Shopping Event

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Shopping online via Gilt Groupe comes naturally nowadays, but the experience lacks the tangibility so many shoppers crave. For one day here in Chicago, though, that’ll change. On Saturday, March 5, the local edition of Gilt City is having a warehouse sale at The Ivy Room at Tree Studios (12 E Ohio Street) in the Gold Coast. From 10am to 6pm, swing by and shop the likes of Zac Posen, Chloe, Vera Wang, Tory Burch, Kate Spade and many more for up to 75% off. The luxury discounter will be selling tickets to the event starting today, February 24, at 12pm. The price is just $5 to attend–well worth the cost considering what you’ll save on designer duds.

To purchase tickets, click here.

By Meghan Turner

Tags: Chicago Fashion, Chicago Fashion Evens, Chicago Shopping, Chloé, Gilt City, Gilt Groupe, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Vera Wang, Zac Posen
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Borrow a Dress Couture Anniversary

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

A Bryan K. Osburn dress for BADC

The holiday weekend has come and gone, and there were many exciting events that kept us busy. One of the highlights was Borrow a Dress Couture’s (BADC) one-year anniversary party at Bon V in the West Loop. It was a testament to BADC’s belief that the everyday woman can look like a million bucks and spend very little cash doing so. The event featured a cocktail hour, goodie bags, and a fashion show to display the new BADC summer rental selection, including Chicago label Bryan K. Osburn Collection. Bryan’s custom creations are a recent addition to the long list of designer frocks available for rent at BADC, which also includes names like Alexander McQueen, Badgley Mischka, Hervé Léger, Vera Wang, Marc Bouwer, Abaete, and more. You can either rent Bryan’s dresses or choose a style you love that he’ll custom create for you to own. Dress rental prices range anywhere from $25-$175, but if you’re interested in getting your own Bryan K. Osburn dress, prices start at $800.

All in all, BADC rocked the boutique with a stylish celebration commemorating a successful first year of business. And now, we can’t wait to celebrate year two with them as well!

By Danielle Parker

Images courtesy of Borrow a Dress Couture

Tags: Abaete, Alexander McQueen, BADC, Badgley Mischka, Borrow a Dress Couture, Bryan K. Osburn, Chicago Boutiques, Chicago Designers, Chicago Fashion Events, Chicago Fashion Show, Chicago Shopping, Herve Leger, Marc Bouwer, Vera Wang
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Rent-a-Dress

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Lusting after designer dresses goes hand-in-hand with watching Hollywood’s many red carpet affairs. With each glamorous award show, we long to wear what the celebs wear, even for only one night. Now there’s a new, less expensive way to make your dress lust a reality.

A new Chicago boutique, Borrow a Dress Couture (BADC), is one of those new retail concepts helping your designer dreams come true for a night—literally. The premise is simple: Go to the store, find a dress, and it’s yours for three days. Rental prices are a fraction of the retail cost, saving you hundreds of dollars on a dress you may only wear once. If you want, keep it a little longer for an additional $10/day. When your dress lease is up, BADC takes care of the dry cleaning for the next borrower.

BADC’s owners, Bree and Teonna, opened the boutique six months ago after borrowing dresses from each other for various events and engagements. Though the boutique is different from standard retail, Bree and Teonna run their store like any other boutique. They place orders directly with designers and change the inventory seasonally, filling the store’s racks with labels like Alexander McQueen, Badgely Mishka, Hervé Léger, Vera Wang, Marc Bouwer, Abaete, and more. BADC customers are renting the eveningwear for any occasion they see fit, including a date, girls’ night, a holiday party, wedding, or black tie gala. “Women have various occasions that they need special dresses for in their life, so it has been great for us,” says Bree.

Renting designer dresses is not only new to Chicago—it’s taking off around the county. With websites like Rent the Runway and Topshop’s Dress Me Up program, this is a trend that could soon become the norm. Rent the Runway is similar to BADC, except the members-only website mails the dress to your home, with a backup size just in case your chosen size isn’t the perfect fit. Topshop’s Dress Me Up allows you to “hire” a dress temporarily for the holidays, and the proceeds benefit two Topshop charities.

So, if you’re designer fund is running a little low this season, renting a dress may be your opportunity to look like a celebrity, even if it’s only for three nights.

Borrow a Dress Couture, 3221 N Sheffield Avenue, shopbadc.com

By Danielle Parker

Tags: Abaete, Alexander McQueen, Badgely Mishka, Borrow a Dress Couture, Chicago Shopping, Herve Leger, Marc Bouwer, Rent the Runway, Topshop Dress Me Up, Vera Wang
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