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February 29th, 2008
One of the things we've noticed in our Identity Crisis twenties ... errr ... Identity Defining twenties, is that we truly treasure great experiences. We love to take in delicious aromas, view well-crafted pieces of artwork, and go to concerts or festivals and dance the night away. We love the authenticity of local haunts, and the pride that comes with them. And in Chicago, we have so much just outside our doorstep. We were walking the dog the other day when we stumbled upon Mint on Seminary Avenue—a shoebox of a store crammed with goodies by Chicagoan artists and designers. It's cute as can be! We wanted to buy everything, befriend the girls who work there, and still we’d be home in time for a glass of pinot. (We’re currently hooked on it.) But the point is this: how fantastic is it that we can roll outta bed and stroll around 'til we see something cool? We can walk to the Bongo Room in our PJ's or meet at Coast Sushi Bar for a quick BYOB night with our girls in a matter of minutes. And don't even get us started on the bars. Our BFF lives right next to Danny's on Dickens, just close enough for a little predrinkin' and snackin' before we head over without even bothering to take a coat! No doubt, Chicago is unique. And we're lucky. There are so many experiences waiting to be had, and so many places to explore! Read on for a taste of more of them… |
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Chicago Picks: |
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| 1 | Chic Sleep Everybody has the naked dream. You're in the boardroom ... naked. You're on a first date ... naked. You're back in high school .... naked! But occasionally we have the opposite dream. We’ll dream that all of a sudden, we look down and we're in a leopard-print jumpsuit with purple velvet platforms. And we're wearing body glitter. Um, hideous! It's always a relief waking up in our pretty PJ's and realizing that all faux pas have vanished into la la land. So naturally, we couldn’t help but start dreaming up visions of calm, restful sleep when we stumbled across Flirt boutique. Flirt's rich collection of sleep masks for your peepers range from silly to saucy. As we oohed and ahhed, owner Lynne Ellenberger was quick to point out that the bright blue and gold mask with lidded rhinestone eyes is an exact reproduction of Holly Golightly’s chic sleepwear in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” In our next life, we'd like to come back as Miz Audrey. For now, we'll channel her and try to find an excuse to whip that mask out in public. Power nap, anyone? Flirt |
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| 2 | Color Us Beautiful Instead of producing the same results as everyone else in class, Colorlab promises a shade that doesn’t exist on any shelf to complete your makeup artillery. We loved getting to pick and choose while the staff—trained artists ready to help—mixed, poured and melted the way to a custom-made eye glaze. Lipstick, you say? Did you want crème, sheer or matte? How about a perfectly tailored foundation? Do you take that liquid, loose or pressed? After all your hard work, Colorlab will keep your blend on file so they’re always able to whip up more, or tweak it if you find it’s not working! Invite a friend for an in-store party; this is one class your pals won’t mind sitting in on! Colorlab Cosmetics |
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| 3 | Fashion Reformation As admirers of bold transformations, we too delight in rebooting our style—we've sampled 80s prep, toyed with grunge, and dabbled in bohemian. With the recent opening of Jugrnaut, we're now pioneering urban chic. The guys' and dolls' lifestyle boutique carries screen-printed tees, limited-edition vintage hoodies, and sneakers aplenty—perfect for perfecting the look that screams casual, comfy, yet ridiculously hip. Not only can you find urban wear from behemoths like Hellz Bellz and LeSportsac's Tokidoki, but they also stock plenty of goods from local designers, meaning you'll embark on your trendy transformation decked head-to-toe in one-of-a-kind threads unique to the Chicago scene. Jugrnaut gets the job done so you don't need a press release to announce your new groove, ala Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Diddy. And the extra pep in your step will speak volumes as you strut in some stylin' new kicks. Jugrnaut |
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| Designer of the Week: | |||
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While we had our nose in a fashion magazine, she had hers in a book. We got voted “Best Dressed,” and she won class Valedictorian. And while we're invested in Marc Jacobs, she has a well-rounded portfolio of high-performing stocks and bonds. So despite a similar genetic makeup, we just don’t quite see eye to eye with our dear sis. Not so for Nora and Marcella Volini, Chicago sisters and co-creators of clothing line appropriately named Nora Marcella. They may have a spat once in a while, but when it comes to design, their pieces maintain the perfect balance of urban chic and vintage elegance. The look is fresh, fun and oh-so pretty. If you can steal yourself away from the new Marc by Marc Jacobs store, venture across the street into Tangerine to check out their spring collection! |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Lollipop Candy Kiss Well, Treat Beauty figured out how to create that very same wash of vibrant color in a mineral lip stain. It's made of shea butter and natural oils. Jennifer Garner is a big fan, and so are we! |
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| 2 | Art in the Everyday When we were little we fought with our sisters over the chipped dinner plate—we all crossed our hearts and hoped to die that it brought us luck. These days all our plates are chipped, but we’re still searching for the lucky one. Voila! We found it with the 21st Century Leaders series. Featuring merchandise such as plates featuring David Bowie and Coldplay, proceeds help charity and double as clever artwork. Lucky us! |
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| 3 | We Just Can't Get Enough We know which crystals will form diamonds before they're ever mined. We know which oysters carry pearls before they're ever opened. And we can sense a beautiful piece of jewelry from miles away, blindfolded. SanMarco Designs crafts a certain amount of elegance and femininity that is just right. And we love that this classic, timeless, chic, and ageless line could truly suit anyone, from our sexy friend Lib to our loco Aunt Kristy to our dear mother hen, Jennibelle. How transcendental! And so is the overall philosophy. Groovy baby. |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | An IndieSpensable Book Club We’ve always wanted an Of-the-Month club to call our own. Beer? Meh. Flowers? Please. But now powerhouse indie book company Powell’s Books brings us its just-launched IndieSpensable Book Subscription Club. Every six weeks a new package is delivered with a signed first edition, custom printings or a bonus DVD. Now that’s our kind of club. |
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| 2 | Coffee Talk & Book Swap Combine free coffee, an array of funny female performers, and special deals on new and used books, and you've got a silly caffeine-buzzed bookworm's delight on a Saturday night. Alright, alright! Join in and donate $10 at the door. You can swap old books and trade 'em for used, better, and more! What: Kate The Great's Book Emporium Comedy Over Coffee |
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| 3 | Chitty Chitty Mush! The shopping cart race is coming back to Chicago! Grab five friends and a pimped out shopping cart, and gear up for a Chiditarod Saturday morn. Which includes (but is not limited to) drinking, bar crawling and laughing your arse off at this costumed street show. It's for a good cause too, as it's a canned food drive. Sign up! What: Third Annual Chiditarod |
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Happy Friday and happy weekend to you, dear readers! Hope you enjoy it thoroughly, and experience a cool thing or two or twelve. Do us a flavor? Tell a friend about Chicago Picks!!! And thank you to all of our recent contributors, who have so much to offer and who are so talented! Chicago is such a mecca and the best is yet to come. |
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