Feature

Chicago’s hottest menswear designers, including Soledad Designs, Eric Kipp, Nicholas Joseph, Arlo Menswear, Cory Allen, and Kwabena Klassics sold their clothing shoes and accessories at the November Fashion Café Nov. 12 in the Chicago Cultural Center. Check out some exciting images and fabulous fashions from the event.

The Fashion Café is part of Fashion Focus Chicago and is a monthly series that brings Chicago boutiques and designers together for an evening of shopping and discussion. Fashion Focus Chicago supports and promotes fashion designers and retailers living and working in Chicago through events, seminars, and city programs. Chicago boasts more than 400 designers and 375 independent fashion boutiques. To learn more about this exciting industry, please check out www.chicagofashionresource.com.

By Lisa Larranaga

With Janice Moskoff, you’ve got a friend in fashion. And a good friend at that. The St. Louis native has made the fashion tides turn in Chicago, giving trendsetters the labels they love without price tags that make them cringe.

Moskoff is the founder of Beta Boutique, a brick-and-mortar sample sale shop that draws the fashion savvy in with promises of big names for 40-90 percent off retail prices. Beta Boutique started in 2004 as a “neighborhood roving” sample sale business and in December 2006 evolved to a permanent location at 2016 W. Concord Place in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood.

“We have a great mix of designers and styles” Moskoff said. “We really get some amazing product.”

If you have any fashionistas on your holiday list this year, Beta Boutique is bound to have something to make their heart swoon. The store works with retailers and designers in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York and receives shipments every week to ensure it carries the labels and styles that keep customers’ closets stocked and their wallets full.

This weekend, the boutique held an off-site event on Southport Avenue that offered Lakeview residents a chance to shop without commuting, with names like Lara Miller, Eskell, Walter by Walter Baker, dIETERbENNET, Jlee and Massake.

If you didn’t get your red-lacquered nails on the Walter by Walter Baker asymmetrical dress or Lara Miller Bamboo Lauren dress (love it!) this weekend, the Bucktown location is open 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Moskoff also is planning a first-ever kids sample sale event December 4-6 and the annual holiday party, both of which promise to have unbeatable deals. The godmother of them all – the semi-annual sale – will take place January 30 through 31, 2010. The giant warehouse event will have items for $150 and under, sorted by dollar and size and starting at $10.

For the holiday season, Moskoff says shoppers can expect lots of jewelry, dresses and sweaters, and says the bad economic conditions have provided a lot of stores and designers with excess product, which in turn gives Beta shoppers more inventory and higher-quality pieces.

“It’s an unfortunate byproduct of the state of the economy,” Moskoff said.

I guess there is a silver lining to everything.

To keep with the fast-paced high-fashion business, subscribe to the Betalist, follow them on Twitter or become a Facebook fan. Heck, do all three if you want to ensure you don’t miss out. The e-mail list, Twitter and Facebook keep shoppers up-to-date on the labels the shop’s currently selling and any special events.

And if you’re looking for a new friend in fashion, one with connections that will offer you cozy knits, strappy platforms and chic pants, Moskoff’s the name you need to remember, and Beta Boutique is a place to keep on your fashion radar.

“I love a good deal, I love great fashion and I grew up shopping Marshalls and TJ Maxx as one of four sisters, and I think I created a place I would want to shop,” Moskoff said. “Instead of hunting down a sale, I wanted a place I could shop that has contemporary, high quality items I could find when I don’t have a lot of time. There are so many great stores out there but I don’t have the clothing budget that some others do, so I created a place I could shop.”

And in return, she’s created a place for all of us to shop, too.

By Anna Marevska

Chicago’s four design schools and their best designers displayed their original spin on fashion during Fashion Focus 2009 Dress Code runway show on Oct. 23 in Millennium Park. Participants from Columbia College Chicago; The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago; International Academy of Design & Technology Chicago; and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago showcased creativity, boldness and fresh look on fashion.

Some noteworthy young designers included, Anna Brown from Columbia College, who sent out beautifully crafted curve-hugging dresses in soft colors; Katherine Swanson from The Illinois Institute of Art brought out the edgy, hard-rock look back to life with leather dresses and bold colors; Bas’ Talaga from Columbia College and Philip Gueorgiev from International Academy of Design & Technology both sent out modern, structured, architectural looks down the runway, perhaps inspired by Chicago’s famous skyline. Bay far, however, the star of the night was designer Fraley Le from International Academy of Design & Technology, who stole the night with his stunningly-created evening gowns in soft greens and airy, detailed craftsmanship.

Dress Code Fashion Show was a part of Fashion Focus Chicago 2009, a celebration of Chicago’s thriving fashion industry, which returned for a fifth year in 2009. From Oct. 22 through Oct. 25, Fashion Focus Chicago showcases some of the city’s top designers and features runway shows in Millennium Park and various locations around the city.

“In Chicago our vibrant fashion industry is growing each year by concentrating on local artists and building a support structure that allows them to flourish and compete in an aggressive market,” said Mayor Richard M. Daley who also attended the Dress Code fashion show.

For more information visit www.chicagofashionresource.com

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Hundreds of fashionistas and wine lovers packed the River East Art Center, during one of Chicago’s most anticipated charity evens of the year: Wine, Women & Shoes–Chicago 2009.

The fourth annual event raised more than $120,000 for the Midwest Regional Office of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Proceeds from the Oct. 1 benefit go to UNICEF’s Accelerated Child Survival initiative in 25 sub-Saharan African countries.

“Proceeds from events like Wine, Women & Shoes have helped UNICEF reduce the number of preventable child deaths each day from 25,000 to 24,000,” said Casey Marsh, director of the Midwest Regional Office of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “This event was a celebration of this accomplishment and Chicago’s commitment to bringing that number down to zero.”

Guests were able to shop for designer shoes, handbags, jewelry and accessories form some of the hottest local and national boutiques, including Aberle, Akira, Angeleigh Anastasio, Gypsy Global Chic, Lisa Mackey Design, Lori’s Shoes and Shirise. And that wasn’t all. Attendees also sampled wines from six of the county’s finest vintners like Alexander Valley Vineyards, Gabrielle Collection, Martellotto Wines, New Age, Schweiger Vineyards and Two Angels.

Blue Plate Catering cooked up delicious dishes like mini petite tender of beef sandwiches, chicken rosemary skewers, spiced pecan sandwiches and frango mint brownie bites.

To top it all off, the ultimate ladies night out included a raffle and a silent auction with designer apparel, international travel and luxury items. And let’s not forget the celebrity guests, like Steven Rosengard, designer and Project Runway Season 4 contestant; Nicole Williams of WORKS by Nicole Williams, career expert and best-selling author; and Maria Pinto, fashion designer favorite of First Lady Michelle Obama.

The 7,000-square-foot space in the River East Art Center was styled by prominent Chicago event designer Tom Kehoe, who created a bold and fun setting, inspired by the work of UNICEF. Décor included elegant pink and yellow accents and the theme ‘Believe in Zero’ integrated into the smallest design details.

Of course FFmag was a part of all, so be sure to check out all of our photos, as well as interviews with Casey Marsh, Steven Rosengard and Nicole Williams.

Who knew that giving back could be so much fun?