Project Captured had the pleasure to work with the incredibly friendly people of Chicago’s Boutique Le Dress. As the cold weather inched its way into our city, we made a stop in from the cold to get our hands on their beautiful pieces at this premier, dress-only, boutique. Le Dress owners and sisters (in-law), Robyn Anderson Baldenegro and Eva Anderson, have a particular love for fashion, specifically dresses. This has thankfully projected itself into the warm and welcoming space located in the heart of Chicago’s very own Ukrainian Village, at 1741 W. Division. The walls appropriately flaunt their passion for dresses. However, if you are looking for a last minute spot to grab an ornate pair of earrings, a bold purse to accessorize a simple outfit, or of course, a gown to wear to a Black Tie Affair, Le Dress is the spot.

Last week, stylist and television personality Jay Manuel, of America’s Next Top Model, shared with Project Captured his insight on the most current trends. From casual oxfords to black leather loafers, menswear has never been more contradictory. There are hints of the 60s style in pop culture and entertainment. With shows like the Playboy Club & PanAm, the suit is an ever popular item whether double breasted, colored or both. On the flip side we have casual at its finest, dual item denim looks both as tops and pants, turtlenecks with plaid scarves and button-ups, to the half-tuck. The half-tuck has recently been seen on David Beckham and Kanye West (also dubbed by the September issue of Details Magazine as the “Front Tuck”). Manuel styled men with this trend during New York Fashion Week for the Playstation 3 mobile truck event. The character Nathan Drake of the video game Uncharted 3 also wears the half–tuck.

Menswear Fashion Designer- Cheikh Lam on set

For this month’s Fashion Captured piece, we have chosen to feature newcomers Cheikh Lam and Sophie Lin from the J. Cheikh menswear line. We sat down with the married couple turned-design team duo at Bin 36 Restaurant for a glass of vino and some Fashion 101. Here’s what they had to say…

Kati Stern, the designer behind the fashion line, Venexiana, is viewed as a modern day Renaissance woman. A native of Hungary, Stern has a professional background as a pianist and architect. She left all of that behind in 2003 when she began her new venture as a fashion designer. Since then, she has graced the runways during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and we have seen her designs on the red carpets. The unique element of her designs rests on her knowledge of music and architecture and how she integrates the two together to create a collection. Her work, although always on a more glamorous side, has a fierce edginess to it and her runway soundtrack reinforces that with rock ‘n roll tunes mixed with classic punk.

As temperatures drop, Chicagoans start to find any excuse to stay in. This past Wednesday night was different. American Express holders and press received an invite from a top designer that was hard to decline. Guests made their way to one of our finest museums, the Field Museum, to view a collection by the all-American designer, Tory Burch. Burch brought her Spring 2012 collection straight from New York City to the Windy City. The more subdued halls of the museum were transformed into a posh reception as guests snacked on hors d’oeuvres and sipped on Veuve Clicquot prior to the start of the show.

Written by Vinny Lawdenski

According to Details magazine, this season’s trend for men is gold. Everything from hats, sweaters, ties, sunglasses, pants, cardigans, watches, jackets, and basically anything you can wear–if it’s gold your “golden” (pun totally intended). Now, no one is telling you to go all “Goldmember” on us, because like some trends this look can be overdone and abused. There is a reason we only hand out a golden man one time a year, keep that in mind. The trick to wearing gold is to pair the item with something that will add balance to the color.

Written by Christopher Free

Y-3 says Spring is BLACK! This season, rather than having a collection filled with bright colors, light colors or colors at all for that matter, Y-3 went in a completely different direction than most of our more conventional labels. Y-3′s common thread for its Spring/Summer 2012 collection is Black. Although different and against the current, I for one, LIKE it! Y-3 presented an edgy alternative to the spring season’s norm. Inspired by London youth and Brit popular culture, Yohji Yamamoto and Y-3′s creative director, Dirk Schönberger, created a look that was chic meets punk rock. The collection proved that the Y-3 look is about more than just sporty, but it is what I would describe as bold, chic, punk and sport all fused into one.

Photo Courtesy of stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com

By now the entire [fashion] world is aware of the upcoming Versace for H&M collaboration hitting US stores November 19th. If you have not seen the full lookbook, you can check it out HERE. This collection offers something for everyone with the iconic Versace styles taking precedence to create a BOLD look for Men, Women, Jewelry/Accessories AND even Homeware Pieces.

Bright Pink’s 5th Annual VIPink Cocktail Celebration was a definite thrill and a tremendous success. The event, held on Thursday, October 20th, 2011 on three floors of the luxury department store, Saks Fifth Avenue, brought together nearly 500 of Chicago’s most fashionable, influential and passionate men and women. The event was hosted by some of the City’s most Well-Known Personalities including: Cassandra Gaddo – TCW Magazine, D.C. Crenshaw – Fete Select TV/ Game Time Dine, J. Lynne Bredfeldt – Park Hyatt Chicago, Jason Erkes – Chicago Sport & Social Club, Mari Luangrath – Foiled Cupcakes, Arturo Gomez – Rockit Ranch Productions. Supported and lifted up by Project Courage, the celebration featured cocktails by Grey Goose VODKA, OneHope Wines and delicious appetizers and tasty treats by The Purple Pig, Rockit, Frontier, Lillie’s Q, Foiled Cupcakes & Mrs. Printable’s. Each floor of the event was deejayed by one of Chicago’s female favorites including Megan Taylor, Niena Drake & Sadie Woods.

Chicago’s Fashion Focus week hosted the Dress Code fashion show at the Chicago History Museum Wednesday, October 19, 2011. This was an inspiring runway show to attend because it featured Chicago’s fashion design schools, Columbia College Chicago, The Illinois Institute of Art- Chicago, International Academy of Design and Technology- Chicago, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which showcased several designs from students. The Dress Code fashion show also had an exciting twist that presented FashioNext, a competition to set apart the best in fashion design. This year’s FashioNext competition reflected the work of Charles James. The idea was to create a garment that was inspired by the design, pattern work, or construction of one of his costume pieces that are displayed in the Chicago History Museum.

Written By Stephanie Turcios
Photograph Courtesy of Fashion Focus Chicago

As Fashion Month is winding down around the world, Chicago is gearing up full throttle for Fashion Focus 2011 events-our city’s version of Fashion Week. Fashion Focus 2011 kicks off October 17th with the Next Fashion Chicago event showcasing 12 of our city’s very own designers. Each day is jam packed with free shopping events, industry education sessions and of course, runway shows. Make sure to check out the full schedule with events going well into Sunday October 23rd. Don’t miss out as it only comes around once a year but if you can’t make it, check in with us as we will be covering events throughout the week!