Archive for July, 2011
Chicago loves Rick Owens. I’ve spotted his pieces several times recently everywhere from the street to the cocktail party. While Amber is not wearing anything by Rick Owens himself his influence is clearly visible in the structure of her H&M dress. The futuristic shape of her shoulders and the off-black fabric’s sheen are Owens signatures. Although her Sam Edelman Zoe boots (yes, the nearly impossible to find pair) were actually “inspired” by a pair of Balenciaga boots, they could easily fit into the Rick Owens oeuvre as well.
I found the Sam Edelman “Zoe” shoes in stock, click here to view.
The combination of Owens’ post-apocalyptic vision and subtle illumination (whether it’s the shine of a fabric or the outline of a body through transparent fabric) aptly reflects the optimism of Chicago’s gritty urban environment. Not everyone can afford to wear Rick Owens but everyone – especially Chicagoans – can appreciate his aesthetic and perspective on fashion. At first glance it might seem strange to use a street-style image of someone not wearing any Rick Owens pieces to illustrate his profound influence, but if you think about it this actually makes perfect sense. His design has trickled all the way down through the fast-fashion retailers onto the street level where it is being lapped up by price-conscious young adults and college students who cannot afford the real thing – yet!
After quite a delicious meal (I chose the french toast), Leight and his CEO David Schulte discussed the optical lifestyle brand with an informal Q&A. I learned that Leight considers the O’Malley frame the “most Chicagoan” and that Chicagoans “have good faces” for sunglasses. We also listened to Schulte discuss how the company had been planning to open a Chicago location for years but patiently waited until the right space opened up. Coincidentally, their Chicago location was built specially for them inside of the former Barneys loading dock in the building that now houses the Hermes flagship. As Leight himself mused, “it doesn’t get any better than saying, ‘You know Hermes? Yeah, we’re in that building.'”
Later in the evening the new space hosted a VIP opening bash. J. Lynne Bredfelt, Nicole Banks, and Suzanne Kopulos were amongst the fashion scene regulars spotted early in the evening. Guests dined on gourmet hors d’oeuvres and sipped on Oliver Peoples-themed cocktails. The evening’s gala was anxiously anticipated by the Chicago fashion industry. Buzz had reached a fevered pitch by Wednesday night with attendance was so high that the party was literally spilling out onto Rush Street only an hour into the event. If the success of yesterday’s PR blitz gives us any indication, Oliver Peoples is poised to become the city’s leading luxury eyewear retailer quite literally overnight.
