Archive for March, 2012

What a boring post title, but I’m all burned out on writing witty puns at my day job. Sorry guys!  Now that it’s basically summer in the Windy City I can wear amazing dresses during the day, and just in time for my birthday no less. I can’t tell you how lovely it felt to have the first really warm day of the year be on my birthday. My amazing boss gave me the day off from work to celebrate. I went to the Shedd Aquarium and gallivanted around town in my brand new (unworn, with tags attached) Meadham Kirchhoff x TopShop dress. What else would a Pisces do? I bought this dress as a birthday present FOR MYSELF on eBay from England for a fraction of the original prices, which I believe ran around $650. I’ve been watching them come and go on eBay for almost a year and finally I was able to hit the purchase button. Being gainfully employed at a ¡gasp! day job allows me to do things like indulge my materialistic side, for better or for worse.

Photo by Lily Hansen

I was actually surprised at the number of compliments I got from strangers, most of whom were not people who looked like they were into fashion. I saw that as proof that Chicago is a city that celebrates excellence in design. We might not be the trendiest city with the newest “it bag” or whatever; but as a community, we certainly appreciate well-designed things. Like what? Oh, you know skyscrapers. And apparently Meadham Kirchhoff dresses.

This dress is unbelievable to wear. I’ve never felt so magical before in my life, except for maybe that one time I tried on a Rodarte dress from the California condor collection… The mystical nature of this dress only heightened the surrealism of wearing it on my 26th birthday to the Shedd Aquarium; my favorite place in Chicago. The way the sequins cascade over one another made me feel like I have scales, while the shreds of silk with glitter-embossed circular stamps glinted in the sunlight like fish in the ocean. When I wear this dress, it literally feels like I am wearing water. The sequins are sewn in a 3-D array that flow down the the dress. They pool and eddy, curve and bend. I almost felt like I was wearing a pseudo-costume, in the way that a lot of the looks designed by the Japanese greats like Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe are, because the way the garment is constructed is so far out of the range of “normal” for everyday looks. But what the hell is an “everyday look” anyway? Boring ass American sportswear? Fuck that. I think everyone should let their wild side out through fashion… But then again, that’s why I’m a street-style photographer…

So naturally, this was the perfect dress for a Pisces to wear to the aquarium.

I was feeling exceptionally lazy – it was my day off, ok! – so I threw on my favorite summer flats, my Givenchy jellies, because I used to wear jellies to the beach when I was little. Childhood reference, check. I pulled my Alexander Wang sunglasses out of retirement because I lost my Ray-Bans last week and these are the only other pair of black sunglasses I own. Wearing a statement dress might possibly be the laziest fashion move ever since, well, that’s all folks. Layering separates is a million times harder than throwing on one phenomenal dress. And for me, this was all thanks to the magic of eBay. If you can’t afford to buy your dream item when it’s in stores be patient because eventually, it will show up on eBay.

Via my Instagram account, @ChiStreetStyle