Artrageous was the 2011 incarnation of Macy’s Glamorama. The show was themed around outrageous art. Famous artworks were prominently throughout different parts of the show. The most adorable children waltzed under Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night and break dancers flipped through the air beneath iconic works by Keith Haring. Glamorama is produced in conjunction with the Ronald McDonald House Charities, whose international network of homes provides room and board to families of hospitalized children undergoing serious health problems. Without the Ronald McDonald houses, tens of thousands of parents would be separated from their children while undergoing what is often the most traumatic period of their lives.

I kicked off the evening downstairs at the media rope line. I photographed Glamorama chairwoman Candace Jordan, who is one of my favorite people to run into at events. Her blog Candid Candace and Chicago Tribune society column, The Chicago Scene, is a “must read” for anyone interested in Chicago’s social life. Above Candace is pictured with 12-year-old Alisha Christlieb and her mom, who are this year’s Ambassador Family. Alisha was born with a number of birth defects and her parents were told that she would never be able to walk, eat on her own, or even breathe on her own. 12 years later, Alisha is a 4.0 straight “A” student. Candace became visibly emotional when Alisha told the media about how much Candace and all her efforts to promote the RMHC means to her and her family. It was a really touching moment to witness, to see how much Candace truly cares about making a difference through philanthropy and volunteering.

I listened in as another friend of mine, Marcus Riley, interviewed Glamorama musicians Far East Movement and headliner Cee Lo Green.

The runway portion of the evening was kicked off by Sonia Rykiel and followed by Jean Paul Gaultier, whose Parisian-themed presentations were immensely popular with the Chicago crowd. The audience spontaneously erupted in applause for one of Gaultier’s fur coats, which was classic Chicago. Armani Jeans, Marc Jacobs, and Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse (Macy’s) also presented their Fall 2011 collections at the fashion themed extravaganza.

After the performance at the Chicago Theater, guests headed across the
street to Macy’s on State Street’s seventh floor for the official
afterparty. I was delighted to run into my aunt, Laura Howlett, whose
company provides McDonalds with cleaning products in over 32 countries.
She was there with her client, a McDonalds senior executive, obviously! I kicked back and relaxed with my good friends Corri McFadden and Jena Gambaccini. We celebrated Corri’s new reality TV show and my Bing video with Jena!