Coyote is the owner of Labrabbit Optics, a super cool vintage and fashion-forward eyewear emporium. Click here to visit his website, or better yet visit the store at 1104 North Ashland.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
My good friends over at KDock Media, one of Chicago’s premier boutique event planning firms, partnered up with the Chicago AIDS Foundation for a night of mysterious revelry at the always debonair Crimson Lounge inside Hotel Sax. I brought my good pal Stephany along for the ride. We were greeted at the entrance to the club by a fire-thrower. Who doesn’t love a little danger (or flammable liquids) to kick off the evening?
Masquerade Partiers
The party itself was magical. There is no other way to describe it, except to say that I felt like I was inside of a living movie. That’s how well-produced the event was. Although the DJs spun mainstream contemporary pop music (which is to be expected at most parties of this nature), they did manage to sneak in a few gems including Michael Jackson’s Thriller. My knees always go week for Thriller.
Everyone was impeccably dressed. There were several exceptionally beautiful masks, pictured above. Crimson Lounge itself is an absolutely stunning nightclub with its baroque decor, blood red walls, and rich mahogany furniture. Attendees enjoyed themselves enormously; helped in part, no doubt, by the tasty and potent cocktails served up by the obliging staff. You know you’re at a spectacular event when even the staff are enjoying themselves.
As you can tell from the costumes, the majority of party-goers took the masquerade ball theme seriously. This was one classy costume party. KDock Media knows how to throw one hell of a party!
I had an amazing time socializing with socialites, fashion writers, professional models, boutique owners, philanthropists, and of course Nicole Miller herself! My research interests revolve around ethics and philanthropy amongst fashion consumers, so this was the perfect way for me to officially kick off my academic career. I am planning to apply to Ph.D. programs this fall because I am passionate about finding ways to integrate sustainability, fair-trade, and pro-social consumer behavior into the fashion industry. I am studying these issues as a full-time graduate student at DePaul University’s School of Public Service. You see, my blog isn’t just for fun – it’s research!
Nicole Miller is a huge inspiration to me. For her to donate ten percent of her sales that evening illustrates a strong commitment to humanitarian issues. She demonstrated the utmost integrity with her decision to disclose exactly how much she would be donating to Mercy Home. Many companies claim to donate a sizable percentage of their profits to charity, but often times the amount is less than 1%. It truly was an honor to be invited to attend such a fashion-forward charitable event and to meet Nicole herself. She sets an example – not only within the fashion industry, but for the entire private sector – on how to integrate charitable campaigns ethically into commercial events.
The following thirteen streetstyle photos were taken at this party. I met so many fabulous people that night. I hope to run into at least a few of you this week at Chicago’s runway shows in Millenium Park!
