Last month, the famously fashionable founder and CEO of Shop E-Drop Off, Corri McFadden, invited me over to tour her swanky Lincoln Park headquarters. I was greatly impressed not only by the upscale decor and fancy lighting, but more so by the intense organization of the back office. You don’t become the international queen of luxury consignment on eBay through luck alone. It takes hard work and intense dedication! As a budding entrepreneur myself I am greatly inspired by Corri. With revenues of over $1 million dollars, a workforce of over 20, and excellent brand recognition, Corri is one of Chicago’s leading female businesswomen. I am lucky to call her a friend!
Purchasing used designer goods through a service like Shop E-Drop Off is extremely beneficial for the environment because those items receive a second life. Several of my favorite things in my closet are used designer pieces I bought on consignment, including a pair of Chloe loafer pumps and a Sonia Rykiel sweater. In contrast to the brick-and-mortar consignment store, Corri’s business model is far more lucrative because consumers compete through eBay auctions for the items, which leads to a much higher sell price through bidding wars. As an added bonus, prospective buyers can visit Shop E-Drop Off at 2117 North Halsted to see the items before bidding (three hours notice required).
Check out what’s up for auction on Shop E-Drop Off’s auction page.
I was struck by how stylish all of her employees were, so I decided to photograph some of them for a slideshow. I’m sure you’ll recognize some of the fabulous faces below:
You can follow Shop E-Drop Off on Twitter, @shopedropoff
To become a fan of Shop E-Drop Off on Facebook, click here.
Runway samples from Cynthia’s Spring 2011 collection
Matt “The Gaudy God” Kasin doing complimentary manicures
She got me too!
Meagan from LATTERSTYLE
Sabrina Wottreng and Sarah Whitman
With my BFFs Maryhelen Harper and Sarah Lafferty
Emily Draznik
Brett Mense (right)
With my close friends Jon Corpman, Sarah Lafferty, and Maryhelen Harper
Cynthia Rowley’s Traci Button, Lau, and Nicole
As you can tell from the photos above, the bloggers were out in force. They ranged from street style to personal style bloggers, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing Cynthia’s pieces on blogs for weeks to come. Isa of Chicago Looks captured some fantastic photographs of partygoers for her blog: check them out here. All in all, the event was a great success. Over half of the RSVP list showed up for a total of 68 people. At one point it was quite difficult to move from the front of the boutique to the back. But hey, it’s always better to have an event over-attended than under-attended, right!?
*Extra special thanks to the stylists who assisted me with the event: Matt Kasin of Strange Beauty Show; Anthony Maslo and Cortney Tippin of Salon Soca; and Halley Nop of Marianne Strokirk.
Sabrina of Defying My Closet was the organizing force behind the second annual Midwest Fashion Blogger Holiday Brunch. The event was held at Orange Contemporary Brunch in River North, which is a lovely restaurant with innovative casual fine dining cuisine.
Although most of the bloggers who attended are from Chicago and its suburbs, Kyla of Blue Collar Catwalk flew all the way in from State College, Pennsylvania! I was really impressed by all of the women I met. We drank champagne mimosas and talked fashion over “fruishi” and french toast.
People often ask me if streetstyle blogging is scary. Once I got over the first few stings of rejection from silly people who didn’t understand that I’m not trying to sell anything or pickpocket them, it becomes all about honing your photography skills. Many of the other fashion bloggers at brunch use their fashion blogs to express their personal sense of style, which seems really unnerving to me. I am much more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it!
Even after hearing them talk about how easy posting photos of yourself becomes, I am still intimidated! It was great to be around so many empowered and fascinating women who love fashion as much as I do. There is something special and intangible about people who put themselves out there in the world to follow their dreams. I have tremendous respect for people who have the wits, determination, and creative spirit to build such incredible fashion websites. In their honor, my New Year’s resolution for 2011 is to post at least one photo of myself a week on Chictopia!
Lindsey of Lindsey Soup
Lisa of Archives Chicago
Emily of Sartoriography
Claire of Between Laundry Days
Nikia of ChiTown Fashionista
Tabitha of Fashion Therapist
Gina of Clothes, Inter Alia
