CHICAGO WELCOMES BIGGER, BOLDER BARNEY’S!

Thursday, April 16th, will go down in history as the day the Big Boy came to town! The new, bigger Barney’s is the most beautiful store in Chicago and the turnout on opening day proved it. Everyone wanted to see it and, by the expressions on their faces, they were pleased indeed. With jaw-dropping square footage and attention to every detail, this store must be the crown jewel in the Barney’s empire. From the flooring to the dressing rooms and everything in between, the design and furnishings are done to perfection. I could move right into the dressing rooms and be perfectly content! The designer selections are unique and varied, I’m sure in large part because it is an opening but I hope this endless variety continues. Even one of the sales girls told me she never even knew Marni had such great designs until they sent the new stuff for this opening. So please NY, don’t give up after this week is over!!!! There is a dramatic winding staircase in the center of the store that takes you to all six levels. Beauty, skin care and fragrances are on the lower level; accessories, hats, jewelry and sunglasses are on the main floor; designer collections and shoes are on the second level; sportswear and denim are on the third; the fourth and fifth floors are for men and the sixth floor contains Chelsea Passage with selections for the home. BUT the most important feature of the sixth floor is the fabulous restaurant, Fred’s! This chic dining spot has incredible views and a petite and exclusive outdoor patio with only three tables with a beautiful view straight down Oak Street to the lake! Imagine sitting above our greatest shopping street and looking at our sparkling lake on a lazy summer day? Makes me feel woozy just thinking about it!! Michael Celestino, Barney’s executive vice president, told me it’s been 22 years since they’ve opened a restaurant so they are feeling really happy about this decision and he thinks their location is perfect. Their other two dining spots are Green Grass in Beverly Hills and Fred’s in NY. Not only will our Fred’s be open for lunch but it will also be open for dinner and brunch. When I went to dinner here on opening night, the place was packed with fun, friendly faces and I predict it will be a new hotspot for those in the know. Michael told me Fred’s in NY is the best kept secret among the locals for dinner and I suspect it will be the same way here. You have to make a reservation for dinner and then come to the side entrance on Rush Street. Then a security guard will check your name and you will be escorted to an elevator inside the store. I think it will be fun and feel like our very own speakeasy! Fred’s is named after the grandson of the original property owner that Barney’s is built on in NY. Their incredible chef, Mark Strausman hails from NY. For the opening, they decided not to do a big blow-out since this economy wasn’t conducive to it, so champagne and donuts were the order of the day. Delicious sugar donuts by Mindy Segal served on silver platters were the perfect touch. The store is open seven days a week and Fred’s serves food from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday thru Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Brunch is served from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday. I saw a gazillion people there opening day including Jerry Kleiner (who was passing out cards for his new restaurant, Via Ventuno—which is his retooled Room 21), Christina Gidwitz (trying on chic designer dresses), John Carroll, Amalie Drury with Jeff Corney, Sophie Bross, Helen Melchior, Kathy Lidbury, Scott McLellan, Chryssi Cochanis, Jazmin Arellano (who just landed a job with Maria Pinto), DJ John Svendsen from Norway, Carol Beitler, Lorenzo Beard, Margaret Rainone, Naywri Wright, Demetri Alexander and his wife Marisa Murillo, Ann Waters, Martha and Laura Wallace, Hazel Barr, Scott Bobek, Janice and Ray Blaney, Joy Germont and Marie Amelio. Photos from top right: Barney's at 15 E. Oak St.; display area; Jerry Kleiner and John Carroll; Carol Beitler, Margaret Rainone and Lorenzo Beard; Barney's dramatic staircase; Naywri Wright; Fred's; Fred's outdoor dining space; Barney's executive vice president Michael Celestino and me; Fred's bar area; Fred's head chef Mark Strausman; donuts from Mindy Segal; Martha and Laura Wallace; Ann Waters, Helen Melchior and children's book author Kathy Lidbury; Marie Amelio and a friend; Jazmin Arellano and DJ John Svendsen; Kimberly Gleason and Sophie Bross. For more photos from this event, click here. 

Speaking of great stores, a BIG thank you to Neiman Marcus, Mary Ann Henderson and Tina Koegel for arranging a wonderful luncheon for members of the Joffrey Women’s Board Thursday. The luncheon served two purposes: one, to thank outstanding members of the Joffrey Women’s Board who had served on committees this past year and two, to introduce Santiago Gonzalez’s Spring 2009 handbag collection. Santiago is the son of luxury handbag designer Nancy Gonzalez. Neiman’s scored on both counts and everyone enjoyed meeting Santiago and fondling his luxurious handbags up close. All of the Nancy Gonzalez bags are handmade in Columbia using precious skins such as Caiman Crocodile and Malaysian python. Santiago assured us that the crocodiles are farm-raised and each bag has a numbered emblem from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to attest to this fact. He went on to say that it takes seven years of training to learn how to make these beautiful bags since matching the skins is an art form. The factory employs 700 people and 99 percent are women. His mother is very spiritual and studies with the Dalai Lama and has provided her workers with a day care center that cares for 150 children. The company was started 10 years ago when Nancy was unable to sell a surplus of bags after a store closing. Santiago suggested she send them to him and he would sell them to his college friends in NY. When the landlady heard he was selling bags out of his grandmother’s apartment, she hit the roof—until she SAW the bags. Then she suggested he take them to her friend, Dawn Mello, at Bergdorf Goodman and the rest, as they say, is history! Last year, the company sold over 55,000 handbags, each one unique. Santiago says, “True luxury is never trendy and the only hardware should be in your jewelry, not on the bags.” Their totes come with a banana leaf as a nod to their native Columbia. It was particularly delightful for me speaking with him since he goes to St. Tropez every year and we knew many of the same people. Here’s to your continued success, Santiago, and maybe I’ll be lucky enough to run into you in the South of France next year! :) Photos from top right: Santiago Gonzalez, me and Tina Koegel; Kate Benson and Marina Tater with Gonzalez handbags; model showing a Nancy Gonzalez bag; Astra Gamsjaeger and Kelly Detman; Santiago with his mother Nancy Gonzalez's bags; Lisa Leiden and Women's Board president Kathleen Klaeser; Marilyn Slattery; Rebecca Besser and Liz Ryan; Santiago with models; Linda O'Bannon; Francis Elliot and Santiago with the handbag he autographed for her.

Dave Curry really knows how to think outside the box: He has invented a unique concept in footwear called Podi, which means "foot" in Greek. Formerly in commercial real estate, inspiration struck Dave on the Michigan shores. While watching his daughters play in the water, he noticed his own footwear was trashed. He felt there had to be a better way than shelling out another $150 or more for shoes so in 2004, he came up with the idea of interchangeable shoe covers which can be removed or replaced based on one's mood or outfit. Curry designed six shoe covers for women and five for men. For $129, you receive the shoe base, three covers and an environmentally-friendly knapsack to keep it all in. Each extra cover is just $19.99 and you can even design your own cover using his Van Gogh style which arrives as a blank canvas.  I see this as a boon for children who seem to go through shoes faster than you can blink an eye. To see how this innovative invention works, click here. Good luck, Dave! Photos from top left: Dave Curry with his Podi Wear; women's Podi shoe and cover choices.  

On a personal note, I would like to congratulate my friend Simona Groza (beautiful manager of Luca Luca on Oak Street) and Dennis Garcia on their upcoming wedding on August 23rd. It will be held in the Hotel Sun Garden in Turda, Romania. Simona is beloved by so many and we all wish her and Dennis mountains of happiness! :) Photo: Dennis Garcia and Simona Groza.
 
I think we are finally headed for spring!!!! And as we all know, there is no place prettier than Chicago at spring time…unless it’s Chicago in the summer! Now here is a video that will exhaust you by simply watching it; I don’t remember cheerleading ever being quite like this! 
 
Love,
Candace :)

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