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Our Bucktown Men’s Store Manager, Paulina Silva, is going to Haiti for a week as a volunteer. Her flight leaves tomorrow. She’s pictured below. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines, maybe donate some money or clothes (like me), but to actually get off your rear end and GO TO HAITI IN PERSON, RISK YOUR OWN BODY AND GIVE YOUR TIME, SWEAT, AND ENERGY- that takes something that Paulina has a lot of- HEART.
One of AKIRA’s managers will be traveling to Haiti on Sunday, January 24th.
Haiti is in great need for clothing & children’s medicine; Pedialyte, childrens motrin, pepto bismol medicines, etc. We are doing what we can to help, but we also need YOU and your friends to contribute. Any donations would help.
Donations are being collected at all AKIRA women & MEN clothing stores.
There is also an urgent need for SHOES in Haiti. In an effort to help, all the AKIRA SHOES STORES will be hosting a shoe drive for the rest of the January. Our goal is to collect 1000 pairs of donated shoes to the Haiti victims. Bring in new or gently worn work boots, rain boots, children’s athletic shoes, sport sandals, socks & other accessories, we will offer you 30% OFF any purchase. *Excluding new arrivals, Hunter boots & sale items
Lucky Magazine’s guest blogger, Lilliana Vazquez (http://www.cheapchicas.com) highlights shop.akirachicago.com as one of her favorite online retail boutiques.
I’m secretly from a small town in Indiana, but I’ve always known I was a city girl at heart. Although it took me almost twenty-one years to make it there, I just returned from my first trip to the Big Apple.
It was so different from Chicago, especially the fashion. Chicago has fashion but New York City is fashion. From the bright lights of Times Square to the cobblestone Soho streets, the whole city was just alive with it. We stayed in East Village, a hyper-trendy neighborhood. Models were everywhere. You could spot them from a mile away by their winter uniforms (skinny jeans with riding boots, leather jackets with scarves), long hair, and even longer legs.
We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek inside the Conde Nast building. After years of reading Vogue and multiple viewings of The September Issue, it was sort of surreal to be in the building that makes it all happen. We had lunch in the cafeteria, which was great for people watching. Like Nigel said in The Devil Wears Prada, “You have no idea how many legends have walked these halls.”
And honestly, New York was everything I imagined it to be. We spent time in each neighborhood: East Village vintage stores, Soho boutiques (Topshop!), Chelsea Art Galleries, Meatpacking district nightlife. I don’t know about the rest of the city, but I sure didn’t sleep.
I hesitated for a moment before getting on the plane. But when I did get on, I left feeling inspired, excited, and ready for my–and Chicago’s–fashion future.
Work at a fashion office long enough and the impending urge to go shopping kicks in, will power and self control aside. When I started my internship at AKIRA, I made a promise to the Bank of Mom and Dad that I would make a conscious effort to control my spending, i.e. not buying stuff I don’t “need.” Good thing that definition is negotiable.
Well it’s two months in, and while I watched everyone else’s wardrobes make the transition from summer dresses to fall layers, my closet has remained somewhat stagnant. There were things I wanted, but knew I could manage to live without. Still, the urge to go on a shopping spree of epic proportions was building. And once pressure starts to build, it isn’t long before the breaking point.
After weeks dressing models and seeing the clothes I wanted on their varying degrees of perfect bodies, I cracked and made a phone call to my parents. Calmly and rationally, I explained to them that there were pieces I needed to complete my fall wardrobe. Once I had the basic items, I told my mom, I could style and accessorize my way to fashion happiness. I explained, all I really needed was a faux fur vest, a leather skirt, two or three dresses that were so me and maybe something with sequins….before I could finish my list, I was interrupted.
“I thought you said you needed basics?” questioned my mom.
That’s what I said.
“Dresses, leather, and fur? Those aren’t things you need. Really, Alice, wouldn’t you rather have some new jeans or maybe a few turtlenecks? You need to buy things you would wear everyday.”
My obvious answer was a very blatant no, but I also began to think about how differently people’s fashion priorities line up when it comes to purchases. I know that I, along with all of my shopping friends, would rather buy a few trend pieces than spend money on simple items I could “wear everyday”. As far as everyday outfits go, I’d rather wear a cocktail dress to class than be caught spotted in jeans and a t-shirt. Fashion is all about the fun and the now, so bring on the trends.
So begins another exciting fashion week in NYC. It’s been a year since the massive layoffs that began the collapse of the financial markets in NYC. It all seemed so wild then. Were customers going to buy clothes? If so, how much were they going to spend? All the while, rumours were flying of designers closing their studios and landmark boutique closing their doors. The landscape of the industry has changed so much in just a year that it has almost been an extremely humbling experience.
“ I saw millionaires this week, billionaires are passé”- Loic Prigent Paris Fall/Winter 2009
I think Loic put it the best. The challenging times have been a purging flood that forced designers to refocus, editors to work harder, and buyers to further appreciate their customers. Looking forward, I think that this fashion week will be all about creative delivery and product. No one is buying basics, unless they are super cheap! In troubling times, fashion can really be something that can lift your spirits and keep you moving forward. So spend smart and really indulge in great pieces that will ultimately last and save you money in the long run.
My first show tonight is going to be Wendi Reed. You may remember her as one of the contestants from the earlier Project Runway seasons I can’t remember if its one or two!). I’m super excited to see how much she has grown and what her aesthetic really is. Its kinda hard to see what someones style is like on the show because the show is so fragmented and coerced. I’ll post a pics live from the show when I get there!
Follow me on twitter @akirachicago for live updates and pics!
Another hectic Fashion week is upon on and yours truly will be on hand to cover the upcoming shows, parties and the people who attend them. I’ll be posting my daily reviews and pictures on this blog so check back frequently or follow me on Twitter: @pforme.
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