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It’s almost here!
New York and Paris fashion weeks are finished, but our fun is only beginning. Though the line up of runway shows do not compare to those of the aforementioned veterans, it is certainly a worthy start. With shows by Macy’s and the fashion incubator designers, as well as local designers. Let us not forget that some of the greats, like Zac Posen, got their start here!
I was a bit disconcerted yesterday when talking to a colleague about Chicago fashion. He insinuated that people can get away with a lot as far as under-dressing as this is the Midwest. Could this be true? I have noticed many an avid fashion enthusiast walking the streets, especially in this enviable fall weather. Peacoats, opaque tights and boots are invading the concrete runways and I think this bodes well for the future.
The other night while watching The September Issue (which follows famed VOGUE Editor in Chief Anna Wintour), I was struck with the absurdity of how NYC is the only U.S. hub for fashion editorial. As long as Chicago makes a real, conscious effort to embrace fashion, I truly believe we can real competitors with the Big Apple. For one thing, our rent is MUCH cheaper. Done and done!
I’ll keep you all updated on Fashion Week– yours truly will be at the shows and capturing all the action and excitement.
-Ileana
On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending solo violinist Christian Tetzlaff’s performance at the Symphony Center in the Loop. Tickets for students are cheap ($10) but the reward for going is priceless: You can see some of the most talented classical musicians and be wowed by their talent and stage presence. Christian Tetzlaff was no exception to this.
The only disappointing thing about his performance was the audience, who are probably some of the same people not minding their manners on escalators or while making out. I have never heard such an asthmatic, infectious group of people congregating in one place! And despite Walgreens very graciously providing free lozenges in the lobby, it seems the whole lot of them would just wait until Tetzlaff started playing until they hacked their lungs out. Rude!
In any case, here is my review of the show:
Christian Tetzlaff, Violin
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
The Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin
When you attend Symphony Center you usually expect to hear the over 100 members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform layered and thunderous pieces from Stravinsky or Beethoven. So when German violinist Christian Tetzlaff took to the stage by himself, it was hard to imagine the sound from his lone violin filling the vast auditorium.
As he launched into Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, you could almost forget that Tetzlaff is playing unaccompanied. He is a master of the polysymphonic technique, a composing style that simultaneously incorporates multiple melodic lines. The effect sounds like dueling violins.
The sonata carries on with a bouncing curiosity until the tempo shifts, becomes faster, and is taken over by an anxious inspiration. Some of the movements are filled with rapid successions of notes that the violinist holds for only a fraction of a beat. So technically demanding are the movements that you start to wonder if Bach was trying to set up violinists for certain failure and embarrassment. Nevertheless, Tetzlaff reliably sawed his way through the movements, and he turned what could have been a sterile exercise of virtuosity into a dramatic, captivating show.
With every bounce of his bow there was not as much as a millisecond of a scratch or squeak from the violin. Tetzlaff was absolutely pitch perfect. It was clear that he did not just blindly memorise the music: Every time the melody changed, so did his facial expression. A lift of the eyebrows or the curl of smile showed that he was enraptured by his own playing.
And so was the audience.
At the end of every sonata and partita, the audience let out a collective sigh followed by a chuckle, as if they were amused by their own entrancement.
Tetzlaff’s articulate fingers took a break during several slow, graceful partitas, including Partita No. 2 in D Minor. In this first sad piece, Tetzlaff was careful to show off the full range of his violin. He used long strokes of his bow to amplify and elongate every note, without using vibrato. This caused the deep, penetrating tone of his violin to resonate throughout the auditorium.
In the partita, he stroked some notes so delicately and quietly that you had to strain to hear what was being played. It made the piece feel luxuriously improper, like you were eavesdropping on a private conversation between two lovers.
Tetzlaff proved that one does not need a symphony behind them to create complex and dramatic music. His nimble fingers can suffice.
Dev xx
Attention all PDA-loving Chicagoans, I just gotta ask: Where are your make out manners?! Maybe it was rude of me to snap this darling little picture below, but it didn’t seem to disturb the two lovebirds who were eating each others faces on the El!
Making out is not gross. But sloppily making out in public, especially in a place where there is a captive audience (i.e. I cannot claw open the doors on the El and throw myself on the tracks) is not only gross, but it’s rude! The poor lady sitting across from these two had a blank expression on her face as she tried hard not to look or throw up. Still, she had to listen to the smacking, the moaning and the general ickiness coming from the make out session across from her.
Even a group of young men in a train that was passing our train on the track saw this PDI (Public Display of Impropriety), pointed and laughed uncontrollably.
Unfortunately, people on my train put up with this behaviour for not one or two stops but for 10 stops! Ew ew ew!!!!
Dev xx
Well, there it is. Tonight’s potential “big freeze.” Bring the plants indoors and bust out the insulated coat because winter is here again! As you all know, as a Floridian, I am not one to casually throw news of cooler weather to the proverbial wind. I have been outside, strolling up and down the block with Knox trying to enjoy as much of it as I possibly can!
Might I suggest a jug of cider and a cinnamon candle to set the mood? This evening we’re going to be reunited with an old flame.
-Ileana
…that Chicago is beautiful even at night. When it’s cold. And windy.
Dev xx
About a week ago, I was strolling down N. Lincoln Avenue when I came across a building that made me wonder if I had just transported back in time. The building was Krause Music Store and it can move even the most stubborn modernist to dream of a time when buildings were intricate and beautiful.
Picture courtesy of Time Out magazine.
Here are some details about Krause Music Store which can be found both on a plaque outside the building and on the City of Chicago’s Chicago Landmarks page.
Address: 4611 N. Lincoln Ave.
Year Built: 1922
Architects: William Presto and Louis H. Sullivan (his last commission!)
In attempt to describe to you exactly what it looks like (I love the Time Out picture, but it simply does not do the store front justice), I wrote the following description:
Upon first glance, in broad daylight, Krause Music Store looks like a tiny opera house. The ornate terracotta façade is so perfectly symmetrical and elaborately designed that, despite its actual depth, it looks flat from across the street, even propped up from behind, like something out of a Hollywood set. The building also stands out because of its whitewashed colour. Surrounded by square buildings made of simple red brick, it is like a flash of obsidian among a pile of rocks. At night, the yellow bulbs glowing in the wide, inviting entryway give the clay surface a golden tint.
You really must see this building at night, so I am going to suggest the following itinerary, so you can fit it in after having dinner.
First, grab a pint at Huettenbar (4721 N. Lincoln) in honour of Oktoberfest. This bar is one of the last authentic Germanic bars in Lincoln Square and comes complete with a German staff, long wooden bar and many a German beer on draught.
After you say auf wiedersehen to your bartender, turn left out the arched, wooden doors and look for Krause Music store on your left. If it is still daylight, the lights will have not turned on yet, and you can marvel at the animal carvings in the terra cotta. Then cross the street and head over to Bistro Campagne (4518 N. Lincoln) to tuck yourself into French food served in a luxuriously French countryside atmosphere.
I will be headed to Bistro Campagne tonight and will let you know how it is!!!!
Once you have polished off your dinner, go back to Krause and admire it some more!
Dev xx
Not gonna lie: I was ridiculously excited Wednesday about Green City Market’s Apple Fest, which featured over seven different uncommon varieties to taste as well as delicious prepared foods from well-known chefs in Chicago! But moreso than just apples, I was thrilled to find some unique products at the market that I am sure you will love!
1. Oscar’s Hairy Balls. I thought the name was a joke, too, but it isn’t. Oscar’s Hairy Balls are the catalogue name for the above seed pods on a stick that actually produce a lovely near-white bloom. Of course, once news broke of my discovery, many a joke was made.
2. Cherry preserves from Seedling Farms. Sweet and tangy with whole cherries in it. It’s like pie without the crust…on a croissant!
3. Peppers from Leaning Shed Farm. You can see Serrano, Jalapeno and Banana peppers in the picture above, as well as a big, shiny candy red onion! Cannot wait to fry it up! Mmmm-mmm!
4. Bosc pears, with a sweet, gritty flesh, from Mick Klug are just gorgeous. Honey Crisp apples are MASSIVE from Ellis Farms and the little red apples are a gift from Gabe, so I could make caramel covered apples with his perfect caramel sauce!
5. Hugging carrots and curly-q eggplant from Granor Farm. Jesse and Tim were kind enough to let me bring tons of little school children to their tent to show off their deep violet eggplants! Thanks, guys!
More to come…
Dev xx
Tonight, I made myself the. most. delicious little dinner. Although I was out all day shopping for my Halloween outfit with Ruthie (I am going to be Little Bo Peep!), I was not very hungry when I got back to my flat. Thank goodness for the cherry bomb peppers I received from David and Denise at Leaning Shed Farm and Denise’s idea to stuff them. Cherry bombs are pretty small (about twice the size of a cherry), but they stuff well and can be filling!
I made 4 cherry bombs stuffed with local sauteed cabbage, rice and smoked ham.
- Cut a circle around the top of the pepper, pull the top off by the stem then make sure all the seeds are out! Set aside.
- Chop up one cabbage leaf into small pieces and sauteed it in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for about 30 seconds.
- Threw in one handful of cold, pre-cooked rice and let it heat for about 20 seconds.
- Dice up some smoked ham and tossed it in, too, just until it was heated through.
- Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture. I pushed the filling in with a chopstick to make sure it was packed!
- Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Please, please be aware that cherry bombs are HOT! I made the huge mistake by gutting them and then touching my face and ouch! – it burned! And it is still kinda burning! Haha. Such a blonde!
For dessert I chopped up a Seedling’s apple and drizzled it with warm caramel, courtesy of Gabriel, who is my knight in shining chef’s hat! Then I topped them with nuts, again courtesy of Gabriel (ain’t he amazing?!). The result was heavenly.
Which brings me to my lesson on how (not) to eat like a lady: Lesson one: Your hand should always be covered in caramel if you are eating caramel covered apples with nuts. Always. Your mouth and chin should also have caramel on them. No exceptions! You should also have a spoon handy so you can ladle up as much gooey, buttery caramel off your plate as possible and shovel it right into your mouth!
Dev xx
It’s raining, it’s pouring and production is snoring – meaning that no filming is going on right now.
Curious to see if production was going smoothly for the cast and crew of Little Fockers, the upcoming movie featuring Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller, I took a 3 walk block from my flat to check out the production site. I spoke to some security guards and one gaffer (electrician) who told me that filming would continue on Sheridan as soon as the rain subsided. Tomorrow maybe?!
At the intersection of Irving Park and Sheridan, the star trailers and honey wagon (i.e. bathrooms) are set up in a parking lot usually used for Cubs games. The gate is shut to the parking lot and there are no people in the area.
Off of Dakin on Sheridan, movie-making equipment sits abandoned
I am going to make it my mission to talk to the Location Manager to see why they have chosen the Uptown/Lakeview part of Chicago to film in and try to get answers – stay tuned for more!
Check out more pics below!
Dev xx
Was JUST at the Sheridan El stop and the grips for Little Fockers were setting up silks on the roof opposite the station. Gaffers already set up electrical equipment on platform. LOTS of energy and action around that area!
Get there! Watch the crew make movie magic!!
Dev xx
