1154 LILL Studio





I attended the 7th Annual VIP Holiday party at 1154 LILL Studio this week. The minute I walked through the door, I was greeted by the chatter of several women swooning over the brightly colored array of fabrics to pick for their custom handbags.

Founder of 1154 LILL Studio, Jen Velarde

1154 LILL Studio was founded by Jen Velarde in 1999. I got a chance to steal Jen away from the crowd of customers for a few minutes to chat about her unique concept. Customers really get a chance to express themselves and show off their personalities and creativity through these beautiful handbags. Jen explained that you get a choice of 35 styles and 175 fabrics to create tons of possibilities that are tailored to your liking. If you aren't feeling very creative or need a quick gift, there are off the rack options also.


Some of the fabric options



In addition to everyday handbags, you can choose from wallets, makeup bags, travel bags, baby bags, other accessories and even pillows! There's a plethora of options to make your one-of-a-kind bag really stand out. The bags are made right in Chicago and only takes about 3-4 weeks to complete. Jen also said that they offer handbag parties in your home as well as in-store. This is a great idea for bridal parties, birthday parties or just girls night out.



Blank Canvas Wall



With the holidays approaching fast, 1154 LILL Studio is a great store for the perfect gift! The best part about LILL is that the prices are very affordable. With locations in Chicago (904 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL 60614), Boston (220 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116) and an Online Boutique (http://www.1154lill.com/), there's really no reason to not get your custom handbag fix. 



BRIANNA Bag, $110



Oh and in case you're wondering, my favorite bag is the BRIANNA (retails for $110) *hint, hint*.

XOXO,

iT Girl Forever













Furla Grand Re-Opening Event

Last night, Rodney and I attended the Grand Re-Opening event of Furla on Oak Street. (Chicago, IL). For those of you that are not quite familiar with Furla, it is an Italian, luxury brand that carries handbags, wallets, and other accessories. We were delighted to hear that the store was finally re-opening to reveal it's more modern, sleek makeover!

There were a ton of dedicated fashionistas and fashionistos that battled the rain to come out to this beautiful store. The Furla brand is very classic and well-crafted. The quality is evident in their gorgeous handbags. While sipping on glasses of Procecco, we perused the entire store admiring the lovely bags, jewelry, belts and scarves. 

We saw several familiar faces and also met some new wonderful people, including the CEO of Furla USA, Tommaso Bruso! The handbags that stood out the most and that I salivated over the entire night were the Guggenheim Shopper (retails for $695 at Macy's) and the Tate Lucchetto Lambskin Tracolla (retails for $895 at Macy's). At least I have one (or two) more things to add to my Christmas list!

Check out some pics from the event and stop by the Furla on Oak Street (106 East Oak, Chicago, IL 60611).

Ciao,
iT Girl Forever



Alia Rajput (Fashion Editor for Second City Style) and Mikeya Summerville





Furla USA CEO, Tommaso Bruso and Mikeya Summerville

 



iT Factor Agency and Friends





Mikeya and Rodney showing off their favorite Furla bags















Fashion Focus Chicago 2010

This past week all of the pretty, fashionable people were seen in Millennium Park for Fashion Focus Chicago. I was very excited about Fashion Focus Week as I am with anything pertaining to fashion. Let me just say that it didn't start off on the right note.

The first stop on my agenda was the Macy's Chicago Fashion Incubator & CS Magazine Show. Admission was free so I knew that I had to get there early in order to get a decent seat. We were the very first ones in line. A line that we had to stand in for an hour and a half, just to be told that due to over booking VIP seats, we wouldn't even be able to view the show from the actual tent but behind it and watch it on the screen.

As you can imagine, this did not make me too happy. As a lover of all things fashion, I was NOT going to watch the show on a screen, so I left. Ticked off, my friend and I decided to go and have a martini where we met some fab, new friends along the way. The night turned out to be ok given the bad situation.

The next event scheduled was the Smartwater and Chicago Magazine present Mario, Make Me a Model and Wave of Fashion event. Being that this event was also free, I didn't want a repeat of the day before so we decided to save ourselves from the possible frustration and chose not to go.

The highlight of the week was the Friday, October 22nd event, StyleChicago presents the Art of Fashion. Now this event was worth every penny of the $96 VIP ticket! It started off with a cocktail reception where I got to meet tons of FABULOUS people, including some designers from the show. Oh and did I mention the huge goodie bag? The highlight of my night was meeting former model, actress, fashion editor Candace Jordan!! She was so sweet and down to earth. My BFF, Rodney always talks about her so it was a pleasure to finally meet her. Be sure to check out her blog: Candid Candace!



Me and Candace Jordan



I also got a chance to talk to fashion designers, Borris Powell (finally), Paul Sisti and Richard (James) Morse of the Kirk James Collection. The other featured designers that were in attendance were: Lara Miller, Elda de la Rosa and Lauren Lein, along with emerging designers: Hector-Javier MonArrez, Lydia Wawrzyniak and Fraley Le. The show was a huge success and I'm very happy that my week turned out to be a good one!

XOXO
iT Girl Forever

Here's a few pictures from the event:

Designer Paul Sisti, Mallory Antonino (wearing his gorgeous dress) and friend

Me and Designer Borris Powell

Me showing off my goodie bag

Models behind the stage getting ready for the show

Me and Rodney

Design by Hector-Javier MonArrez

Designs by Borris Powell



Inside of my goodie bag



Get Fitted!!

Side spillage, boob muffin top, sagging, underwire indents, red shoulders from straps - these are all problems that women have when they are wearing the incorrect bra size.

This past weekend my sister and I attended the "Nordstrom Fits America" event at the Nordstrom on Michigan Ave in Chicago. We were excited to go because we had an appointment to get fitted for our correct bra sizes. I've known for some time now that I have probably been wearing the wrong size. I have been trying to hold on to my college bra size, being in denial that I have grown in more ways than one. Well to my surprise, I have a much bigger bust than I thought (and you can forget it, I'm not sharing what my size is).

According to several studies, between 70 and 80 percent of women are totally clueless when it comes to their bra size. And get this...most women are BIGGER than they thought. According to an article in the New York Times, "Your Bra Size: The Truth May (Pleasantly) Surprise You" by Laura M. Holson, "These days, many women — to their shock or glee — are finding that DD is becoming the new C." Am I the only one that thinks this is crazy?? I mean talk about inflation! Well I guess we have to embrace our enhancements and look fabulous while doing so.

Ladies, please go and visit your favorite department store or good old Victoria's Secret and get fitted for your correct bra size. Stop walking around being uncomfortable. With the right bra size, not only will you feel better, you will look better also! Proper undergarments are very important to making that LBD or fitted blouse look amazing. Needless to say, the Nordstrom event was fun and definitely prompted me to go out and buy the right sized bra or two or three!

I decided to share some pics of my experience with you. Check them out!

Toodles,
iT Girl Forever

Big Girl Cosmetics Makeup Bar & Spa

Hello Divas and Divos!!

I had the honor of interviewing Kiley Russell, CEO of Big Girl Cosmetics on my radio show about a month ago! Kiley has such a warm spirit and great personality. Her story of how she started Big Girl Cosmetics is amazing and genius. She just happened to be in the audience of the infamous Oprah Winfrey show where she gave away the cars five years ago. Well Kiley, being the business-minded person that she is, sold the car (she didn't need one at the time) and started Big Girl Cosmetics.

The grand opening of Big Girl Cosmetics Makeup Bar and Spa was this past Friday, September 17th in Hyde Park. The space is FABULOUS! It's the girlie girl's dream! There was pink everywhere! The "Big Girl" was painted on the wall along with inspiring quotes. A combination of food, drinks, makeup sessions, massages, manicures and pink and white balloons made this opening grand indeed!

I picked up a tube of Diva Gloss in "Berry Diva" and will definitely return for a spa mani-pedi. Big kudos to Kiley for making her dreams come true! She was as warm and beautiful in person as she was during our interview. If you live in Chicago or just visiting, please be sure to stop by and check out the wonderful space and get pampered. The location is at 5239 S. Harper, Chicago, IL 60615. www.biggirlcosmetics.com


Check out some pics from my visit and be sure to listen to our interview on The iT Factor Show at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/itfactoragency/2010/08/22/kiley-russell-ceo-of-big-girl-cosmetics

Listen to internet radio with The iT Factor Show on Blog Talk Radio

XOXO
iT Girl Forever


The "Big Girl"



Kiley and Rodney

Kiley and Mikeya

All Bottled Up: From Garbage to Glam

All Bottled Up: From Garbage to Glam

With more eco-friendly innovations coming to the market each day, it’s no surprise that fashion would soon be a hit! Whether it’s paper or plastic, or garbage to glam, fashion has hit its mark this year with eco-friendly wear.

Chicago Tribune’s own, Redeye, shows us what it’s like to be fashionably loud and eco-sexy. The Red Eye’s, Erin Sarris tells fashion bloggers and the many inspired designers all about what it takes to be eco-chic on the runway. First, Erin reassures us that “Recycling plastic bottles into clothing is not a fad; these fabrics are here to stay.” Next, she shares all the secrets of how this earthly couture is made. “Bottles are picked up as large bales of plastic from recycling plants , then rinsed, purified and chopped down into small pieces.

These shredded bits of plastic are melted and spun into long strands that are woven to create a soft, durable fabric.” The best part is, according to statistics cited by the Environmental Protection Agency, the textile recycling industry keeps about 2.5 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste out of the environment.

So, the next time you’re hoping to make a bold fashion statement, try being eco-chic! With this trendy new style, your look can never fade!

Dress made from recycled materials by Deborah Milner of Aveda Ecoture

Dress made from recycled newspapers by Gary Harvey

Linda Loudermilk Spring 2011

By: iTGirl1