Oh, Chicago, put away your scrunchies, cover your midriff and, for heaven’s sake, abandon those low-fitting jeans.
Your fashion-forward Mayor Richard Daley is trying to put Chicago on the fashion map.
As New York City belongs to Kate Spade, and Donatella Versace creates designer odes to South Beach, Chicago has, uh, businesswomen in suits and tennis shoes.
Some fashion experts even suggest, gently of course, that Daley, who is known for his traditional gray and navy suits and ties, should start with himself, choosing more colorful ties and perhaps a bright handkerchief tucked into his lapel.
Daley, whose father was on national best-dressed lists during his mayoral tenure, announced Wednesday the creation of a Fashion Advisory Council to unite local designers and fashion leaders in what has been a fragmented industry. The council wants to persuade local designers to stay here rather than move to New York City or Los Angeles.
“When I think of fashion, I don’t think Chicago,” said Amanda Hodor, 19, a fashion design major at Columbia College in Chicago who had figured she would have to move to either coast to launch her career. “I would love for more fashion to be here so I don’t have to leave.”
After the success in 2005 of Fashion Focus Chicago, a festival of local designers and stores, Daley concluded the fashion industry needed to centralize its operations.
On Wednesday, he appointed a city fashion maven, Melissa Turner, who as the director of fashion arts and events hopes to help make Chicago a fashion destination. Turner said attracting manufacturing plants, improving marketing to consumers and designers and making production easier are all part of the discussion the council will have.
“We are getting ready to lay the foundation that will allow designers to stay here and make it easier for them to learn the business of fashion here,” Turner said.
Changing the fashion landscape, however, starts with fashion students, who will mold the city’s future with their own hands. Fashion major Jessica Miller said she was shocked when she saw Daley on TV talking about fashion in Chicago, of all places.
More Top Picks Best Wine Glasses Sets For Entertaining
“Is this serious? I thought, `What channel am I on?'” said Miller, a 21-year-old fashion merchandising student at Dominican University in River Forest. “Chicago is definitely a city that could use it.”
To retain talented young designers, Chicago should attract established designers and manufacturers, and hurry up, some students said, so they can start to enjoy the new fashion landscape upon graduation.
“We have great boutiques, great designers, but if we could get some of the bigger names to come out here, it would be awesome,” Miller said. “If Marc Jacobs (the name as published has been corrected in this text) or someone of that caliber started something here in Chicago, we would have a great name for ourselves.”
Adama Henry, a senior fashion design major at Columbia with dreams of becoming a handbag designer, said she hopes the mayor’s program gets under way by the time she graduates next year.
“If I can come out and be one of the first big names, that’s fine by me,” Henry said.
Designers and shop owners hoped the council would also work to change the perceptions about Chicago fashion.
It could start by helping wardrobe-challenged Chicagoans, who are often late catching onto trends.
“Oh yeah, by about two years,” said Chad Knight, 25, a fashion design student at Chicago’s Columbia College who mentioned leggings as an example.
Once the council has made fashion a focus, the city can create its own trends. Perhaps then the coasts will start following Chicago. Imagine that!
“There has been no force within the city to drive the fashion industry,” said Kelly Ryan O’Brien, director of Gen Art of Chicago. “Now, this is placing a lot of attention to the areas of the fashion industry that don’t exist in Chicago or need to be improved.”
Kristen Amato, who designs jewelry and is on the board of directors at the Chicago Fashion Foundation, said Chicago is gaining ground.
“There are a lot of people coming out of here or trying to stay here,” Amato said. “Most people don’t think of Chicago as being one of the fashion hubs, but that is what the fashion council was formed to do, to change that.”
One way is for Chicagoans to embrace local fashion.
“People in Chicago should take note and support the Chicago designers we have here. It is something to be proud of,” said Tricia Tunstall, owner of p.45 boutique in Bucktown. “It’s like being behind your favorite baseball team, the Cubs or the White Sox. Getting behind fashion and stepping it up a notch is kind of exciting.”
Illinois lost homegrown fashion talent Wendy Mullin to New York City in 1992, but that was before Chicago made a move toward fashion friendliness.
Mullin, 36, the designer behind Built by Wendy with shops in New York, Los Angeles and online, grew up in suburban Chicago but left because New York “seemed like the natural place to do fashion.”
“If they had more of a promotion about Chicago fashion, I would have definitely considered that, for sure,” Mullin said. “New York is so expensive and a hard place to live that it would be nice to have another city that did fashion stuff and gave people more options.”
With time, designers will find out that they can launch careers right here, said Cyndi Chan, who moved to Chicago from New York to design clothing.
“Talent in Chicago? We have plenty,” Chan said. “You don’t have to go to New York to get discovered. We can get discovered here.”
– – –
Fashion in Chicago: Dos, Don’ts and Daley
Dos:
“You don’t have to make your wardrobe staple black. Express yourself with colors and patterns.”
–Beth Lambert, board member of Chicago Fashion Foundation and also president of Scarlet Designs.
“Chicagoans are really good at individuality. That is very unique to Chicago.”
–Kelly Ryan O’Brien, director of Gen Art of Chicago
Don’ts:
“Flip-flops with a suit. It defeats the whole purpose of a suit. You see it on the `L’ all the time.”
–Amanda Hodor, 19, Columbia College junior
“I cannot stand scrunchies. When I see one, I cringe.”
–Kristen Amato, a jewelry designer on the board of directors for Chicago Fashion Foundation.
More Top Picks Adhd Focus Tips That Actually Work Without Medication
“No more midriffs. We don’t need to see the midriff anymore. No more piercings. No more grunge. We are over the grunge.”
–Tricia Tunstall, owner of p.45 boutique in Bucktown
Daley
“He’s a fabulous dresser. I would encourage him to consider local designers. Adding a little color and interest in your tie is great.”
–Melissa Turner, director of fashion arts and events for the city. Daley is her boss.
“His look is very investment banker versus trying to wear things that are more bold and interesting in terms of his tie prints. We don’t expect him to start wearing Versace.”
–Lance Lawson and Jim Wetzel, owners of Jake, two stores in Chicago.
———-