DecadesTwo.1 Pop-Up Shop at The Ritz Carlton - Opening Night

Tuesday, October 19, 2010:

Tuesday was quite a busy evening for events...  Once the last look sauntered down the runway at Millennium Park (CFI Past & Present Designers Show) - Todd, Marie and I quietly made our way to Randolph Street to catch a cab and head to the next event.  We arrived a few minutes later at the doors of the beautiful Ritz Carlton, got out of our cab and got checked in to head up to the DecadesTwo.1 Pop-Up Shop.  Before we hit the elevators, Barbara Glass (who had just come down) greeted us in the lobby and raved about the clothing we were about to see.  She looked amazing, as always, and I was so happy to be able to have a quiet moment to say hello to her.  Once in the elevator, we couldn't resist taking a photo in the glass as we made our way up:

Todd Starr Smith, Marie P. Anderson & Ryan M. Beshel

Once we reached our floor, we exited the elevator and made our way into a beautiful suite - dripping with racks of Dior, Chanel and many other fine designer goods as stunning as the room we were standing in.  We had a chance to speak with Jesse Garza, co-writer (with Joe Lupo - also in attendance) of 'Work It' - a book that has gives women advice on what to wear to work.  In the book, "Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo, stylists to the stars, reveal their tried and true secrets to looking professional and chic. With questionnaires, hundreds of photos, color swatches, and before-and-after shots, they make it easy for any woman to determine her specific 'worksonality.' Then they tackle the tricky questions: How much skin is too much skin? Is what I'm wearing to work preventing me from getting the position that I want and deserve? Are shorts ever acceptable in the office? (Spoiler alert: they're not.)"  The authors signed copies of their book and talked with the exclusive attendees about the lessons inside.

 

Jesse and Joe - along with two of my favorite women, Lynn McMahan and Amanda Puck - welcomed DecadesTwo.1 and HauteLook as they stopped in Chicago for their recent consignment pop-up shop tour.  All of the beautiful clothing was offered at greatly reduced prices and the suite was buzzing with women trying on furs and trying out handbags while the gentlemen relaxed and sipped wine.  I got my hands on a glass and tried my best to keep my excitement to a minimum.  (What?  You'd be excited to see 30 Chanel blazers, too.)  Once we said hello to everyone and had a good look, it was time to shuffle on to the next event.  Like I said - it was quite a busy Tuesday...

Truly,

R.M.B.

 The boss and I...  :)

 The stunning suite...