Catching Up With The Bowtie...

Sunday, May 15, 2011:

Hello, my friends!  My sincerest apologies for being gone for so long - things have been quite busy in the land of bowties.  I wanted to take a moment to catch you up on my life these past couple months and get us all back on track.  As you may know, I am a freelance publicist (in addition to my work at Agency Galatea) and I had the honor of promoting the Chicago Red Dress Party as the official publicist.  This great cause (and exciting event) went off without a hitch on April 16, 2011.  So many friends and supporters came out to 525 W. Monroe to enjoy a night of red dresses, drinks and dance floor shenanigans.  Was a blast!  

 PHOTOS BY AMIE PHOTOGRAPHY

While I was away from the blog, I also got a chance to check out the Zamrie fashion show, featuring the design work of my new friend, Ashley Zygmunt.  I had the chance to sit with Ashley for one of our Speaking of Fashion podcasts (along with fellow podcasters, Rachel Yeomans and Kari Skaflen) to learn more about her process and design aesthetic.  We quickly learned that Ashley is an absolute power-house, handling every step of the design process herself (with some help from her very supportive Mom.)  If you have a chance, catch a listen of our podcast, featuring Ashley of Zamrie, called "Guest Spotlight:  ZAMRIE"...

Looks from the Zamrie show:

PHOTOS BY JOHNNY PORSCHE PHOTOGRAPHY

Another highlight that I wanted to mention was a fashion exhibition put together by my good friend Miriam Cecilia Carlson, featuring her very own line, Miriam Cecilia.  My beautiful Agency Galatea runway women were featured in her show and the event was an absolute success.  Miriam showed looks from her newest collection that were absolutely stunning (loved the addition of fur accents.)  Always so inspiring to see Chicago designers paving the way for Chicago fashion...

Miriam Cecilia looks on Agency Galatea girls:

 

(L): Drew Dallas Deardorff, Ryan M. Beshel, Miriam Cecilia Carlson, 

Kimmy Wilson, Marco Foster & Tracey  Tarantino DiBuono

(R):  Kate Jacobsen (my amazing assistant) and Ryan M. Beshel

PHOTOS BY SEBASTIAN BIEDRON, Your Trendy Magazine

To continue on the catch-up, I wanted to share another exciting event that I had the honor of hosting (with so many other fine Chicagoans) for ART CHICAGO.  Just before I left for my cruise to Mexico (followed by an amazing weekend in West Hollywood), I helped to promote the after-party which took place on the rooftop on the EnV Luxury Apartments (followed by an after-after-party at Lumen.)  Factio Magazine sponsored and my good friends Melissa Maynard and Henrique Kerch organized the classy affair.  It was a perfect spring evening to enjoy drinks, music and good friends on a gorgeous rooftop, overlooking the stunning Chicago skyline.  (Not to mention, a rowdy night at Lumen - thank you, Corzo Tequila!)...

After an inspiring week on a cruise ship, followed by the perfect weekend in West Hollywood, it was time to come back to reality.  I was lucky enough to hit the ground running in Chicago and attend two fantastic restaurant openings upon my arrival.  The first was for Cantina no.46, where I reunited with my friends for some delicious food and killer tequila (to bring me back to Mexico for the night!)  The weather was perfect and the patio was packed with some of Chicago's finest.  With a margarita in hand, I was missing the trip I had just come from, but happy to be back in my city...

PHOTO (top) BY FRANCIS SON

After a few drinks at Cantina, I hopped a cab over to the opening of Porkchop.  Like the name suggests, this new spot offers a tempting array of delicious meats, seasoned and smoked in more ways than you can count.  My friend Dion Antic is the restaurant impresario behind this new opening and I was thrilled to be able to celebrate this momentous evening with him and our friends.  The interior of the space is gorgeous - mason jars hang above the bar with little light bulbs, faux forest murals spread around the front VIP booth and a wall of saws cuts through the space, dividing the kitchen from the dining area.  Absolutely a must-see (and must-taste) new spot in Chicago's West Loop!  (P.s. If you see Dion's dog, Sid, driving his car around - please let someone know)...

Well, my friends ... I think I have you all caught up.  Thank you for your patience as I keep busy and try my best to keep you informed!  I'll be on a more regular schedule now that vacation is over and the summer event season begins.  I look forward to the summer ahead and to hopefully running into you at one Chicago's best events...

Until then - Happy Spring!

Truly,

R.M.B.