ChicaGoGo

I have the fortunate privilege to work as a tour guide on the Chicago River. Though you'd typically think of the Tour Boats, this is not the case; I kayak at my job. 

Though I'm not really supposed to (just so I can focus on the groups I'm guiding), I've taken many pictures on the river with my cellphone. The view of the city from the water is in my opinion the most unique perspective of the city there is in Chicago.

I often tell people that when you're on the streets, you have to really look up to see the tops of the buildings, but when you're on  water level you have to break your neck looking up. 

Here's some of the sights I've gotten to see throughout my job:

The Nicholas J. Melas Centennial Foutain,
which goes off every hour on the hour.

A promotional flash mob
(so to say) for some
car brand I can't recall.

The previous day before I took
this picture there was heavy rainfall.
I'm suspecting this forced some of the
sealife in the lake to come into the river.

"Smoked Crayfish"

Another promotional event,
this time for the 2nd
Despicable Me movie.

God's way of saying, "Yo what's up." Haha

That's a very large barge with a crane on it heading Downtown to work on the construction extending the river walk. 

The view from the Downtown
location I work at. Featuring
Trump International Hotel and Tower.

Baby crayfish.

A fantastic view of the city right before the
Van Buren Street bridge 

The tower formally known
As the Sears Tower (I grew up
outside of Chicago so
it'll always be
the Sears Tower, haha).

A mixture of baby turtle, crayfish and fish. The turtle belongs to a little Chinese boy named Edward (a regular visitor at the Chinatown Location).

The view of the Trump Tower
with a nearby bridge
raised for another
crane coming through.

(View from the water.)The
Civic Opera House
which was built to
resemble a throne.
My music composition professor's
husband is the head of music staff
there :3

View of the city with the Boeing Building
in the farthest distance. 

Going down the south branch
of the river on a cloudy day.

To be a little more specific, I work at Urban Kayaks. If you want to book a tour (where a guide goes out with you) or do a rental (out on the water without a guide) go to http://urbankayaks.com. Whether you are a beginner or experienced we welcome you. If you do decide to go out on the water, please...do not forget to look up at the buildings when you're Downtown!

Go Ask Dallas

For me, the Chanel Metiers D'Art collection is my most anticipated show of the year. The enormous amount of detail and work that goes into every piece is beautiful. 

The first look I will go into detail about is the last look worn by Chanel ambassador Caroline de Maigret.I went to the Art Institute of Chicago one day and saw that they had a section on Native-American art. Being mildly obsessed with the collection, I visited the area in hopes that I'd find some of the direct influences in their raw, authentic form; what I found wasn't short of beautiful art. I can't help but feel like a bit of a hippie with the feathers and natural embellishments of this Native-American headdress below to the right.

     I have included some of the looks that allude to different styles of western wear. The hats that are being worn by most of the models are upturned Porkpie hats. In an interview after the show, Karl Lagerfeld said he did not want "a cowboy hat that everybody knows" (interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45rB33TORGU).

Here are some of my favorite looks from the collection: 

     
     Being inspired by the Metiers D'art collection, yet again, I purchased a Porkpie hat and ironed the sides at an upturned angle. The hats are $1325, and considering that they are made by the top Parisian millinery Maison Michel it seems to make

sense. I made a trip to the Chanel boutique to inspect the hat. It is made of a very rigid wool blend fabric, which might be boiled wool. The lambskin ribbon is layered: beneath the top ribbon there is a strip of fringed leather (which is a very prominent theme of the collection). Though you'd typically think of a thin cut when I say fringe, this is not the case as they are cut in half-inch segments (http://www.chanel.com/en_US/fashion/products/hats/s.felt-hat-embellished-with-a-lambskin.14A.A53825X1047599203.c.14A.html).

  
   If you want to save yourself a good amount of money, all you need is an ironing board, a clothing iron, a fan or something to cool down the fabric, and a Porkpie hat of your choice. Take the hat and angle it on its side on the ironing board. Then iron it on the highest heat (for the most part, a fairly rigid felt fabric will endure the temperature). Iron it for a good minute or two and repeat on the opposite side. Be sure to iron the sides at the same angle; this may

be a challenge and might require a couple tries. After ironing, place the hat next to a fan, or if you're really ambitious a refrigerator. The reason why is because when fabric is put under stress from one extreme to another, it condenses. I recall this from an old Mythbusters episode where they tested out the myth of shrinking pants in which Grant Imahara took a very hot bath and then hopped into a very cold pool of water. And voila! You have your own replica Chanel felt hat!

     The opening look (above), worn by British model Ashleigh Good, is particularly interesting. If you look at the gloves an illusion is given that the jacket cuffs are built into the leather gloves (http://www.chanel.com/en_US/fashion/products/ready-to-wear/g/s.look-1-paris-dallas-2013-14-metiers.14A.14A1.c.14A.html). By the cleverness of Mr. Lagerfeld, the gloves are not built into the jacket and are a separate piece. The gloves have the fabric cuff built into them and it matches the fabric of the jacket. 

     To quote Karl Lagerfeld again, "There are things in fashion that never go out of style: jeans, a white shirt and a Chanel jacket." In this collection, he was able to emphasize the versatility of denim. Here we can see it used with a dress, jeans, and a jacket. The denim used, as seen in detail with the cuff and bangles (source: chanel.com- products), seems to be vintage/aged. My supposition with this is that after being exposed to so much sunlight and other outside forces, denim becomes much lighter in color. 

During my visit at the Art Institute, I came across another Native-American piece that showed the direct influence of the collection. When I saw this dress, I immediately got my iPhone and pulled out the photo on the right. I was surprised at the striking similarity between the two and was suspicious that Largerfeld had visited the museum himself!

     Coco Chanel was very intrigued by astrology, particularly her astrological sign: the Leo. Some quotes she has said in regards to this: "I love everything up high: the sky, the moon, I believe in stars," "I wanted to cover women with constellations! With stars! Stars of all sizes!" Being called "The Lone Star State," Texas has a strong association with the stars. I recall hearing Sandy Cheeks from Spongebob singing a song about how the stars are brighter and bigger in Texas. Having been to Texas once, I know this to be very true. Very few times in my life have I been able to see the stars and decipher where the Big Dipper constellation is.

Here's some pictures (source: Lemarié, Feather and Flower Maker 2 | Fashion | Vogue) the making of the pieces from the collection. To my utter excitement, Chanel made a Savoir Faire video showing the ateliers working away: 

 

               


     Recently, I turned 21 and as a present from my wonderful Mom and Grandma I got a ring from the collection. I was very surprised at the price, definitely the cheapest Chanel item I have yet to see.

Thanks Mom and Grandma! :)

Window-display pictures from the Chicago Chanel boutique