A dapper gentleman never leaves home without a little neck candy, especially as casual summer days are pushed aside by fall. If you think the look isn’t for you, The Tie Bar begs to differ. One day, two Chicago attorneys got tired of paying a fortune for neck ties, and the idea for their incredible business was born. When you log onto their site, you’ll find neck ties, bow ties, pocket squares and accessories in dozens of fabrics and thousands of colors and patterns. And with a price tag like $15 a pop, you’ll never be bored or broke over these handsome bits of fabric again.

How can you win one of eight fantastic prizes from The Tie Bar? Tell us in the comments below how a new piece of neck candy would change your wardrobe for fall. The eight best commenters will win a neck tie, pocket square or bow tie. Good luck!

For more info on The Tie Bar, visit their website or get it on Twitter @CrystlMeatballs.

Olivia wears a thrifted top and skirt, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, and Pour La Victoire shoes. – Elle.com

LINK:http://www.theyenvy.us/xn/detail/2394740:BlogPost:177834

Secret Forts give us a preview of Oak Street Bootmakers: Founder, Designer and Chicago-native George Vlagos grew up the son of a cobbler. As an apprentice at his father’s shop, he learned the ins and outs of the trade at an early age. With Oak Street, George’s goal is to honor the craft of fine shoe making while continuing the family trade and traditions passed on to him by his father. Designed in Chicago, handmade in the US(Maine to be exact) by craftsman with over twenty years experience, the Oak Street line is made exclusively with Horween leathers(a Chicago institution, founded 1905) including their Chromexcel(which incidentally, smells amazing right out of the box). Each pair is designed and manufactured with the utmost attention to detail, fit, construction and durability. The inaugural line is a straight forward selection of the classic and iconic shoes you want on your feet from a blucher to a boat shoe to a penny loafer to a chukka to both a hunt and work boot to my personal favorite, the trail oxford.

More pics from Secret Forts after the jump.

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Reliable relationship advice is hard to find, but if anyone knows how to sustain a spirit of love and trust between two people, it’s the wives of hair metal stars.

We’re going to say that again: the wives of hair metal stars.

To that end, we found our way to the Lollapalooza media tent in Chicago for a chat with Angela Celi, Josie Stevens and Susan Holmes-McKagan—the respective consorts of Billy Duffy (The Cult), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol guitarist) and Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses). Though none of their significant others were actually playing at the fest, the trio were trailed by a camera crew shooting—what else?—E!’s latest chronicle of the heavily mascaraed longtime companions of even more-heavily-mascared rock stars. The wisdom of the ladies is enclosed below:

Angela:
It’s a lot of nurturing, and taking care of the home front. Taking of the home front.
Josie:
Traveling together. On the days we’re not, there’s a web cam.
Susan:
Patience. Trust. Don’t go to bed mad? lots of blow jobs?as long as we’re the ones giving them.

Truer words were never spoken.

—R.B.

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LINK LOVE:Summer renewal

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From left: Miu Miu’s wool dress with metal appliques, at select Miu Miu boutiques, miumiu.com. Tom Binns earrings; Miu Miu bag. Miu Miu’s wool dress, net-a-porter.com. Lanvin earrings; Tom Binns brooch; Prada bag.

Beauty Note: Smoky eyes always need a reliable rim. Cover Girl LiquiLine Blast EyeLiner rises to the occasion.

Oscar de la Renta’s cashmere dress, at select Oscar de la Renta stores; net-a-porter.com. Nicole Landaw earrings; Oscar de la Renta brooch and belt; me & ro bracelets; Dolce & Gabbana bag.

Beauty Note: A sophisticated lip hue, such as Laura Mercier Creme Lip Colour in Raspberry Sorbet, is the perfect complement to a ladylike frock.

Balenciaga’s wool and nylon sweater, by Nicolas Ghesquiere, at Balenciaga, New York; Fendi’s cashmere skirt, at Fendi, New York. Louis Vuitton sunglasses; Prada bag; Balenciaga belt and shoes, by Nicolas Ghesquiere.

Beauty Note: Keep your complexion rosy and clean by pampering it regularly with Boscia Luminizing Black Mask.

Louis Vuitton’s silk and cashmere velvet dress, louisvuitton.com. Siman Tu hair comb; Ines gloves; Louis Vuitton belt, bag and shoes.

Balenciaga’s cashmere sweater and silk skirt, by Nicolas Ghesquiere, at Balenciaga, New York; Maxfield, Los Angeles, and nylon shirt, at Blake, Chicago; Kirna Zabete, New York. Balenciaga shoes, by Nicolas Ghesquiere.

Proenza Schouler’s wool jacket and cotton blouse, at Jeffrey, New York, and wool skirt with fox fur trim, proenzaschouler.com. Tom Ford sunglasses; Chanel earrings and bracelets; Tom Binns necklace; Balenciaga brooch, by Nicolas Ghesquiere; Timex watch; Proenza Schouler bag; Keds sneakers.

Michael Kors’s wool and llama fur tweed coat and silk shirt, at select Michael Kors stores, 866.709.KORS; Prada’s cashmere and angora skirt, at select Prada stores, prada.com; Stella McCartney’s polyamide, nylon and elastane bra, net-a-porter.com. Marc Jacobs bag; Lanvin shoes.

Photographed by Terry Richardson
Styled by Alex White

(W magazine)

LINK LOVE:"Hot Child In The City"

Some may say it’s one of the most over-hyped movies, while others find it to be cinematic magic—however you feel about the movie musical Chicago, you cannot deny that it is visually enchanting. The costumes dazzle off the screen, thanks to the genius of costume designer Colleen Atwood.

Renee Zellweger’s character Roxie Hart has some of the most memorable outfits and transformation in the movie—and she rocked the pantless look way before Lady Gaga. Her character is mainly seen in a simple, plan attire, especially at the beginning when the color palette consists of very pale colors, reflecting the status and condition of Roxie. As her fame starts to grow, so does her confidence and we see her in flashier and more attention grabbing ensembles.

Velma Kelly, who is portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones, is the fallen star clenching onto her fame, but still maintains her celebrity ego even in prison. She’s often seen in strong, dark colored outfits, and I especially loved the one she’s seen wearing here while testifying in court, which epitomizes the character’s need to have all of the attention on her.

The most memorable costumes of the film were these white fringe dresses Velma and Roxie danced in during the final number. They’re probably some of the most well-recognized pieces from the movie and have been duplicated in various other movies and television shows.

The sequins, beads, lace, tights, & all that jazz that create the look that is Chicago has served as inspiration for many– which is probably why it won an Oscar for its costumes and continues to awe many who watch it.

Quality: 2nd Generation. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rene Zellweger Film Title: Chicago. Photo Credit: David James. For further information: please contact your local Buena Vista International Press Office.

Okay West Coast people, you finally got me. Here’s my one stint of jealousy, savor it because I doubt it’ll will come around to often. News has dropped of a West Coast spa week, which runs from September 14th to the 20th. Yes, a full week during which all the top spas are offering up their best treatments for just $50. Appointment booking for the spa treatments starts today, and we hear the slots are going pretty fast, so if you live in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Arizona, or Chicago get your hands on a phone and dial.

So us East Coast people are a bit concerned. Where’s our spa week? We deserve it! We’re hearing some whispers of an East Coast version taking place sometime in October, but nothing definite yet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

LINKAGE: Allure

I had envisioned this post looking something like Hedi Slimane’s photo-journal after he attended Coachella back in April; something containing photos of well dressed and flawlessly styled potential models. This next statement may be a generalization and offensive to some, but through my Fashion Indie opinionated eyes, EVERYONE LOOKED LIKE SHIT. Love handles stuck out of trashy booty shorts. Cargo shorts and graphic tees comprised the male population. Ray Ban shades were in a nauseating full effect. Trust me when I say that there was not a single person worth wasting a megapixel of my Nikon D50. But in everyone’s defense, it did rain quite a bit, mud caked Grant Park and it was pushing 100 degrees on a daily basis. So, if your excuse for slacking on style was in preservation of you Alexander Wang swag, you’ve been forgiven. As for the rest of you, I’m severely disappointed.

But all fashion zeros aside, Lollapalooza 2009 will go down in Kirby history as an all-time fantastic weekend. My friend Amber and I met up with some of my NYU buds, as well as some of last year’s festival friends and some new ones, and enjoyed the sounds and sights of some of the world’s most talented music artists. Although I saw over 50 shows in total, there are the significant few that really stuck out in my mind:

Animal Collective, despite my having almost died of suffocation from moshing, was an absolutely amazing show. I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to hear a 15 minute version of “Brother Sport” while watching the sun set over Lake Michigan? Crystal Castles, needless to say, was a shit-show…but in the best way possible! Lead singer Alice Glass was a classy lady chugging from her bottle of Bacardi Superior between songs, taking drags from her cigarette throughout and hawking spit in the crowd. Although I only caught a few of Passion Pit’s songs, they certainly didn’t fail to stir those butterflies I get every time I hear “Sleepyhead.” Andrew Bird relaxed the crowd with his melodic violin licks and whistles and was a perfect example of pure talent. Vampire Weekend, as always, put on a high energy set and left the crowd practically drooling over some of the new songs they whipped out. MSTRKRFT reigned as my favorite of the Lollapalooza 2009 DJ sets, completely blowing what Bassnectar, DeadMau5 and The Bloody Beetroots had to offer out of the water. Despite my former biases for Kings of Leon and The Killers, both groups (with the help of a few energetic friends and a bit of booze) rocked the house…nothing beats soaking in 80,000 bobbing heads and waving hands as I sat atop some 6’5″ stud’s shoulders (thanks Evan!) rocking out of The Killers’ “Human.”

But if one band really sealed the deal on this year’s Lollapalooza experience, the award goes to none other than the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. As one of the Saturday night headliners, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had some very big shoes to fill after they replaced The Beastie Boys’ slot (due to Adam Yauch’s cancer surgery). Many Lolla-goers had their doubts about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs headlining performance, saying that they weren’t yet popular or experienced enough to deserve a coveted main-stage concert. Well, let’s just say those nay-sayers are biting their tongues because the Yeah Yeah Yeahs stole Lollapalooza 2009. There’s not much else to say except for the fact that their performance was outstanding, complete with high energy, humble recognition of such an amazing opportunity and a fantastic sound. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, lead singer Karen O is a rockstar.

So, are you itching for next August yet so you can plan your trip to Chicago and experience the greatness that is Lollapalooza? I know I am.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Fleet Foxes

Animal Collective

Crystal Castles

Atmosphere

Andrew Bird

This is what Grant Park looked like on Friday, August 7th.

Photos via Metromix Chicago. Check out the Lollapalooza website for photos and reviews on this year’s festival as well as information about 2010′s bash!

Maybelline has teamed up with the cast of Broadway’s Chicago to promote their new Color Sensational line. The line of lipsticks, liners, and glosses will be used in an off-broadway show tomorrow by the cast outside Grand Central Terminal on 43rd street. Inside Grand Central, at the Rite Aid, makeup artists will be there to help people pick out the perfect shade of gloss and will be giving mini makeovers at various sessions throughout the day.

LINKAGE: Style