Comme des Garcons for Louis Vuitton and Kanye Too!

We’re all counting down the days until November’s H&M launch of the Comme des Garçons line. But September brings a collaboration even more fabulous – Comme des Garçons and Louis Vuitton.

The two powerhouses are opening shop in Tokyo for three months this fall, where Comme founder Rei Kawakubo will design six Vuitton-monogrammed bags. Vuitton’s chairman and chief executive Yves Carcelle told The New York Times that the collaboration is the perfect celebration of the company’s 30-year anniversary in Japan.

Marc Jacobs is also looking forward to this partnership. “It is impossible to overstate Rei Kawakubo's influence on modern fashion,” he said. “I find it wonderful to think that 30 years ago, this immense talent, someone who has inspired so many others, was inspired by Louis Vuitton."

And if this isn’t excitement enough, WWD just reported that another Vuitton collaboration is in the works – with Kanye West. The hip-hop star, who recently performed at Vuitton’s “Brooklyn Ball” bash for Takashi Murakami’s exhibit on counterfeits, announced a future men’s shoes line for the fashion house.
-Grace Bahk

An Evening in Vogue

Summer in Chicago is bound to be a fashionable one, and there's no better way to kick it off than with a Vogue party. On Thursday, June 26, Vogue, Men's Vogue and special guests Miae Lim and Marc Brooks hosted the "Evenings in Vogue" at Brasserie Ruhlmann (501 W. Superior St.), and the extravagance didn't stop with the location.

"It was a really eclectic blend of people which reflected the many layers of Chicago: artsy, fashion folk, restaurateurs, execs, young, older and a smattering of socialites," said Chicago-based trend reporter Amy Tara Koch. "The weather was perfect so we had sexy halter dresses, glam shifts and jewel encrusted tunics. A lot of men were sporting crisp, colored linen jackets and old school pork pie hats."

Sleek Jaguars drove VIP guests to the door, while leggy Vogue girls led them into the thriving party. The front patio became a swanky lounge, complete with a bar and complimentary hand-rolled Cahibo cigars. Guests indulged in the delicious hors d' oeuvres such as tuna tartare, crab cakes and smoked salmon, while cooling off with drinks like Tommy Bahama's passion fruit cocktails and Santa Margherita's Pinot Grigio.

Attendees were invited to enter for a chance to win a Caressa diamond necklace and to browse the fall 2008 Band of Outsiders collection by Scott Sternberg. Models stood in the center of the venue showing off the designer's signature schoolgirl looks, full of long gloves, plaid minis and smart blazers.
Guests included Chicago business mogul Les Coney and local designer Orlando Espinoza. The crowd was a dizzying display of the season's most stylish choices, but the standout was Miae Lim's white, tiered dress by Ralph Lauren. Lim is the successful owner of Japonais, Mirai Sushi and the party's location, among many others. Lim and fellow restaurateur Marc Brooks of Room 21 and Park 52 were both celebrated for their ambitious entrepreneurship and creative concepts.
-Grace Bahk

Photos by Alyssa Blanchard

Invitation: You are invited to RSVP

Ideeli is the Place to Shop

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-Katherine Mingey