A tip of the chapeau to Winnetka’s Hat Lady Margaret Cooper
Editor’s note: This is the first of an occasional series on interesting women who have stories to tell over lunch. Margaret Cooper is a lady who lunches. And dresses the part. The 82-year-old retired Chicago Public Schools principal and resident of the same Evanston apartment building since 1963 heads north at least five days a … Read more
Barrington native learns the design ropes at J. Crew
By Meg Moore Who waits 45 minutes for a reporter refuses to use a map of New York City? Barrington native Erin Pianetto does. The recent School of the Art Institute fashion design grad and current J. Crew design intern met me at a Thai restaurant around the corner from her office. Her office just … Read more
‘Mumbai’ becomes India’s ‘Sound of Music’
Move over Bollywood. Step aside “Slumdog.” And while there may be “Bombay Dreams,” now the hills are alive with “The Sound of Music.” The American India Foundation hosted the U.S. premiere of “The Sound of Mumbai” Aug.14 at the Spertus Museum in Chicago. The documentary, shot over nine weeks in 2009, was picked up by … Read more
Inspired by Mila Kunis, Isabelle Levine becomes a swan
When Isabelle Levine saw Mila Kunis walking the red carpet at the Oscars, she knew that lilac dress was the dress.Elie Saab Haute Couture, however, is not the most practical choice for prom night. So this high school senior set out to do what only a few can. She went to work on creating her … Read more
Tie one on: Scarves add distinction to Maggie Wilson handbags
Many scarves. One neck. It’s a difficult sartorial task to incorporate a scarf collection into everyday ensembles. And if you’re tired of winter, scarves definitely head to the back of the closets. Longtime Winnetka resident, bona fide scarf collector and most recently handbag designer Maggie Wilson had the same accessory conundrum. “I just wanted to … Read more
Maria Pinto’s changes are all by design at Mark Shale
Maria Pinto isn’t a morning person. “Next time this should be at cocktail hour.” Pinto, whose designs have been worn by first lady Michelle Obama (most notably at the 2008 Democratic National Convention — “the purple dress” to aficionados — and on election night in Grant Park) hosted a breakfast preview of her first collection … Read more