Protect Yourself

From the same 'ol-same 'ol with beautiful body armor. Here.

The Island

Puerto Rico.

Platforms 2010 STYLE!

Rochas Platform Oxford. Super comfy despite their build.
Super expensive, but damn do they look good on. Here.

CHIE MIHARA. So in love.
Check them out here. And check out her site here.

SANDALMANIA!

Warning! These puppies ain't cheap, but what the hey.
A girl can dream right? RIGHT????

Maison Martin Margiela Line 22 Toe Ring Sandal here. YUMMMMM!!!

Ann Demeulemeester Triple Buckle Sandal here.

Chie Mihara Lace-Up Flats here.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Lace-Up Slingbacks here.

Maison Martin Margiela Cutout Ballet here.

See by Chloe Ankle Strap Sandal here.

Paradise Found!

Absolutely perfect. See more here.

House Porn Alert

Mais oui! Although all in Français, check out this site!

Shoe of the Day

Louboutin! Yes. Let's go there. The Christian Louboutin Simple Pump
in suede. If you buy just one shoe this year (which, considering the
sad state of economy you might be forced to) let it be this one.
All Louboutin lusciousness, but with an everyday height.
Comfortable, classic, and sexy. You'll have it for ages.

Merry Christmas to all the Ladies!

It's been a while, but Bloggystyle returns with a spaced-out Holiday
homage to all the ladies. Enjoy!

We are all in love with MANA

Photo via Yelp

Fresh, DELICIOUS, and vegetarian. There are a number of us obsessed with this place. It's so nice to see a good restaurant finally open up on Division. We thought all was lost once The Boundry and Fifty/Fifty opened up (BARF!), but Mana Food Bar quietly opened up in July giving us a new reason not to avoid the area. Located next to the Alliance Bakery, this small little food bar offers up THE MOST DELICIOUS vegetarian fare in a quiet, warm space. They also have an outdoor area and a walk up window where you can order food to-go. Oh yes, and they have the most amazing sake cocktails. Go now. Stop whatever you are doing and go.

p.s. one of the waiters/bartenders looks like Freddie Prince Jr.

Enough

with the white trash look young peeps of Chicago. You know who you are. I'm all for finding a unique look through thrifting but girls- you are not Peaches circa 2002 or Chloe Sevigny circa '97. We are not on the set of "Gummo". It's been over in New York for years now. It's not ironic, cool, or really much of anything but boring and uninspired anymore. No more rat-tails, camel toes, dirty feet, or acid washed cut-off jeans. These things don't look fresh or shocking. If you do wear any of these articles of clothing, do so with your own twist so you don't end up looking like every person at any given street or music festival. Get creative Chicago. Give us something new to look at unkay?

We want. We NEEEEEED....

Belgian Linen. So badly - for our bed. Like these blankets from Jayson Home and Garden. Perfect for adding a refined, textural variation to your bed. But achieving such an elegantly relaxed look for your bedroom doesn't come cheap- these European beauties are $300 each.
Sigh.

Shoe of the Day

RESIST the Gladiator! Make the Faryl Robin "Tippy" your summer sandal. Smooth like butter. Classy. Will not go out of style faster than you can say Lydia Hearst.

Real People+Fashion+Flickr= AN INTERNET OBSESSION

Oh holy fashion heaven! I've sat at cafes and stared at people walk by. I've silently judged and felt that nothing in a magazine could even begin to inspire me as much as the people I see on the street. Even the chicest of street fashion blogs such as The Sartorialist or Facehunter fail to capture the true vibe of everyday fashion. That is way I love, love, love wardrobe_remix. It has got to be one of the most interesting Flickr groups out there. Created in September 2005, it is a "DYI street fashion community". It's got over 36,000 photos, over 8,000 members, and it grows everyday. Thousands of women around the world post their daily outfits.

Whatever your style, there is true inspiration to be found amongst these photos. The outfits you'll find on wardrobe_remix aren't chosen because they are one person's idea of what is fashionable. It is a true documentation of the varied sensibilities and asthetic that exist in the world of fashion for "real women". It's especially fun to find that one person whose style you enjoy and track back to see all the outfits they've worn all year. Some real "wardrobe remix stars" standout. Check it out and be inspired.

House Porn Alert

Pic via Apartment Therapy

One of the ways Bloggystyle spent it's winter days was obsessively surfing the web and in particular the Apartment Therapy website. Our obssession with the shelter site hasn't wavered one bit, in fact it has grown. And just in time for spring, AT is holding their annual Small Cool contest. There are some great little apartments featured. Take a look, find some inspiration, loose two hours of your day.

Hello Lovelies! Bloggystyle awakens after a loooong, cold, lonely winter.

After this very long, very cold season we are very happy to be back with the fresh eyes of a new born pup. So many new happennings, wine experiences, restaurants, stores , etc. to report on.
Here is a very enthusiastic glad-to-see-you-again "hello" and a big welcome-to-the-lovely-days- of-spring kiss from Bloggystyle.

BLOGGYSTYLE ON WINTER BREAK

SEE YOU VERY SOON!

Thursday Video Presents

Shoe of the Day

Kicky and red! The Jeffrey Campbell Gwen in wine. We are in love. This cute little pair is just right for the holidays and to keep the winter blues at bay. We also love the double ankle straps- slightly S&M. Check them out at Lori's shoes.

Intersections-Views Across Chicago

At the John Buck Company Lecture Hall Gallery pictures of major Chicago intersections are on exhibit. The pictures were taken as documentation by the Chicago Surface Lines streetcar company during the 1930's and have remained undiscovered in the archives of the Chicago Transit Authority. Being fans of ducumentary photography, we can't wait to make it to the exhibit and check out what our favorite intersections looked like then. Go now! For more information visit architecture.org.

House Porn Alert

From AT Chicago comes this great house tour of a Chicago area home. We love the serene yet very warm and cozy feel of the whole place. Enjoy!

Thursday Video Presents

Let's Be Awesome

From the team behind Fooey come fun, super soft t-shirts for men and women. Let's Be Awesome offers up more than your run-of-the-mill cotton T. They are incredibly comfy and the women's shirts all have some nice little detail like a thick waist band or substantial cuffs. Oh yeah and the shirts ARE NOT supplied by American Apparel. We like that.

Charcuterie + Cheese + Wine= Happiness

Give us some salty cured meats, some cheese, and a bit of something sweet and we are in heaven! Don't forget the olives, cornishons, some pâté, and wine of course. It seems like up until about 4 years ago there were only a handful of places to get a good selection of cured meats, cheese, and the necessary accoutrements here in Chicago. Nowadays everybody is offering it. Our faves are the plates offered at Avec, Le Bouchon, Quartino's, Juicy Wine Company, and, BIN Cafe, and Forno. Sit down and catch up with a friend while sipping on some wine and treating your tastebuds to the earthly delight that is CURED MEATS and CHEESE!!

Late Thursday Video Presents: RON

Ok so the Thursday Video did not come last Thursday, but the wait will be well worth it.
Introducing Ron:

... and now it's time for WINE CORNER

Wine corner visits Juicy Wine Company & the Violet Hour!

by Double D

My good friend Gretchen was out of town for Thanksgiving, and her boyfriend George was lonely so I thought I'd cheer him up with a trip to Juicy Wine Company. Wine + cheese + meat = good times!

Upon arrival we immediately handed off all decision-making to our waiter, who seemed to have it all under control. We just said "spicy red" and he took it from there, bringing us each a glass of the Two Hands "Gnarly Dudes" Shiraz (excellent - smooth & spicy at the same time) followed by a giant platter of meats (lamb prosciutto, mole-spiced salumi and spicy sopressata, all from Armandino Batali, aka Mario Batali's dad) and a tempting array of cheeses (an american Humboldt Fog and 2 other semi-soft cheeses whose names escape me because I was getting a little buzzed at that point. One of them had a rosemary-infused rind.) That was a long sentence! Moving on - We finished both plates along with a second glass of wine, and then a decision had to be made: do we stay and make it an all-cheese all-meat evening, or is it time to go somewhere new? We opted for the latter and headed over to Violet Hour, which wasn't surprising since we seem to wind up there at the end of every evening.

Oh Violet Hour, how I adore you. Your delicious brown butter-basted deviled eggs with candied pork belly. Your scrumptious 6-million-calorie peanut butter, honey & bacon sandwich. Your "it can't work but it does" curry-flavored rice krispie treats. And of course,
your amazing cocktails. My current favorite is the Dark & Stormy, a tantalizing blend of Cruzan Black Strap, Brujal Anego, ginger syrup and awesomeness wrapped around an ice cube as tall as the glass. Do you understand what I'm saying? Even the ice cubes are interesting at Violet Hour! If you haven't been there, go immediately. But not on Saturday nights around 11 because that's when I generally go and the line is too long as it is.

And that brings this week's Wine Corner to a close. I realize there wasn't much in the way of wine this week & I will try to work on that next time. But Violet Hour is a wicked temptress.

Great Wine Bar

It's called Swirl and we can't believe we've never been there before! Located at 111 West Hubbard it's the perfect place to wind down after work if you are in the area. Good sized wine pours, great tapas menu, and a very relaxed and cozy atmosphere. They also offer live entertainment every night of the week. Look for it in an upcoming Wine Corner.

Shoe of the Day

I know what you are thinking... these shoes? In this weather? But just look at them. They are irresistible. And as with all of our Shoes of the Day they are guaranteed to look great with tights. Wear them on a night out to small dinner party with a bubble skirt and a cozy sweater. You'll look great and like you are not trying too hard. The Jigs & Reels Ballerina.

Thursday Video Presents

... and now it's time for WINE CORNER

WINE CORNER! visits Bistro Campagne.

The weekend wound down with a delightful trip to Bistro Campagne, the favorite restaurant of my good friends Gretchen & George. We kicked off the meal with a round of Kir Royales - was there ever a more perfect drink? I don't think it's possible! Crisp, sweet but not too sweet, the perfect accompaniment to appetizers. For the next round Gretchen ordered the Cote du Rhone, which she described as "nice, dry, food-friendly." Which is good because you don't want a wine that argues with your food. George ordered the Cabernet but they had run out, so our waitress brought out the other 3 by-the-glass options for him to try. I was super impressed by this and wondered if they do it for all their customers or only the regulars. I'm never going there
with anyone else, just in case. After sampling a pinot noir and a rhone blend, George settled on the Chateau Haut-Nadeau merlot. I chose a delicious Sauvignon Blanc which even avowed-red-fan Gretchen enjoyed. Yes, it was that good.

Ok, about the food - holy SHIT it was great! Perfect cozy French fare. I had the beef Bourgignon, Gretchen chose the cassoulet and George had the venison. He must have really liked it because he ate every bite. I mean literally nothing left on the plate. But of course there's always room for dessert, so we ordered a chocolate pot de creme, followed by a
caramel-drizzled bread pudding, followed by another pot de creme when we decided we still needed more dessert. Right around this point, the owner came over and excitedly informed us that Neil Young was there, celebrating his 62nd birthday. I felt bad knowing that there were fans who would so thrilled to see Neil Young in person and I totally didn't give a shit. Oh well, somewhere in the world somebody's eating next to Johnny Depp right now and they don't care either, so I guess it all evens out.

Anyway - Bistro Campagne is wonderful. Try it and it may become your favorite restaurant too!

Erin Fetherston designs at Target

Go now. Go now, before it all goes away!

While getting a baby shower gift this weekend at Target we noticed that the women's clothing section was stocked full of super cute things. Among the standouts were some Erin Fetherston designed pieces.

Target has partnered with American designer Erin Fetherston to create the next limited-edition collection for GO™, a program that brings affordable fashion created by world-renowned designers to the Target stores and Target.com. The collection of women’s fashion and accessories will be available through December. Believe us, you'll have a field day when you see the stuff.

Thursday Video Presents

Arrested at Walgreens

Actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested at the Walgreens at 757 N. Michigan Av. around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Apparently the Transformers star was drunk and refused to leave the store after a security guard asked him to. He was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing.