Sofa Love

For a mass market brand Room & Board has some very interesting and dare I say mouth-watering pieces. Their furniture is also durable, well designed, and sold at reasonable prices. Chicago is one of the few lucky cities to have a showroom. This is where I first came upon and fell in love with the Hutton 75" Single-Cushion sofa in Vance. Although beautiful in every color available, when wrapped in the Indigo vance fabric it becomes too wonderful for words. Did I mention it is also incredibly deep (41")? Perfect for lazy Sunday napping.

Shoe of the Day

Perfect for the holidays. The Frye Moondust Lace-Ups. Available through the Anthropologie website.

Elegy for Isabella Blow

Pic via flavorpill.com

Isabella Blow. Oh, she was a true fashion original and quite an eccentric character. How we would've loved to have met her. An exhibition of paintings, drawings, and prints by novelist/printmaker Audrey Niffenegger pays tribute to the deceased British fashion editor. At Printworks Gallery. Fri Nov 2 - Sat Dec 29.

Art Deco Bags

These versatile bags are irresistible. They can be carried by the handle, slung over the shoulder via detachable strap, or folded over and carried like a clutch. All for the low low price of $46! Available at the Lori's shoes website.

Fresh Hot Sounds: Kasper Bjørke

Kasper Bjørke. From Denmark. Synthy and dancy. Smooth voice.

Thursday Video Presents

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

pic via Avec website

Wine corner visits Avec!
By our resident ghost writer "Double D"

Monday night I started the week off in style with a visit to Avec with my good friend Gretchen. Avec can always be depended upon for great food, excellent wine and a long wait. Even on a Monday! The place was packed so Gretchen & I took up residence at the bar. I was feeling
saucy and ordered the Viognier so I could attempt the pronunciation, but I was warned off by our knowledgeable & gracious waiter, who informed me that the Viognier was "just an awful glass of wine." Apparently the wine buyer had an irrational attachment to it and had "romanticized it beyond all reason." Well then, let's get something else! He recommended the Maison L'Aiglon "Grand Reserve," an unoaked Chardonnay that was delightful - fresh, light and appley but not too sweet. Gretchen ordered the Cusomano "Bennara," a Nero D'Avola & Syrah
blend. Girlfriend loves her Syrah!

Anyway, we were starving & ordered 3 cheeses to start. Our waiter (who we were delighted to learn was gay and hooking up with a hot ex) told us he was out of one of our choices, but compensated by giving us ridiculously huge slabs of cheese. I mean have you ever not finished a
cheese plate? Me neither until Monday night. I felt inadequate but I didn't want to only eat cheese for dinner, and you have to draw the line somewhere. Gretchen & I shared the roasted corn bruschetta and the grilled cod, which were both excellent. Tip of the day - if cod is an option GET IT! It's always good.

Things took a downward turn when our waiter disappeared for a long time. Nowhere to be seen. Literally not even in the building. We decided he was having relationship problems so we let it slide. We passed the time gawking at the many celebrities:

1. Casey, runner-up for on this season's Top Chef
2. Hung & Elan, winners of the past 2 Top Chefs, who seemed surprised
to run into Casey and were eating together (p.s. Hung is really short)
3. Gretchen's boyfriend & his dad (ok, technically they're not
celebrities, but it was still surprising.)

Avec - great food, great wines and waiters who have issues. I hope he
works it all out.

-DD

Happy Halloween

Eskell in Wicker Park!

pic via Eskell website

I don't know how we didn't notice this until last week. Eskell has opened a store in WP. Now we've never been to their Lincoln Park store, our happiness only comes from walking into their Milwaukee Ave. one and seeing so many unique tops and amazing dresses that we had a mild anxiety attack. Everything looked kind of like a great find from a thrift store but with very modern detailing and cuts. Their prices are what you'd expect for a boutique carrying the brands they carry- a little high, but, but! If you're saving up for a special dress or feeling like treating yourself you are sure to find something there.

Fondue , the 70's and Cozy evenings

Late October rocks! The weather is perfect for cozy evenings by the fire sipping wine. Perhaps playing a 70's board game. Also, it's perfect for fondue. To steal from Wikipedia; Fondue refers to several Swiss communal dishes shared at the table in an earthenware pot ("caquelon") over a small burner ("rechaud"). The term "fondue" comes from the French "fondre" ("to melt"), referring to the fact that the contents of the pot are kept in a liquid state so that diners can use forks to dip morsels of food (such as bread) into the sauce. DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY GOOD FONDUE RECIPES? Please share.

Can you guess who these people are supposed to be?

Thursday Video Presents

Alpaca a lunch. Can YOU tell what movie this is?

Look of the Day

London. Looove this guy and his bright blue jacket.

Halloween Do's and Dont's

Let's get real: Halloween brings out the slut in a lot of girls. For too long have the images of honorable folk like firemen and Wonder Woman been soiled by costumes full of boob waterfalls and skirts hiked up to Rocky Mountain peaks. I'd like to suggest a few alternate outfits to the same old Halloween skin party.

by: LH

INSTEAD OF: Sexy nurse
TRY: Well-respected 19th century nurse midwife

INSTEAD OF: Sexy cop
TRY: Canadian Mountie

INSTEAD OF: Sexy baseball player
TRY: 1996 Olympic gymnastics hero Kerri Strug (in Olympic sweats)

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Dorothy
TRY: Winged Monkey, as portrayed by Buster Brodie

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Catholic School Girl
TRY: Catholic School House

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Devil
TRY: Lake of Fire filled with the souls of girls who wore Sexy Devil outfits for
Halloween

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Angel
TRY: Christ on the cross (wearing Olympic sweats)

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Referee
TRY: Ferris State Women's Basketball Manager Sarah Boruta

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Fireman
TRY: Lovably Neutered Fire Station Dalmation

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Pirate
TRY: Rachel Ray

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Wonder Woman
TRY: My Mother, the biggest heroine of all

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Kitty Cat
TRY: Stray cat wearing an eye patch

INSTEADY OF: Sexy French Maid
TRY: Housekeeper at the La Quinta Inn

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Cowgirl
TRY: Caroline Ingalls (mother from TV's Little House on the Prairie)

INSTEAD OF: Sexy Little Bo Peep
TRY: The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, complete with shoe

-LH

... and now it's time for ASK UNCLE RUBEN

He's got a bone to pick with everyone and he's answering your questions here on Bloggystyle.

Anonymous from Rogers Park asks:

Dear Uncle Ruben,
I'm a 22 year old virgin who is seriuosly considering having sex for the first time with my boyfriend of 2 months. I love him and want to show him how much by making him my 1st. There is just one thing.... I've got herpes. How should I break the news to him?

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH YOUR MOUTH!?!? Good lord, man!

When I was a kid, the most specialist days were the ones when the prize would fall out of the cereal box and into the bowl. BONUS! I believe your man might have had a similar reaction to your virginity falling into his cereal, but herpes? HERPES?! And you are a virgin?!? No matter how good the cereal looks, no one’s eating today, girl. The milk’s gone foul.

I can appreciate your desire to keep your vagina pure and pristine, but you should have applied a little of that thought process to your mouth…and to your tongue…and to your throat…and to your tonsils.

I would love to feel sorry for you, but my mind begins to fill with image after image of you in dank gritty elevators on your knees, or in the back seat of cigarette littered cars slumped over the lap of dirty dick losers as your mouth becomes a catcher’s mitt for tainted joy juice…and if I’m thinking that, imagine what your man will think when he hears the truth.

Let me put it to you this way. If you were a movie, you’d be The Godfather III. The mere thought makes the mouth water. Expectations begin to push the limits of the imagination. This will be mind blowing, breath taking, earth shattering, but in the end, BOOM…an implosion of everything that coulda woulda shoulda been. Total flop.

I hear there’s pills you can take, but I wouldn’t know. Even when I was sinning, I was doing it the right way. Take heart, though. In the commercials for those pills, the people seem to be doing all right. They hike and ride bikes. I guess you can do a lot of that outdoorsy type stuff when you can’t do most bedroomsy type stuff.

Just go down on him, I guess. You should be good at it. You’ve had the
practice.

New ft (the Shadow Government) video

Local talent (mostly). Rockin' band. Check out the video on YouTube. Go to their myspace page to hear and learn more about them.

The Interiors of Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises is a great movie for many reasons. Turkish bathhouse anyone? Particularly arresting are the interior locations. Great color schemes and art direction.

Shoe of the Day

They're gonna look great with or without tights. The Jeffrey Campbell Ziara in grey. Sensible heel. Great colors. Super soft on the inside. And something tells us they provide a little toe cleavage - demurely sexy! Available through the Lori's Shoes website.

... and now it's time for Lord Jeff

Just in time for Haloween

pic via BBC website

For a very good cause but haunting nonetheless.