On Wednesday, I spent the evening with a similarly fashion-oriented coworker at Shecky’s Girls’ Night Out. The two of us arrived about a half hour after it opened and the lines to pick up the tickets for goodie bags and to get your wristband were very long!

Luckily, we snuck right in there due to having VIP tickets. OK, well, I had to wait right behind FOX news. But I guess I’ll live with that. Thanks a lot, Shecky’s!!

The vendors were selling mostly accessories and beauty products or services. My compatriot was looking for a dress but the selection of dresses was fairly limited. It was fun to see a few girls go to a little striped tent and try some things on. There were LOTS of big, sparkly bangles and necklaces, and it was very exciting to see some “green” accessory folks there. Using reclaimed potato chip bags to make purses makes for a definite conversation piece, but there were also bangles made out of bamboo and other renewables that caught my eye, as well as a couple of fair trade vendors.

I did find a top that I liked – it was a corset top made from several different strips of differing fabrics. It would have been fab for going out or pairing with a pair of suit pants, but unfortunately it broke my bank at $580. It looked like a lot of work went into it (which is why I liked it), so I didn’t want to insult the artist by bargaining down to where I was more comfortable. But it was stunning!

And maybe today I’m a bit upset at myself for not trying to bargain. Maybe.

Even though Shecky’s has moved on, you can check out d’marie for their frozen wine. I already own a bag or two for parties so I didn’t buy any, but I love their food and would have bought it if it didn’t already live in my pantry. I’ve seen them at other shows like the One of A Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart in December. Love, love, love.

I did buy some bath fizzies at Bath By Riley. Yay, Etsy! If you are not familiar with Etsy, sort of an eBay for homemade items, definitely wander over there. (Pretty much anything you can think of, and some things you couldn’t, someone’s made it.)

The only downside seemed to be that the vendors lacked energy. This lethargy was also commented on by my companion, so I know I wasn’t imagining it. They didn’t seem happy to be there – not even the bartenders. Come on…unhappy bartenders? I can get that at the corner pub when their nicotine level is low.

I don’t know if the economy has the vendors down, in which case I feel terrible for them, or there was something else going on. I’ve sold in booths before. Usually you start off with some energy on day one, and then rapidly become cynical by the last day, and start hating puppies and kittens and fantasize about tripping people when they walk by and pretend you don’t exist.

So I expected, going on the first day, that there would be some enthusiasm. The only real enthusiasm came from a woman telling me that perhaps I was too fat for my own good and that this product helped her lose 25 pounds. OK, she was selling a weight loss product. But still. Accosting people and implying they need to lose weight…not a good strategy.

I guess I shouldn’t feel too bad because my coworker got accosted by the laser surgery lady. So being “fat", I suppose, is better than feeling like perhaps you need a layer of your skin fried off to look better.

Otherwise it was worth the trip and fun. Having worked retail, I feel kind of bad saying this, but if you are looking for interesting and unique jewelry and/or purses, this is your place – they’ll most likely bargain and you’ll get a good deal.

Another year, another birthday that isn’t your Czarina’s. I haven’t had a birthday since my 29th.

What?

Not having birthdays doesn’t stop me from asking for birthday presents, though…usually in the form of something from Mulberry. But we’re not talking about my contorted and highly rule-intensive birthday construct for myself. We’re talking about the Czar’s birthday, and the distinct WTFery that danced on the periphery. It’s going to be a weird year.

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A Polish colleague once told the Czarina of a New Year’s cultural superstition that has driven us to frenetically find sparkly things to do every New Year’s Eve for the past four years.

This co-worker, during a discussion about parties, innocently said, “We believe that how you spend your New Year’s is how your year will be.”

Right after she reported this interesting fact, the Czarina felt cold – she envisioned 365 days of watching reruns of VH1s “I Love The 90s, Part Deux” and crying for the Lost DotCom Boom while eating stale Nutty Bars in dirty sweatpants and listening to the Small Palace Dog goad the Large Palace Dog into chasing him by biting her ankles.

No, no, no. That will never do. I’m now a hamster on the NYE bling treadmill and I can’t get off. The only way I can feel better about being stuck adhering to a superstition that doesn’t even belong to me is to pass it on to you. Don’t say your monarch never does anything for you!

To get your hamster-life started, I’ve summed up some of the most fun-looking events going on in Chicagoland for NYE. The Czarina’s experience has been that it is essential to make reservations now for the best selection! Feel free to submit your own if you know of any goings-on that meet the foodie/bling/oenophile/fab criteria.

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Happy Thanksgiving from your Czarina! Happiness and health to all! *waves from Palace balcony*

The Czarina first met Caroline DeVillo when she was looking for an evening gown for the Czar’s Major Birthday. Caroline is passionate about what she does and is “committed to helping brides find the perfect dress.” Those of us who have planned a wedding are used to hearing that kind of dreck to market everything from Waterford to Wellies. However, those of us who have actually met Caroline know that, for at least one bridal dressmaker, it’s true.

Caroline’s studio in Bucktown is cozy. All of her dresses are made locally. One of the best things about working with Caroline is that she can mix and match aspects from her designs to suit the bride’s particular taste and body. There is a dressing area, and directly behind that dressing area is Caroline’s work space. She told the Czarina with due pride that she was expanding the salon and she was going to add evening wear to her collection after previously focusing on bridal alone. Caroline and her assistant were working diligently on an evening collection and three new bridal styles to be shown at Chicago’s Red Hot during Fashion Week on October 11th, 2007. Right now, Caroline has the best sort of challenge for an entrepreneur: she is so busy making dresses she had to hire more help and outsource more of the work so that she could effectively run her business.

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