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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(Forgive me, Msr. Brillat-Savarin.)

The Czarina has taken a few cooking classes in Chicago through The Chopping Block, including knife skills, an introduction to baking, Flavor Dynamics, and an intensive Indian cooking class. In every case the instructors were knowledgeable, kind and patient, and really, really wanted to be there. It was therefore obvious as to where the Czarina would go to obtain some home cooking tips for her readers, whether they be local or far-flung. Read on for easy ways to improve your home cooking no matter where that home might be, courtesy of the Chopping Block’s founder Shelley Young.

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The Czarina became interested in Michelle Tan’s work after wandering by her store one day on N. Damen; the different textures and modern romantic qualities of the garments made her want to touch everything. Past interviews with Michelle focused on her design philosophy ("Nothing is Perfect") and her commitment to helping nurture the fledgling fashion industry here in Chicago. The Czarina wanted to see what made Michelle Tan, well, Michelle Tan. Accordingly, she’s the subject of Stylefool’s second interview, and our first in the fashion sector.

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Dean Schlabowske wants to save you from Big Wine.

And “California fruit bombs.”

Cellar Rat recently opened on North Avenue in the Wicker Park neighborhood. The Czar and Czarina have visited several times, and each time we needed guidance as we attempted to expand our knowledge base to include France, Spain, and Italy. We know a good bit about US wines, but Dean, the owner and sole employee, prefers to stock boutique wines from Europe. The first time we ate at Chaise Lounge, he was there with a large group. When our table learned that the restaurant was currently BYOB and we were SOL, Dean graciously offered to reopen his shop a few blocks away so that we could bring a bottle of wine to dinner.

Due to Dean’s fabulous attention to service and his passion for decoupling Chicagoans from corporate wine, he’s the subject of Stylefool’s first interview.

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