Chicago’s Fashion Focus Opened with a BOOM!

Chicago’s Fashion Focus opened with a bang…or should we say a BOOM! The 2^nd floor of the 900 Shops on Michigan Ave. was turned into a meeting place for a stylish crowd of industry professionals (like the Mayor's Fashion Council) and designers who mingled the night away while enjoying Svedka specialty cocktails, splendid hors d’oeuvres and fashion presentations of various designers, including Elda de la Rosa, Heidi Hess, Horacio Nieto and Tennille White.

Borris Powell, Jermikko and Michelle Tan featured chic wool garments, while Kristin Hassan and Kate Boggiano ruffled up their looks. It seems like we’ll be wearing various pops of colors against a black, grey or navy background. Red, purple, and orange were seen in a variety of garments and leather details were a returning factor in the Alice Berry pieces. Squasht gave us ruched necklines and wrap dresses, while Horacio Nieto stole the show with a purple gown featuring a sleek, tougher jacket.

Informal modeling was taken to a whole new level with models posing like mannequins, while another set performed a dance routine to the electronic beats of DJ Rock City. Another extreme of the night was the delicious hors d’oeuvres! Bull & Bear, Sunda (a Factio favorite), Old Town Social and Market did an amazing job at keeping the fashion-focused guests satisfied with little dishes varying from different meats to mac and cheese to sushi.

The night ended with fabulous swag! We loved the full-sized bottles of hair product handed out by Moroccan Oil. If the beginning of Fashion Focus is already this spectacular, we can’t wait for the rest of the week!
- Chloé van der Wel

*Photos by Alicia Nieto for Factio Media