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Mayor Daley plans to dress up – the city, that is. Already known for its dining, architecture, theater and lately film, Daley is hoping Chicago soon makes its mark on the fashion industry.
On Sunday, the Tribune reported the city hired a fashion czar. A former lawyer, Melissa Turner was selected to serve as Chicago’s first fashion director. Her mission: revive Chicago’s fashion community and keep talented designers smack in the Midwest, rather than jetting to New York or L.A. 
Chicago has already made strides to promote the fashion industry. Along with Fashion Week debuting last year (this year’s fashion week takes place in October, FYI), the city has several fashion-focused sites, organizations and foundations.
However, despite several notable design schools, most fashion-school graduates leave the city because of a lack of opportunity.
Although some are balking at the thought of Chicago making an imprint on the fashion industry, Daley points to the expanding number of independent boutiques. “Chicago has evolved into a city of fashion entrepreneurs and more and more designers are setting up shop here," the mayor said in a statement. "Naturally we wanted to encourage these positive trends and help bring people and resources together to take Chicago fashion to a whole new level."
Putting Chicago on the fashion-industry map will help boost the city’s economy as well as its reputation, the Tribune says. Fashion Director Turner plans to create a Chicago fashion industry database to identify the full scope of the fashion business in the city. The next step, the Tribune reports, is to launch a Chicago-focused Web site to help designers find materials, retailers contact designers and consumers identify shopping areas.
Turner will also work with Federated Department Stores Inc. to help the soon-to-be Macy’s on State create “a fashion incubator” for select designers.
Chicagoist is a sucker for attention, and if Daley wants to add fashion hub to Chicago’s list of notables, then we’re all for it. Plus, with more unique boutiques in the city, there’s no excuse to keep wearing those gauchos.
Magnificence, reflected via e.q.
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a fashion constituency is only as good as the folk who use - not abuse - it. if this city's female citizenry don't stop slouching and pooching their paunches all over the place, it will all be for naught. stand the fuck up straight, girls!!
I was sure that this czar position would go to either Mr. Smith or Tankboy. What went wrong?
what kind of czar are we talking, Bill? ;p
More gaucho bashin', eh? All I'm sayin' is...depends on the particular gaucho wearer. Some of them hunnies even make white boys have to shout! (PS What happened to my career?)
The question is, why is the Tribune just covering this NOW? She was hired in June. There was even an article on Time.com weeks ago.
hafta agree with mixa there. i was walking behind a model one day wearing 4%-body-fat-hugging gauchos. the effect was nothing short of hypnotic.
Sweet. Finally the rest of the world will see just how HOT 3 year old Uggs and your former frat boyfriend's Big 10 sweatshirt REALLY ARE! FTW!
Thanks, Bill. I'd like to take this opportunity to announce my T-Shirts For Tots program so that the young people of Chicago can begin to exhibit my unique sartorial splendor before they're even out of diapers.
This seems to be too little too late. The in-house design department, at one of Chicago's major retail headquaters, just relocated its entire office to a New York location a few months ago. The desicion was made in an effort "to attract talented designers." Chicago just lost another opportunity for new design students - I wonder how Mrs.Turner plans on getting that talent back to Chicago?
Emmy, sounds like you're talking about Sears/KMart ... how does that constitute fashion?
I'm not saying that because it's cheap it can't be fashionable (Target seems to be doing well with that), but there's a difference between "fashion" and "apparel," and Sears/KMart does the latter. Moving Sears/KMart's design department to NYC is hardly going to uproot Chicago's design potential.
Amen on those dang gauchos. To boot, half the ladies that wear them don't do the 'behind' test - looking at their rear in a mirror and making sure those gauchos are flattering their curves....now, can we bring those Gap cotton capri pants back? Thanks!