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While nothing tops the gravity-defying vertical runway show Marshall Fields busted out five years ago, the Fall fashion event Macy's is throwing this year is getting us almost as jazzed up. The historic department store, now celebrating its 150th year in business, will host an 80s-themed “Pop Candy Arcade” fashion extravaganza this Friday that will feature the store’s new looks, as well as allow us to revel in retro-mania.
The event kicks off at the Chicago Theatre with a choreographed fashion show in which models strut down the runway to live performances by -- wait for it -- Cyndi Lauper and M.C. Hammer! Yes! The party keeps rolling at Macy’s on State Street with tunes spun by DJ Berrie. Tickets start at $47 and are still available.
We’ll be the one in the front row She-boppin’.
Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State Street, Friday, August 22, 8 p.m., benefits the Art Institute.
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We’ll be the one in the front row She-boppin’.
Be careful you don't get arrested.
Hate to break it to you, Chicagoist, but countless life-long Chicagoans have not set foot in a Macy's since September 9, 2006.
These shoppers are not coming back. You can dress up a pig all you want. It's still a big.
And yes, the boycott is working!
Also performing at the afterparty at Macy's - the bboys from Breakdance Chicago. I own the dance studio of the same name but we also perform all across the country at huge events, and this one is no exception. We just did the Minneapolis show last Friday, and performed for over 2000 people, becoming the highlight of the night without question.
So tomorrow will be no different; anybody there, you are in for a special treat. About 2500 people are expected to show tomorrow, so we'll be rocking the house and getting the party started and dropping some jaws. When you see us breaking, be sure to ask where B.Rock is, and come and say hi. I'll buy you a drink. Yeah okay it's open bar but still...
thanks, ward up. i need to have words with ali about posting this event.
ali, can you step into my office please?
Not to make myself come off like the redneck, white trash, southern transplant i am, but whats the big deal about Marshall Fields vs. Macy's? I'm not talking smack or anything; I honestly want to know.
Cause any event with MC Hammer is legit enough to me. In fact, it's too legit. Too legit...
...
...
wait for it...
...
to quit.
Oh here come!
the Metra train is pulling in with the fat suburban women wearing thier pink cotton jogging suits with chocolate and other food staines on em. I knew they would be charging in like elephants right after the soaps when off followed by the only Chicagoan amonst them, their puppy Ward Up
Four words for yall....GROW UP! ITS OVER!
Spook
Caint Touch This! Break it Down!
@ Marcus:
Not sure where in the South you're originally from, but imagine if someone had bought the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and rebranded it as a Holiday Inn, or if someone took a four-star restaurant and dumbed it down to a TGI Friday's. That's essentially what Marshall Field's and Macy's are to one another. Macy's is an 800 store chain that wants desperately to become Target or Wal-Mart in the eyes of consumers.
Hmmm...Cyndi Lauper, MC Hammer, breakdancing? Sort of all meshes very well with the low cost, high margin tripe that Macy's dishes out, i.e. Alfani, Donald Trump suits. I'm pretty sure that those brands are also made of polyester, velcro, etc. Very "retro". :)
Hey Ardvark...it's an 80's themed night, hence the reason why they booked us alongside Hammer and Lauper. But I can assure you WE are anything but low cost, just for the record. You have no idea. Ask me for a press kit and see for yourself. ;) I think you'll be surprised at the types of shows, concerts, conventions, and gigs we've done and where it's taken us. In case you're living in a cave and under a rock, breaking has been back (although it really never went anywhere, just seemed like it did) and highly in demand for a few years now, mainstream and all. With mainstream money to accompany it. Just watch TV commercials for about ten minutes before you see a breaker. And there's a good chance, that is was one of US.
Anyway, as a born and raised Chicagoan, I understand all of your sentiments about the Macy's thing, but I have to remain neutral in that debate for professional reasons.
@BeeRockafeller
Apologies if I offended your art/profession, but let's not take all of that too personally, ok? Most of my criticism was directed at Macy's and not breaking per se. For all I know, it's a wonderful performance art that is enjoying a well-deserved resurgence.
That said, I wouldn't be too critical of those that are simply unaware of the trend. After all, it's not as if everyone sees it performed on every street corner and my guess is that Breakin' II - Electric Boogaloo (sp?) is not racing up the video rental charts at the moment.
WELL OF COURSE TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE! The words "fashion" and "Macy's" simply do not go together. Have you see the "exciting" Fall looks that the "Red Star Store" is trying to pass off? Once again, those wacky folks at Macy's prove they are certainly no Marshall Field's.
Remember Glamorama 2007 with the tacky country/western theme? Lots of empty seats even though Macy's was giving away tickets to shoppers and employees in a vain attempt to fill the Chicago Theater.
By the way Macy's how are your sales/revenue figures? Way down by the look of tax records. Is your stock still junk status at $19? (Down from $54 in 10 months).
It's not the weather.
It's not sunspots.
It's not an early Easter or late Christmas.
It is the fact your stores are messy, employees have no concept of customer service and your "fashions" are overpriced, poorly made and fit terribly. So there.
Let's all go over to Lord and Taylor and Von Maur for style, selection and service.
@ Ardvark
Fair enough my friend. No apology needed although I appreciate the gesture. Like I said in the end of my post, I do understand where everybody is coming from 100%.
But speaking of movies, there actually was a critically acclaimed doc that was released earlier this year (played at the Century here and got an extended run due to the popularity) which chronicled a bunch of different bboy crews from different countries as they train to compete at the Battle Of The Year in Germany (kind of like our Olympics.)
In fact, when Redeye (yes yes I know I know) reviewed it, it ran as a sidebar on a two page article on yours truly and my company. Just a fun fact. But it's called Planet B-Boy, and you can check it out at www.planetbboy.com . It offers some great insight in just how far the culture has come, and where it is going. It is very moving, and follows the lives and families of these breakers. Not just a flick about a bunch of guys breaking, it's much more than that. Check it out.
Jimmack, you forgot the fact that they arrogantly decided to go ahead with the identity change because they "did some market research and found out that Chicagoans didn't CARE about the Field's name!" They could have still bought M.F. but kept the branding and name the same (similar to what Starbucks did with Seattles Best). Instead, they decided to completely wipe out the identity of a store that has been around for 100+ years.
The only Macy's that I want to visit is the one in New York, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way. The only reason I will go to Macy's in Chicago is if they have something that I absolutely positively can't get anywhere else.
Their revenue has been in the gutter since the name change. Sucks for them. ~_^
No Sucks for You, now move on with your pathetic life . ~_^
I enjoy seeing people who are mad at Field's supporters.
See, no matter how mad you get at us, it doesn't change the fact that Macy's stores are empty. And I'll bet you're getting mad right now.
Aardvark - Understood.
Wow the 80's back when we had our field's! that was a good time that should be remembered. Yes the boycott continues. I love the people who live in Lincon park and question others about being from Chicago. Go back to your farming community you belong! just because daddy paid for you to go to DEPAUL, does not mean your from Chicago. The boycott of Macys continues, untill they turn State Street into the Marshall Fields condos or we get it back!
Viva la Boycott
I think it's really funny when everyone gets so worked up over Marshall Field's. Anyone know the backstory to The Field Museum? The whole pitch to Marshall was the fact that the store wouldn't have his name on it forever, whereas a museum would. Are you all taking the money you're NOT spending at Macy's and donating it to the museum?
Fields was piss poor on a lot of levels before being bought out. A tradition is merely repitition gussied up by the concept of nostalgia.
People just like to be righteous and protest at any opportunity possible. It makes them feel good.
Macy's is fine. Alfani is dope.
Macy's State Street is a ghost town since Federated killed Marshall Field's. I don't know who really wants to go to Macy's Fashion Show, since most no one goes to Macy's stores.
Sorry Macy's haters. MF didn't start it--Dayton's in Minneapolis did in 1992. Glamorama didn't come to Chicago til 1999. Don't forget, Dayton's picked up MF when BATUS got out of the retail biz. BATUS probably would have been happy to close MF like they closed Gimbels.
BTW, how is Carson's on State Street doing? I keep forgetting, yeah, it's closed.
How much money did Macy's make last quarter--$14 million. How much did Carson's parent, The Bon-Ton make--oh wait--they lost almost $34 million. Must be all those Field's shoppers buying everything up.
Regardless of who started it, it is for some very worthwhile causes--here in Chicago that's the Art Institute and Children's Cancer center.
But it made me chuckle to see that the event is "Driven by the all new Chevy Malibu". When I think of Field's, I think of it being comparable to a BMW, Audi or some other fine car. Malibu is middle of the road--like Macy's.
Someone above said that about 2,500 tickets were sold. The Chicago Theatre seats about 3,800 so if the ticket sales figure is correct, then the show was a third empty.
"nlandsnark": You're talking nationally whereas Fields was just here in the Upper Midwest. The Macy's out East are bringing up the chain. Bon-Ton's stores on the East Coast are hardly like Carson's. Carson's in the Chicago area is doing quite well and is Bon-Ton's shining spot. Carson's is packed and Macy's is empty. For example compare Carson's at Streets of Woodfield versus Macy's at Woodfield. Carson's is so busy with the younger clientèle Macy's wants while Macy's is pretty dead.
Last week, Macy's CFO, Karen Houget, said that Macy's upper Midwest stores were among their worst performing; those are pretty much the former Field's stores from Chicago to Minneapolis.
Regardless of how the stores out East and Texas are doing well, Macy's has greatly reduced business in the Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis stores.
Moreover, if Macy's brought back Field's they'd have a rush in their stores as never before, and Glamorama would be packed.
Macy's' Glamorama? Hardly. Even if so, few care. I believe they had to bring quite a crew from NYC in order to take up space. Now if it were Marshall Field's....
@ JimMckay
Not to outright defend Macy's here, this is just coming from my point of view as a promoter myself.
You can't really base the 2500 gate vs. 3800 max cap as it being a failure of sorts, of any sort. Just because the max cap of a venue is a particular figure doesn't mean that it only will be deemed a success if there is a sellout. 3800 is a lot of people, a lot of tickets to be sold. And an event such as this, wasn't ever intended really to be an all out sellout. It's not a Pearl Jam concert. I mean for christ sake the headliners were Hammer and Cyndi Lauper.
The ticket prices were extremely high, we're talking up to $2000. It wasn't a $20 event. So taking that into consideration, and the fact that it was all for charity, the numbers are good in fact. It was a success. Both the Chicago Theater and the after party at Macy's were packed. Jam packed. Regardless of my stance on anything, we all had a blast, and ran into lots of friends and people doing big things in Chicago.
It's funny how so many of you are saying nobody cares and nobody was there and somebody saying people had to come from NYC? Or that they were giving tickets away or something? As I stated above, there were actually tons of local Chicago folks there who are making huge waves in everything from media to fashion and all things entrepraunerial. Um...yeah...you might want to actually confirm things before you say them on the internets, as to not sound completely bitter and ignorant.
Again, I'm still remaining neutral, just setting the record straight on that particular issue.