Tag Archives: Chicago

WESTERVIN Wear

Westervin Wear: Grayscale

Posted on by

The weather last week was shockingly warm, so I skipped merrily around without the constraints of a heavy winter coat. I’ve actually been wearing my newly acquired Navajo print tunic nonstop… kinda like a six-year-old who refuses to take off his spider man costume. I just couldn’t help myself! It’s so comfy and soft on the inside like pajamas, and lord knows I love me some pajamas. I keep some sock monkey print footy pj’s at Brian’s parent’s house! But instead of wholeheartedly embracing the Saturday-morning-Netflix-marathon-not-gonna-bother-with-a-glass-to-drink-my-milk look, I dressed my tunic up with a show-stopping Tree & Kimball necklace and my Fancy (that’s right, with a capital “f”) leather boots. { After the jump: Urban Outfitters tunic, Target tights & socks, vintage boots, necklace from Tree & Kimball }

Continue reading →

WESTERVIN Wear

Westervin Wear: Watch Your Step

Posted on by

I keep having the same recurring dream, night after night: fall is over, and winter’s clutches are upon us! So, I figured I need to wear my spiffy brown shoes before they’re outmatched by piles of snow and slush. Similarly, my vintage corduroy blazer is perfect for autumnal temps, but once my dreams become reality, I’ll need to find shelter in something heftier, if not indoors altogether.

Continue reading →

1 Comment
Tagged , , , , , , , |
Out & About

Renegade Craft Fair: Heavy Hitters

Posted on by

Renegade Craft Fair 2010: Up in the Air Somewhere

{ up in the air somewhere }

We couldn’t finish our Renegade Craft Fair coverage without a nod to the big boys (mostly girls, actually) — those especially talented artists whose work you may have seen on many blogs or in different shops (at least around Chicago). But if you haven’t heard of them yet, get familiar! These are a few of the talented, crafty ladies who’ve been feeding my wishlists for quite some time…

Continue reading →

Out & About

Renegade Craft Fair: Little Friends & Creatures

Posted on by

Renegade Craft Fair 2010: Mimi Kirchner

{ Mimi Kirchner }

Authenticity is pretty big right now, right? It’s popping up everywhere. Take Mad Men for instance. Don Draper’s not eating a sandwich, he’s eating a 1962 sandwich (literally, Matthew Weiner probably had someone track down a cellophane-wrapped sandwich from 1962, airbrushed the mold out, and had Jon Hamm eat it on camera.) But wait! He’s not drinking a cocktail either, he’s drinking a 1963 Manhattan heavy on the 1963 Canadian Club with vintage labels and 1963 tax labels recreated by a crack team of archival-oriented graphic designers. Is it too much to ask of the viewer to just imagine that this bottle of vodka is really a 1963 bottle of vodka? Can’t I use my imagination? Please?

Continue reading →

Out & About

Renegade Craft Fair: Romance & Durango

Posted on by

Renegade Craft Fair 2010: Little Ocean

{ Little Ocean }

I hope you’ve been enjoying our coverage of Renegade and don’t mind that we’ve spread the posts out a bit. We’ve got just a few more features left, and next up are some craftsters who were workin’ one of my favorite trends: the southwestern motif! Now, I realize that referring to the traditional designs of an entire culture (or in many recent cases, an amalgamation of different cultures) as “trendy” is a bit asinine, but I’m referring more to it’s somewhat recent resurgence in popular culture (I’m looking at you, Urban Outfitters, with your suede fringe moccasin booties). All the absurdity of popular culture aside, I’d like to introduce you to a few southwestern-themed booths that really caught my attention. I’m buying into this trend quicker than a tourist in an Arizona hotel gift shop!

Continue reading →

Out & About

Renegade Craft Fair: And some gentlemen, too!

Posted on by

Lest you think that the Renegade Craft Fair only featured women, here are a few noteworthy guys that we spotted hawking their wares.

Renegade Craft Fair 2010: Labrabbit Optics

First up, Coyote of Labrabbit Optics. Yeah, his name is Coyote. Coyote DeGroot. He’s a certified optician. He eats cool for breakfast. Sprinkles it on his Wheaties. Labrabbit Optics carries some really unique, American-made frames, like Shuron (what?! we’re just throwing out eyewear brands like we know what we’re talking about…), along with refurbished vintages specs. Sarah and I will be dropping by his newly opened West Chicago shop soon for our eyewear needs.

Renegade Craft Fair 2010: Ethically Engineered

Another favorite from the fair was the Ethically Engineered booth, which was manned by Jack Nugent. Jack’s not only the nicest guy on the planet, he’s also nice to the planet. I walked away with some peppermint scented shave soap made with organic, vegan ingredients that lathers, smells, and feels great!

Out & About

Renegade Craft Fair: And the winners are…

Posted on by

And now… for the moment I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for! Westervin’s coverage of the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair 2010!!! (humor me.) It’s like the Olympics of craft, as far as I’m concerned. And we’re covering this year’s turnout like Joan Rivers on the Red Carpet. Well, maybe with a little less snark. So, who were my favorite artsy and crafty participants, you ask? Oh it was too hard to choose! And while I was perfectly willing to risk dehydration and exhaustion to see every one of the 300+ artists at the sunny, outdoor fair, Brian was a little more practical and was able to usher me down the seemingly endless row of vendors at a more efficient pace. I wasn’t able to thoroughly immerse myself in every booth, but at least I stayed conscious for the entire three hours we spent browsing. So of the artists I was able to see and speak with, I narrowed them down to a handful of favorites that we’ll be sharing with you over the next week or so. First up on the blogging docket? My favorite favorites–the vendors that were not only talented, but also incredibly sweet and charming.  So without further ado, I present to you a few darlings that you should definitely know.

Continue reading →

Uncategorized

This Week in Westervin

Posted on by

Lynne Christenson & Kavi Mehta at Renegade Craft Fair & Homer Harvest Days

Clockwise from top left: CrookedArt by Lana Crooks of Plushinator at the Renegade Craft Fair; Truman’s Ridge bluegrass band at Homer Harvest Days; Animal Plaques by Janet MacPherson; Alpaca petting zoo; Friends! Lynne Christenson & Kavi Mehta

Well, it was a pretty eventful weekend for us. Not only did we head out of the city to catch some bluegrass and corndogs at the Homer Harvest Days festival on Saturday, we also exhausted ourselves at the Renegade Handmade craft fair on Sunday. We’ve got so much to share with all of you, but we’ll need a day to recover from all the excitement and slight sunburn. Once we rest up, we’ll have a recap of all our crafty favorites from renegade, a report on the state of the harvest, and everything in between!

Shopping Sherpa

The Shopping Sherpa: Sherbet

Posted on by

handmade and vintage Etsy items in sherbet peach

Like a volatile lover, Chicago has turned cold again.  But the freezing wind isn’t hampering my annual craving for peach sherbet.  It’s just forcing me to eat said treat inside… while drooling over Etsy and its many candy-colored sweets.

{Clockwise from top left: Dusty Pink Swan Planter from Hello Victory; Cute Girls Love to Crochet Print from Handmadelove; 1987 Pink Fitted Sweatshirt from Marjie W; Assorted Macaron Box from Little Oven}

Today I love...

Today I Love: Indie All-Girl Choirs

Posted on by

LA Ladies Choir perform “Listen, the snow is falling” from Space 15 Twenty on Vimeo.

Hold the phone.  Have you heard of this, people?  Groups of all-girl choirs popping up in sassy outfits, singing songs you actually like to listen to (like Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk) and rockin’ the house with their positive female energy?  I need this in my life.  This is a call to arms, ladies.  I think Chicago needs it’s own baller girl’s choir.  Are you with me?! Continue reading →