For International Repair Day on Saturday, October 15, artist and environmental activist Jenny Kendler, 42, hosted “Before and After: Mending a Life” along with artists Catherine Schwalbe and Katie Vota. “Before and After: Mending a Life,” a social practice project initiated by Schwalbe in 2021, was hosted by Kendler next to Mending Wall, Kendler’s interactive installation […]
Author Archives: Isa Giallorenzo
Posted inStreet View
His name is Ray
“Entertainer, street philosopher, raconteur. I cruise the streets like a wandering knight seeking people to save from time and space, and perhaps life itself,” says Ray St. Ray, 70, accurately describing his iconic persona. “I’m in the business of creating the legend of ‘the Singing Cab Driver’ for people to cash in on with an […]
Posted inStreet View
Marching for joy
It was a hot, late summer Saturday, and my son and I had come to the Chicago Botanic Garden for an outdoor playdate with some friends. To our surprise and delight, the band Mucca Pazza was performing there that afternoon as part of a series of events called Flourish, a celebration of the garden’s 50th […]
Posted inFeature
Strong and steady
Modernity and tradition. Relaxation and tension. Chaos and order. Yin and yang—roughly speaking. These are complementary universal forces that can easily lose balance and therefore create trouble. But not at Hyun’s Hapkido and Tae Kwon Do School, a Bucktown martial arts storefront rooted in the same location for over 50 years; an unexpected harmony permeates […]
Posted inStreet View
Dressed to dazzle
Nothing like an opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art to showcase the exceptional style Chicagoans have, in all their diversity. The festivities in May celebrating artist Nick Cave’s solo exhibition “Forothermore” were no exception. Body coverings were a central theme and could be appreciated on every level: on guests’ outfits in their special post-lockdown […]
Posted inStreet View
Nothing to hide
Clothing reseller Sasha Smith, 20, claims to dress like a “pink 2000s bimbo Harajuku ballerina.” She’s inspired by dolls, the Playboy universe, and the now-defunct Japanese street style magazine FRUiTS. The day she was photographed, Smith was headed to a hangout with a friend. She was covered head to toe in her favorite rosy hue, […]
Posted inCity Life
Recovering goth
“I kinda got it on a whim,” says Alexis P. Morgan, 30, about the dazzling two-piece ensemble she purchased from Boohoo. “I normally don’t get super colorful things, but I’ve been branching out. [This set] had such a fun vibe to it and everybody was like, ‘You look amazing!’ I just decided to color it […]
Posted inCity Life
Magic Ride
“I like to go for anything that draws attention and is kinda funky and out there,” says 20-year-old Joey Prette, already a senior stylist at Free People and a musical theater student at Roosevelt University. “Usually I’d be wearing my flower earrings, but I forgot them today,” they say while sporting green, their favorite color. […]
Posted inCity Life
Photos: 2022 SAIC Fashion Show
Our contributor Isa Giallorenzo attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s fashion show in May. The annual event returned to an in-person format this year (the theme: “Humanature”) after a two-year hiatus to address safety concerns around COVID-19. Here are some images Giallorenzo shot of some of the over 100 pieces of student-designed work that […]
Posted inCity Life
Out of the box
The long-awaited School of the Art Institute of Chicago fashion show was back in May after a two-year hiatus brought on by COVID-19. In the previous pandemic years students presented their work in beautiful highly-produced videos, but nothing substitutes the experience of seeing their garments IRL—especially so up close and personal. And this year’s show […]
Posted inCity Life
Hats off to the hats
At the end of April, The Curio and the Chicago Fashion Coalition joined forces to promote a networking event for the local fashion crowd at Chop Shop in Wicker Park. The turnout was truly impressive; so many recognizable names in the fashion scene were there: accessory designer and SAIC faculty member Gillion Carrara; luxury boutique […]
Posted inCity Life
The glowing citizen
Walking down North Avenue with his bulky Home Depot purchases in tow, George Blakemore sparkled in a glistening metallic-toned ensemble he painted himself. “I think that we all are artists,” he said. “We all use our imagination and we all are creative. There was a Black gentleman that died called Mr. Imagination who would say […]
Posted inCity Life
Photos: opening reception for Brandon Breaux at Blanc
Our contributor Isa Giallorenzo attended an opening reception in April for artist Brandon Breaux’s solo exhibition “BIG WORDS,” which is on view at Blanc Gallery in Bronzeville through May 27. She reports, “A beautiful, stylish, and lively crowd attended . . . the gallery has a cozy outdoor space that could accommodate a large number of guests. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The big world of Brandon Breaux
Yes, Chance the Rapper did give a big push to artist Brandon Breaux’s career when Breaux designed the covers for three of the singer’s mixtapes: 10 Day, Acid Rap, and Coloring Book. Breaux also recently landed two high-profile commissions—the February 2022 Ebony cover honoring editor André Leon Talley, and the cover of Carry On: Reflections […]
Posted inCity Life
Style comes back with a vengeance at EXPO
Whoever says people don’t have much style in Chicago has no idea what they’re talking about. I’ve been photographing street style here for over ten years and I know better. When Chicagoans decide to bring it, they bring it with gusto, authenticity, and a very midwestern ease. That’s the kind of style that could be […]