ON LOCATION / Soho House Chicago

In a sprawling city like Chicago with so many equally amazing places to check out, I find its rare to often revisit.  I knew I was falling hard when I checked my schedule to realize I had booked six meetings at the newly opened Soho House Chicago. 

The Soho House Chicago is the 12th location to open. This unique hotel and members club is wildly sought after in the United Kingdom. It's now popping up with five locations in North America and also reaching to Berlin. 

What made me fall in love? 

I would never turn down a lush abundance of vintage furniture, massive chandeliers, a marble espresso bar, endless banks of windows which provide the most beautiful lighting rain or shine. Another contributing factor is that I can order afternoon tea with a side of wifi, which I haven't found as lovely since working in London last year. 

I have only described the lobby. I haven't mentioned the three eateries, spa, boxing club, rooftop pool and lounge, or any of the hotel and members only lavish spaces. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FALL LOOK BOOK!! 

Special thanks to Brooke Nelson, Montana Madrigal and Zoe Weston for contributing to a great day!

I won't waste time listing the million reasons     why you should check out the www.SohoHousechicago.com yourself. Give me a call when you book your little Chicago get away. We'll meet up for tea, crumpets and some posh photos without stepping into the cold. 

I'll be basking in the winter sun here for the next six months. Hope to see you, it will be lovely darling.

P.S. Soho House sits among some of the most note worthy restaurants in the whole city. Only steps away from The Girl and The Goat, Little Goat Dinner, Au Cheval, Tete Charcuterie,  RM Champagne Salon, Bellyq, Green Street Smoked Meats all of which I can vouch for are delicious! 

STYLE / inspired by Chantal Houtteman

"Fashions fade, style is eternal." — Yves Saint-Laurent

"My Personal Style is classic with bit of trend mixed in. I love a minimal look where the silhouette says more then the embellishments on the clothes. Learning to play with proportions can bring a new perspective to your wardrobe. I start with researching blogs and magazines, gathering inspiration for the different silhouettes of the season. Often I find that I have these clothes already in my closet, and with a little tweak, a nip or a tuck, Voila! I have a new outfit." 

"Gain a fresh take on an older item by repurposing your clothes. I have a few scooped shirts that some days I wear front to back and then the other way around depending on what look I want to achieve. I try to stick to a lower budget for my wardrobe which is why I focus on classics and then add amazing accessories. Last but not least, add a fantastic lipstick. Lipstick fools everyone even when you realize that your wearing your shirt inside out!" 

Do you know how to determine the right lipstick color for you? Find out here.

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If I could only wear 5 things until 2015 it would be….

1. I love a good Chelsea boot, or just about any ankle boot. I usually wear flats or something with a well balanced heel so I can keep up with my active son.

2. Skinny jeans in a dark color with a lot of stretch but not jeggings. My Uniqulo black jeans are in high rotation.

3. Cotton T-shirts, short or long sleeve. I wear them all the time under my sweaters, loving a layered look!

4. Warm leggings! I rotate between four to five fleece lined leggings. I find them warmer then pants and a lot easier to layer with, during the cold months. 

5. A great coat! I like to have a few in rotation. The weather does crazy things in Montreal and it’s nice to have a coat to suit the climate and my mood.

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"I always notice amazing women that dress very dynamically and I take a mental note to figure out how to apply that look for myself. I think that is the most fun…the challenge of freshening up my look, keeping current but also maintaining my own sense of self. Luckily I have an identical twin sister who I've tried new styles on to see how it looks. This totally helps, I recommend getting a twin!"

Thank you to Chantal Houtteman for these helpful tips. Read more about her fashionable life here. 

Click to see the 50 clothing pieces Chantal suggests right here. 

DESIGN / How objects can enhance your photos

Objects can tell a story as well as find a place in a photo without being the subject. 

Finding just the right piece has happened frequently in the seven years I've been visiting Relics. Deb Opyd, my friend and the owner of this Peoria curiosities shop, daily delights her customers (namely me) with unique objects that have helped to inspire a great photo shoot. 

I had the opportunity to catch up with Deb about her work and treasures. First, everyone should know the magic of this lady who sees herself as a modern day version of a 17th century spice trader - bringing back exotic and unique wares from her adventures to intrigue her customers. 

Deb started styling for photo shoots years ago. It happened randomly as she was leaving one job and as another door opened. Deb had already been collecting antiques when she stepped out to begin a new adventure. This adventure would see her styling for magazines across the county. 

One of her favorite styling stories was while shooting a Christmas set in the Hampton's. She had 24 hours to collect objects to create a magical holiday scene and what she ended up discovering was an antique haul of a lifetime.  Here is what we can learn from her ...  to find the best treasures you must be willing to ask and take a trip off the beaten path. 

In the beginning her store, Relics was to be exclusively an antique store, but Deb soon realized that her customers wanted more than antiques. Some wanted vintage and others a fresher take on classics. The formula of mixing vintage and contemporary wares has become her forte and built a loyal client base.

Relics is not just a cute store; it's an experience from the moment you enter. Expect to be inspired when you walk in and leave feeling creative. Each object is evocative of a smile, tear, or just a long lost memory. 

What can you expect to find here? Tribal bracelets collected on her last trip to South Africa, or a basket full of skeleton keys from the Ivory Coast. The shop is nothing short of an adventure into happiness. Deb, like the customer, takes their own adventure sorting through new and old objects.  

When I asked what objects contribute to a good photograph, she mentioned that she loves a great chair, a sofa, or benches - something with sexy legs… this describes some of her items vividly. I have to agree with her, these items definitely work in a photo shoot and she brings new ones into the store daily.

A few other vintage finds I love to use in a shot; an old bike, a painters easel ... use these objects to tell a story about you and your passions.

Fresh and happy are definitely words that I would use to describe Deb. She has created a space and a community and a true escape for any who venture in to her lovely store.

Find Relics here and visit the store at 1219 West Glen in Peoria, Illinois.

BEAUTY / Top 3 reasons you should consider a lip color.

When I decided to post about lipstick it was in realization that I might be stuck in a bit of a pink rut; light pink, glossy pink, nude pink, rose pink, are you with me in this?

Wondering who I could talk to about this beauty boredom, I asked Montana Madrigal. Her daring purple lipstick is exactly my opposite and when it comes to lipstick choices and I'm loving the way her last photo shoot turned out. 

Now I know that not all you ladies are ready for purple, but why not broaden your knowledge of how to make an educated color choice? 

What you need to know before choosing a lipstick. 

First know your skin tone. There are essentially three: fair, medium and dark. A quick trick is to look at the underside of your wrist. If your veins appear bluish you are on the fair spectrum, if they appear greenish you are in the medium to dark spectrum.

Another simple way to identify your skin tone is to have a look at famous stars, almost each one of us can identify with an A lister's coloring. 

Taylor Swift, Kristen Bell and those brown-haired, fair-skinned girls, Kristen Stewart and Anne Hathaway are in the fair skinned spectrum. They have a pink undertone which is a good shade to focus on when choosing a lipstick, but don't let this halt your exploring and trying a classic red like Taylor. 

For medium skin tones we look to Eva Mendaz, Sandra Oh, Angalena Jollie. Each of these ladies have a yellowish undertone. Reds, nudes, orange, pinks are going to look great on you.

Dark skin toned stars such as, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Lupita Nyong’o also have a yellowish undertone. Plums, Berry tones and reds are wonderful choices bringing out the warmth in your skin color.

Montana's Words of color wisdom :  

At times it's your hair color that can make a lip color stand out and at other times it’s your skin. It also depends on what colors you wear day to day. For instance if you wear a lot of black then just about anything goes, but if you are wearing color do your best not to clash. 

For daily wear, go for a color that is a few shades darker then your lip. When going out to a party or festive event have fun and experiment, it can't be worse then that hair cut you had in the fifth grade. 

Learn how to define your lip :

Draw an X on top lip and a U on the lower lip, then connect the lines.This helps give your lips better definition and provides you with a no-fail guide.

Montana’s lip color of choice? She loves a good lip stain preferably in purple. The lip stain will stay on your lips long after the first application. 

How to make a photo "POP!" : 

A shout of lip color is a great way to make your photos pop. Lip stain is your friend, especially if it's a shoot with your mate. A kiss on the cheek is sweet until the color is gone from your lips and on to your love's face!

Most of all feel good with your lip color! 

If lipstick intimidates you, ease in to it. Start with a light shade and gradually go darker or brighter. Sometimes a bit of color is all you need to give you an effortless polished look without much other make up. hmm, I might just try red next! Or pink…dark rose pink? Sigh… baby steps...

We created a special Pinterest lipstick board to advise you along this colorful path. We have personally tried each one posted - hope it inspires you as much as it did me!

Montana Madrigal is a hair and beauty specialist living and working in Washington, IL with her daughter, Ivy. One of her specialties is color and highlights, specifically Balayage. You can expect us to be diving into this natural looking technique in the near future as it photographs oh, so nice! Check out more of her work here!

Celebrate with Chantal

First I would like to take a moment to wish Chantal, "Happy Birthday!" Everyday Charming is lucky to have such a creative fashionista on our team! You inspire us to wear lipstick more often, laugh at ourselves and shop smart. So thankful for you and all the skills you add to EC. xo- Laura

Chantal joined EC recently and is often a contributing voice you hear in our weekly blog posts. She is a creative writer living with her small family (pictured above at a city birthday party for her son, Gaspard) in Montreal, Canada. 

Photo creds go to Trisha Sutton, photographer abroad and creative business constant. Have you noticed the new website we've been sporting? Its every bit Trisha's creative genius!  Want some solid marketing and web advice? Check out her latest work here.