N. A WAY OF LIVING WITH ELEGANCE OR GRACE; IMPECCABLE TASTE
They're the designers, boutiques, and artists who put a twinkle in your eye.
Sara Czosnyka Samsara Hats
Hats off to Sara Czosnyka and Samsara Design (now Process and Content). Incorporating found objects like feathers, bones, and shells, their modern, wearable hats really pack a punch. Read more
The Mad Hatter
Samsara Hats
Unless you’ve been living in a rabbit hole, you know that asymmetrical haircuts are out. And hats are in.
Or on, in fact.
Cover up that messy mop with a Samsara hat by Sara Czosnyka. Born and raised in Chicago, Czosnyka lives and works in a Lakeview studio where she sculpts her own shaping blocks and hunts for fabulous embellishments.
To spark inspiration, Czosnyka likes to travel and swap ideas with other artists. She’s drawn to authentic sources like vintage hats (which she deconstructs and reinvents), costume jewelry, vintage animal parts (teeth, fur, beetle shells, quills, bones), leather, and even human hair.
We love the black trilby with gold stitching and real tooth, the pork pie with yellow bone accent, and the dent fedora with vintage alligator broach. Custom designs are also available.
When it comes to getting ahead, Czosnyka’s clearly at the top of her game.
And she won’t be hanging up her hat anytime soon.
Available at Bonnie & Clyde’s, 1751 West Division Street, at Wood Street (773-235-2680). To see styles, go to samsaradesign.com.
Annie Frei Frei Designs
We're green with envy over Annie Novotny, whose clothing line, Frei Designs, is organic, sustainable, and locally produced. Never sacrificing style, Frei designs with the earth in mind. Read more
Anne with a Plan
Frei Designs Ecofriendly Clothing
They say looks can kill.
Which would explain those deadly clothing choices you occasionally make.
Clean up your act with Frei, the ecofriendly line from local designer Annie Novotny. The Art Institute of Chicago grad uses sustainable fabrics (hemp and bamboo woven into wool), vegetable-based dyes, and recycled materials in her spring line. Even her garment tags are made with old office paper.
The tailored, feminine collection is inspired by the Greek goddess Persephone and the changing seasons. Novotny plays heavily with juxtaposition, pairing flowing skirts with men’s vests and high-waisted, wide-leg trousers with billowy-sleeved blouses. The line’s muted color scheme draws attention to her detailed construction.
You’ll want to live in the lightweight trench and bolero jacket, both in organic cotton.
It’d do a world of good.
Available at Pivot, 1101 West Fulton Market, at Aberdeen Street (312-243-4754
or pivotboutique.com). To see styles go to freidesigns.com.
Cristina "Tini" Bloom Etten Eller
With a name like Tini Bloom, you can't be ordinary. Nor can your designs. Bloom's jewelry line, Etten Eller, features deconstructed pocket watches made into necklaces. How timeless. Read more
Time After Time
Etten Eller Jewelry
First, Paris burned. Then, Brit hit the fan.
Today’s celebs aren’t what you’d call timeless.
Which is why it’s ripe time for Etten Eller, a jewelry line dedicated to disassembled pocket watch pieces.
Inspired by a friend’s grandfather (a watch repairman who died on his 96th birthday), School of the Art Institute grad Cristina Bloom designs pieces that expose watches’ inner mechanisms — etching, gems, gears, hands — normally hidden from view.
Bloom treats gold-filled and sterling chains by oxidizing and distressing, then asymmetrically places intricate watch parts throughout. Each necklace and pendant is named with a date (when Amelia Earhart went missing, when Dylan went electric) to reinforce the idea of timestamps as memory markers.
We may not understand Bloom’s genius.
But we know what makes her tick.
Available at Hejfina, 1529 North Milwaukee Avenue, between North and Evergreen Avenues (773-772-0002 or hejfina.com).
