Chicago Woman September 2015 Premier Issue

fw: chicago SEPTEMBER 2015

WHY DO YOU TRAIN?

ffc.com

ROCHELLE TROTTER

| RECRUITING WOMEN

| POWER LUNCHES

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www.fw-chicago.com

t s e w side y r o st Vibrant businesswoman

ROCHELLE TROTTER

talks everything from her humble upbringing to her entrepreneurial spirit to life after Charlie

POWER LUNCHING: TOP SPOTS FOR NETWORKING RECRUITING WOMEN FOR STEM FW-CHICAGO.COM

EVERYONE IS TRAINING FOR SOMETHING

8 FEMALE-LED BUSINESSES

TO FEEL EMPOWERED

SEPTEMBER 2015

NEED TO KNOW: 8 WOMAN-LED BUSINESSES

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CELEBRATE THERTY YEARS 30 TH ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON & SYMPOSIUM

Keynote Speaker

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Ashley Judd

Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers 301 E. North Water Street Chicago, IL Breakfast 8:30am – 9am Symposium 9am – 11am

For more information and to register, visit www.cfw.org/events 30th Anniversary Luncheon Co-Chairs Mary Dillon

Jerry Newton

Diane Whatton, Director

(Grace Allen Newton)

U.S. Community Affairs

Ulta Beauty

Attorney and Philanthropist

BMO Harris Bank

#CFWLuncheon

Jerry Newton

Media Partner Adela Cepeda/

The Doris & Howard Conant

President, A.C. Advisory Inc.

Family Foundation

Carol Prins/The Jessica Fund

Lakshmi Foundation

www.cfw.org

Action Sponsors

Marcena W. Love

Patron Sponsors

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Luncheon and Featured Speaker 12pm – 1:30pm

Benefactor Sponsors ($30,000)

Chief Executive Officer

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Registration and Networking Reception 11am – 12pm

Anonymous Edna J. Schade

Official Airline

María C. Bechily, Sondra Berman Epstein and Abby O’Neil

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Introducing the new line of wines by Love Cork Screw

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Indulgence Knows No Boundaries

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www.lovecorkscrew.com

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from the publisher

! s r e e h c

Here we are! After six months of developing and launching FW: Chicago, we are thrilled to be bringing the print magazine to the women of Chicago. As you may already know, our website launched in June, followed by our newsletters and social media brands.

Chicago, with all its vibrancy and strong sense of community, is brimming with talented, inspiring women. It is our mission to share their stories, ideas, and work through the pages of our magazine—in print, online, via newsletters, on social media, and in person.

What I have found so exceptional during the process of starting a business—especially a woman-centric business—is the support and encouragement from other women. It is no surprise that, in our research, we have found that women want to support businesses and causes that support women. FW: Chicago is a case in point. There are far too many people—both men and women—to name in this short letter, but my gratitude to all of those who have contributed, supported, advised, and inspired me, the FW: Chicago team, and our magazine is beyond words.

I thank you all and dedicate this first issue to you.

Cheers!

Kendra Chaplin Publisher + Founder kendra@fw-chicago.com @kendrachaplin

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From start-ups to established businesses, the WBDC can help you gain access to information, contracts, and capital to grow your business.

Visit wbdc.org for a list of programs and services to take your business to the next level.

Because your GROWTH is our business.

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fw: making connections

love what you do

Cliché inspirational quotes are right up there with the “hanging kitty” image in my book—but I’m going to use one anyway. Confucius said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” Well, while we love our gigs here at FW: Chicago, as the managing editor, trust me when I say we’ve been working hard to present you with the best representation of inspiring women this city has to offer. And as someone who has dabbled in the entrepreneurial pool, I can’t help but be personally inspired by the stories of courage that come across my desk every day.

Speaking of daily, FW: Chicago isn’t just a fantastic print publication. Our digital arm is a portal for perpetual content that aims to mentor, educate, and enlighten our readers. If you haven’t checked us out yet, please do.

Perhaps one of my most memorable days on board thus far is the launch party for the website at Public Hotel Chicago back in June. The turnout wasn’t just great, it was amazing, which proves we’re filling a much-needed void that people are excited about. Of course, support is a two-way street. We pride ourselves on connecting with organizations like Step Up Women’s Network—I served as a member of the host committee for their annual Shine and Dine event last month—and the Women’s Business Development Center, among others.

ABOVE: The FW: Chicago kick-off party at Public Hotel.

LEFT: fw-chicago.com is now live! And we’re mobile friendly!

I hope you enjoy our first issue and continue to connect with us digitally by signing up for our weekly newsletter. And if anyone you know has a story to tell (yourself included), I’d love to hear from you!

Rebecca Taras-Lee Managing Editor Rebecca@fw-chicago.com @RebeccaTaras

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September 2015 | Premier issue

Stay Connected!

We look forward to hearing from our readers whether its a story pitch, reader feedback, or other insights.

Publisher + Founder

Kendra Chaplin kendra@fw-chicago.com

Managing Editor Rebecca Taras-Lee rebecca@fw-chicago.com

Editor, Print Jennifer Smith Tapp jennifer@fw-chicago.com

Contributing Style Editors Brandon Frein

Arlene Matthews

style@fw-chicago.com

Design Director Travis Rothe travis@fw-chicago.com

Digital + Social Media Manager Molly Koeneman molly@fw-chicago.com

Account Executive Kiah Harpool kiah@fw-chicago.com

Business Development Andrea Markewych andrea@fw-chicago.com

@fw_chicago #fw_chicago #hellofw

main office 806 West Washington Boulevard, Suite 203D Chicago, Illlinois 60607 hello@fw-chicago.com | 312-957-4937 advertising 312-957-4936 | sales@fw-chicago.com pr + media For all PR pitches and related inquiries, email pitch@fw-chicago.com. editorial submissions Please follow our submission guidlines at www.fw-chicago.com/editorial-submissions.

All submissions should be sent to editor@fw-chicago.com social life submissions Please follow our submission guidlines at www.fw-chicago.com/social-life.

All submissions should be sent to social@fw-chicago.com

Copyright 2015 FW Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

FW: Chicago is published by FW Publishing LLC. Materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of FW: Chicago.

September 2015 fw-chicago.com

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fw: first issue

moving confidently

When I heard there was a new magazine in the works that supported and celebrated professional women in Chicago, I knew I had to be involved.

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FW: Chicago was conceived as a publication full of the type of information women would want to forward to their girlfriends. As the editor of the print edition, that mission is always my first priority. We think that women want to read about what other women are doing, not just professionally, but also in their (limited) down time.

Our goal at FW: Chicago is to support all women in the pages of our magazine.

LEFT: Planning the print magazine.

BELOW: On location, shooting our fashion feature in +100° unventilated loft in the West Loop.

The team pulled it off without having a heat stroke!

I am particularly excited about our cover story on Rochelle Trotter, a smart, effervescent woman whose story will inspire you to blaze your own trail in the face of life’s challenges. PR maven Melissa Skoog shared her career journey and reminds us that, sometimes, calling your own shots is the most rewarding path to follow.

With our fall fashion editorial, we hope you will discover new ideas about how to wear the classic looks of the season—in a way that is your own and that works for you and your life. In every issue we feature a piece called “You Should Try”­—a cool, fun activity in the city we think you should check out.

Whatever you choose to do this fall, make sure that you are moving confidently, make sure that you are moving forward.

Jennifer Smith Tapp Editor jennifer@fw-chicago.com @jevetapp

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! s r e e h c ate! r b e l ! e c grats n o c Join us for our launch party. September 10, 2015 www.fw-chicago.com/launch

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SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

Redefining the New Civil Rights Era with Andrea Zopp

liftUPlift Launch

Bright Pink FitFest

liftUPlift, a Chicago-based tech start-up, is launching worldwide with an event on September 19 at Catalyst Ranch from 7-10 p.m. The *Mainstage* party features more than 35 woman-owned businesses in a Spectacular Pop-up Marketplace, with multiple lady DJs keeping the dance floor spinning all night. liftUPlift is home to the first global alliance of woman-owned businesses, and is on a mission to empower women and girls, worldwide. VIP only from 7-8 p.m.

Work up a sweat for a good cause!

Bright Pink’s FitFest takes place on Sunday, September 20 at Fitness Formula Club: Union Station (444 West Jackson Blvd.) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Spend a day taking a variety of FFC classes, as well as calorie-torching sessions from The Dailey Method, Shred415, and more.

Participate as an individual ($500 minimum), or as a team with your friends or your corporation. There is a $5,000 minimum for a corporate team of 12. All money raised will fuel Bright Pink’s life-saving breast and ovarian health programs.

The Professional Women’s Club of Chicago will feature a discussion, “Redefining the New Civil Rights Era,” with Andrea Zopp, September 9 at 11:30 a.m. Become a member, join in on this critical conversation, and network with a dynamic group of strong, influential women leaders who can offer connections and support on your unique, professional journey.

Professional Women’s Club of Chicago, 65 West Jackson Boulevard, 312-263-1808, pwcc.org.

For more details, visit liftUPlift.com.

For more information and to sign up, visit BrightPink.org/FitFest.

mark your calendar!

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Chicago Foundation for Women 30th Anniversary Luncheon and Symposium

Italian Sauces from Savory to Sweet

The Luncheon commemorates 30 years of investments in basic rights and equal opportunities for women and girls all throughout Chicago. Keynote speaker Ashley Judd—well known for dexterously starring in box office hits as well as turning in unforgettable performances in fine independent films—speaks on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. She has experienced firsthand the connection between poverty, illness, and gender inequality, and serves as an activist and women’s rights champion.

For rookie cooks to the more experienced, “Italian Sauces from Savory to Sweet” will demonstrate that any good homemade sauce should never go unappreciated.

The event will take place at Eataly’s “La Scuola” cooking school on September 30 from 6:30-8:00 p.m., with a class fee of $95. Experience the hearty and mouthwatering taste of classic Italian sauces that can enhance any meal, plus a complementary wine to match each of the courses prepared.

Luncheon tickets begin at $150.

For more information and to register, visit cfw.org.

La Scuola di Eataly, 43 East Ohio Street, 312-521-8696, eataly.com.

Free and open to the public, the Symposium event will unveil a new civic plan and call to action for elevating the lives of women and girls in the region.

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PHOTO BY PHIL FARBER

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OCTOBER 1, 2015

OCTOBER 3, 2015

Promoting Sales Abilities in Women

Chicago Architecture Biennial

Joanne Black, author of Pick Up the Damn Phone and No More Cold Calling, is hosting and speaking at “Promoting Sales Abilities in Women,” sponsored by the Executive Professional Women’s Networking Group.

Black will focus on how women’s sales capabilities differ from their male counterparts in the business world.

Slated for 8:45 p.m. on October 1, the event will take place at Creative Promotional Products in Skokie and offer a great way to network while exchanging information and support with other local businesswomen.

From the vision of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Architecture Biennial invites the public to engage with and perceive architecture in a more current and innovative way. North America’s largest international survey of contemporary architecture launches October 3, and encourages all locals who are interested to take part in the global discussion about the future of architecture in a contemporary society.

Executive Professional Women’s Networking Group, 7300 Monticello Avenue, 847-780-6302, epwng.com.

Chicago Architecture Biennial, 78 East Washington Street, 312-854-8200, chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org.

OCTOBER 16, 2015

UNICEF Masquerade Ball: Neverland

OCTOBER 5, 2015

OCTOBER 12-18, 2015

THRIVE Conference

Chicago Ideas Week

The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) hosts THRIVE Conference, a workshop for entrepreneurial women. Learn from industry leaders and peers via seminars and discussions designed to help your business thrive. The all-day conference takes place October 5, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the RitzCarlton, 60 East Pearson Street.

Registration is required, with ticket prices starting at $140 for Early Bird members.

Get inspired and spark your creativity at Chicago Ideas Week, October 12-18. CIW brings together scientists, artists, musicians, engineers—all sorts of creative people who are passionate about what they do and about shaping the future of our city and our world.

At more than 80 events across the city, speakers will share ideas and stimulate discussions about how to ignite positive change around the globe.

For more information and to register, visit nawbochicago.org.

For more event information and ticket prices, visit chicagoideas.com.

Dare to dream for Children First.

Join UNICEF Next Generation in Neverland at the 2nd Annual UNICEF Masquerade Ball Chicago. From 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. at Moonlight Studios, celebrate and support UNICEF to music by DJ Ruckus. Proceeds benefit UNICEF’s work to save and improve children’s lives in more than 190 countries and territories around the world. From providing children with clean drinking water, school books, and medicine, to protecting them during emergencies—UNICEF puts children first.

For more details, visit unicefmasqchi.org.

OCTOBER 26-27, 2015

OCTOBER 23-NOVEMBER 1, 2015

The Row Spring 2016 Trunk Show

Chicago International Children’s Film Festival

Neapolitan, known to stock some of the world’s leading women’s luxury designers such as Gucci, Victoria Beckham, Bottega Veneta, Derek Lam, jeweler Kimberly McDonald, and Lanvin, is hosting The Row Spring 2016 Trunk Show in Winnetka, on October 26 and 27. Check out all of the latest fashion and accessories from the labels’ Spring 2016 collection.

Neapolitan, 715 Elm Street, Winnetka, 847-441-7784, neapolitanonline.com

Skip the multiplex and treat the kids to some more elevated movie fare at the 32nd annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, taking place October 23–November 1.

More than 200 films from 35 countries will be screened at venues throughout the city. Look for the full festival schedule in early October.

For more schedule information and for ticket prices, visit facets.org.

September 2015 fw-chicago.com

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IN THIS ISSUE September 2015

@helloFW

#helloFW

#fw_chicago

LIFE + LEISURE

18 Soul Sister

Cheryl Mendelson of Harris Theater shares

e l l e h c o R tter T ro

how she unwinds and focuses on positive integration to stay balanced.

20 Deborah’s Place

Putting Homes Over Heads and Hope Into Hearts

22 You Need This:

Lifeline Response App

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24 Horizons:

Women on the Road The death of a friend prompts a solo cross-country trip

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26 She’s with the Band: Jessica Hopper

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CAREER + MONEY

28 Designing the

The vibrant businesswoman talks about everything from her humble upbringing to her entrepreneurial spirit and life after Charlie.

Perfect Resume

30 6 Questions With

Brandis Friedman

40 Recruiting Women

in Male-Dominated Fields

42 Engaging in Your Finance

10 Things to Consider When Looking for a Financial Advisor

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32

She Did it Her Way

Melissa Skoog

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POWER HOUR

P OWER HOUR 3 women share top spots for networking

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HEALTH + BEAUTY

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6 Easy Tips for Professional Hair

Putting Homes Over Heads and Hope Into Hearts

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Beauty Box

Six product launches you have to try.

ASSIC L C W E THE N

54

S 48 5 Tips for Getting

Elevated, urbane looks with staying power.

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to the Gym

50 Lip Service

“The Beauty Girl” Nicole Pearl Kaplan shows us the best picks for a perfect pout.

STYLE + HOME

62 Home Sweet Home Updating Your Space

64 How to Wear: Culottes

in every issue

FOOD + DRINK

70 Power Hour

3 Women Share their Top Spots for Networking

4 PUBLISHER’S LETTER

10 EVENTS CALENDAR

6 FW: MAKING CONNECTIONS

80 SOCIAL LIFE

8 FW: FIRST ISSUE

82 A RTIST OF THE MONTH Justine Bianco

72 The 5 Elements of a Beautifully Set Table

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Try this at Home

Inspired by the

Chicago Gourmet Festival

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s r o t u b contri

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Hadley Austin

Brandon Frein

Arlene Matthews

Hadley Austin is a Chicago-based writer whose work has appeared in Parasol, Interweave Knits, Newsweek, and Outside.

She is also a high school History teacher and trapeze artist. Her prize possessions are her cowboy boots and a motorcycle named Brown Bag. Always with her mind on the next trip, she currently is planning a motorcycle journey on the country roads from Croatia to Germany. Her degrees are in Environmental Policy, Religious Studies, and English. She is working on her first novel, “In the Spaces Between.”

Brandon Frein is a Contributing Style Editor for FW: Chicago and one half of the styling duo, Kit This. Brandon’s work can be seen in a variety of online and print publications, including Chicago Sun-Times Splash, Glossed and Found, Rue Magazine and Vogue.It. Brandon also works as a personal stylist and shopper, brand ambassador. She lives in Ravenswood with her husband, Tracy, their dog and 3 cats, and her overflowing closet.

Arlene Matthews is a Contributing Style Editor for FW: Chicago and the other half of the styling duo, Kit This. Her love for fashion has led to thirty years of experience in all facets of the industry. You can often find her daydreaming of beaches and travel, dabbling in photography, art and technology and spending time with her teenage children.

Kirsten Miccoli

Marc J. Sievers

Heather Talbert

Kirsten Miccoli is an internationally published fashion and portrait photographer based in Chicago. She graduated with her BFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago and specializes in conceptual storytelling and creative portraiture.

Her distinctive and whimsical style sets her apart, whether she is meticulously constructing a unique image or capturing the existing beauty of her subject, her love for photography and directing shows in every frame.

Marc J. Sievers is a cookbook author and entertaining expert in Chicago. Marc has developed his expertise from years of experience across high-end retail, style, and food and entertaining. Also featured on Food Network, he authors the blog “La Vie Piquant” (the “spicy life”), and has a suite of services designed to help clients eat, live, and entertain with style. His first lifestyle cookbook Entertaining with Love can be found at marcsievers.com.

Originally from Dallas, Heather Talbert is a Chicago-based fashion and lifestyle photographer. Her clients include Target, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Her editorial work has appeared in Refinery 29, Lucky and TEEN Vogue. Talbert photographed entrepreneur Rochelle Trotter for our cover piece, “West Side Story”.

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LIFE + LEISURE

WANT YOUR WORK TO APPEAR IN FW: CHICAGO? SHARE YOUR PORTFOLIO AT EDITOR@FW-CHICAGO.COM.

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Detail of “Paper Rainbows, Pond” by Justine Bianco. Read more about the artist on page 82.

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e m i t n ow d ALOFT LOFT

by Jennifer Smith Tapp

Remember when you wanted to run away and join the circus? There is a place on the Near West Side that allows you to indulge your childhood fantasies, while getting in a workout at the same time. Aloft Loft is a 13,000 square foot space in the Kinzie Industrial District where students can train in the Aerial and Circus Arts.

Classes (divided into 8-week sessions) include Trapeze, Aerial Silks, Acrobatics, Juggling, and Clowning.

Founded by Shayna Swanson, Aloft Loft is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and offers 50 classes for adults, with kids’ classes coming soon. Think you might want to try your hand at Trapeze? Aloft offers 60-minute “Taster” classes one Saturday a month for just $10. These classes give prospective students an idea of what the recreational classes will be like.

ay Run awjoin and cus! the cir

In addition to Aloft Loft, there is a professional performance company called Aloft Circus Arts. The company performs internationally with a repertoire of three full shows and one 20-minute show. The company is also available for customized shows for private or corporate events.

Aloft Loft, 2000 West Fulton Street, #319, 773-782-6662, aloftloft.com.

Bookshelf GISELLE WASFIE Giselle Wasfie is founder of REMIX Acupuncture + Integrated Health, LLC.

Girl in a Band: A Memoir by Kim Gordon Any flannel-clad ‘90s high schooler knew that Kim Gordon held court as one of the unofficial Ultimate Cool Girls of our decade. Here, we get insight into what Gordon was like herself growing up, how she evolved into being the bassist for Sonic Youth, and about her relationship with Thurston Moore, which famously ended in divorce in 2011. Interspersed throughout are candid photos and awesome memories of hanging with creative legends during those music days in New York City and on the road.

Eastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self by Anodea Judith The Chakra system, a form of energetic alignment that flows up the body’s midline, is becoming more familiar to the masses and Judith’s book is a captivating, accessible, highly-detailed look at harnessing this energy for healing and transformation. Those interested in mind-body medicine, developmental psychology and holistic connection would do well to give these pages some pondering.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

MY FAVORITE OUTFIT Every little girl wants to love what she is wearing and feel good about herself.

The Chicago-based organization My Favorite Outfit sets up two-hour popup boutiques at schools in underserved communities around the city where girls can choose up to six items for free. The lucky girls My Favorite Outfit Founder and are chosen by their teachers and CEO Jacqueline Perlman and are able to select from new and a student at the Bowen High School pop-up boutique in gently used clothing, shoes, jewJanuary 2015. The student was elry, accessories, and outerwear. among a group of girls invited Founded by Jacqueline Perlman, to the White House by Michelle Obama for their work on Youth the mission of MFO is to continue Guidance’s Working to help reinforce the confidence on Womanhood Program. of girls enrolled in self-esteem MFO provided the girls with programs in schools around the city. About her mission Perlman says, “ Many of the girls we serve do not have the resources they need to fulfill basic needs. My Favorite Outfit helps fulfill two of them—clothing and confidence.” For more information and to learn about how you can donate or volunteer, visit myfavoriteoutfit.org.

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari Emoji texts, Tinder dates, dating rules, Modern Romance aims to makes sense of the pursuit of love in a time of confusion and seemingly endless left-swipes. Followers of Ansari’s Instagram know he worships emo-rapper Drake and Ansari’s take on hooking-up in current days shows similar swag to the Toronto MC’s love songs—real talk that’s overall a hit.

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief

by Lawrence Wright Writers love to read about writers and I’m no exception, and when a writer has the balls to start a new religion, I’m captivated by his character. One could skip this book by watch the great HBO documentary based on Wright’s extensive research into Scientology but so many interesting and mind-boggling smaller moments would be missed—such as the fact that Scientology founder/ Science-fiction writer/ enigmatic-culturalfigure L. Ron Hubbard published 235 books (235 books!) during his lifetime.

RELATIONSHIP GEMS

By Gemma Allen

Love and Money For couples about to get married, or those who are moving in together, having an agreement about how you’ll handle finances is critical. Your new love deal is absolutely about financial planning, and being honest and forthright about spending.

When one person hides a bad-credit history or a buy-and-hide spending habit, the risk of relationship ruin is high. To avoid the heartbreak of financial infidelity, here are four tips.

• Don’t let money become an emotional battleground. Instead set up systems for making money decisions that respect each other’s desires and values.

• Have a pre-deal money conversation.

Know whether you’re a spender or saver as well as your risk tolerance level and money management style.

Then uncork a bottle of wine and have “the talk.”

• Review your assets – full disclosure.

Each partner makes and shares a full list of assets, then, as a couple, the partners decide whether to create a legal agreement saying who gets what in the event the relationship ends.

• Recognize disagreements are inevitable. That’s why you need a formula for discussion and decisionmaking on these issues. Conflict can be replaced by compromise.

Having an agreement about money – whether it’s sealed with a hug or an actual prenup – is one of the best ways to ensure the success of not only your relationship but also a better financial future.

Gemma Allen is a partner in the Chicago family law firm of Ladden & Allen, Chartered, and the co-author of a book published in 2014, The New Love Deal: Everything you must know before marrying, moving in or moving on! Reach her at gemmaallen@laddenallen.com.

September 2015 fw-chicago.com

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SOUL SISTER

The seasoned non-profit exec has more than 25 years of experience in the field, which includes executing the PR campaign for the Chicago debut of the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as six and a half years at the Harris Theater. As executive vice president of external affairs, Mendelson founded the theater’s Access Tickets program as a way to translate her career experiences in both medicine and human services to the arts.

“I am so proud that in seven years the program has served 8,000 children and families coping with illness, disability, or other life challenges,” said Mendelson. “It is inspiring to see the power that music and dance can have in healing the human spirit. It makes the hard work worth it.”

Proving that there’s still always room to move up no matter what stage you’re at in your career, Mendelson was recently appointed as Harris Theater’s first Chief Operating Officer.

And while a promotion can bring a lot of excitement, it also can bring almost insurmountable pressure and stress. Here’s how this philanthropic powerhouse stays in check:

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me ym nC rci Ma by oto Ph

It’s people like Cheryl Mendelson who help make Chicago’s cultural scene thrive.

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By Rebecca Taras-Lee

How she unwinds “Pandora radio played on my mini-wireless Bose speaker. I always have MUSIC playing at home.

Music heals the soul and inspires the spirit. It doesn’t matter what genre moves you, it is a must to help bring you back to center and recalibrate.

“FAMILY FUN is another must. One night a week we have a family activity—usually Friday night to end the hectic week before everyone’s weekend activities kick into gear. My favorite is dinner and bowling. We go to a family-owned Italian restaurant and bakery named Letizia Fiore in Logan Square. It’s hugs and kisses from Fabio and his mom, Letizia, and delicious homemade pasta, flatbreads, and desserts from old family recipes. Next it’s off to Fireside Bowl where we load the jukebox with classic rock and bowl a few games. It’s a night of old-school family fun to wind down from the week.

“I also like to read POETRY; I started when I was a very young girl. I grew up in Boston, and my grandfather lived in Pittsburgh. I would write him poems instead of letters. In turn, he would send me poetry books to read. The beauty and simplicity of poetry at the end of a hectic day helps to clear the noise.”

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HER ADVICE: focus

on . . . positive integratio n

“Stop thinking about balance and instead focus on how to create positive integration. There is a book called The Art of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Fhan that I highly recommend. His belief is that, through mindfulness, we can be more effective in our business and home life and feel a deeper overall sense of happiness each day. Through the practice of mindfulness (and it takes a lot of practice!) we need to stop multi-tasking and focus our energy to be in the moment, be more self aware, but to do so without judgments.

“Family time is precious and the hardest part of work-life integration because we can’t create more time in a single day. My job is often irregular hours because of performances at the theater in the evening. Since my philosophy is integration, not necessarily work-life The Art of balance, I have always brought my Mindfulness two sons with me to the theater

by Thich Nhat Fhan in the evening for performances.

It is a way to share with them Available on the passion I have for my work Amazon.com while, at the same time, watch them develop their own artistic tastes and become active patrons of the arts.” fw

MUST READ!

! a ah

“Ten years ago I had an ‘aha!’ moment. I was in the back of a taxi on the phone with my assistant, multi-tasking, and feeling impatient and frustrated. When I hung up the phone, the driver said to me, ‘You are a very smart woman, but you are not handling things correctly. You will never solve problems if you stay in the weeds. Fly above like a bird and look down to see the full picture. But most important, you must consciously choose to be magnanimous.’ From that day forward, I have kept the definition of magnanimous— noble of heart; forgiving—on my desk as a reminder to see the big picture.

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Putting Homes over Heads + Hope into Hearts

By Rebecca Taras-Lee

If home is where the heart is, one can only imagine how empty those without a roof over their heads must feel. Sure, you might beat yourself up because you’re still renting or because you still can’t afford to get that dream home—but that’s nothing compared to the struggles that come with being homeless.

And yes, it can happen to anyone.

Thankfully, the city has a large network of resources for those in need, whether you have a family, or are rolling solo. But think about it. If you were a single woman, would you feel comfortable heading for cover by yourself? Enter Deborah’s Place, Chicago’s first shelter exclusively for women, which has grown into the largest provider of supportive housing over the past 30 years.

More than a dozen “Founding Mothers” came together in 1985 because of the lack of housing resources for single women.

Today, Deborah’s Place has a team of 50 full-time staff and 800 volunteers who assist on a yearly basis. “Most existing shelters served single men, and women did not feel safe spending the night in these

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environments, preferring to sleep on the street,” said Erin Watson, Communications Manager for Deborah’s Place.

“Women experience homelessness differently from men: they’re more likely to experience sexual violence and other forms of trauma, in addition to the trauma of homelessness itself.”

But Deborah’s Place doesn’t just provide warm meals and a place to sleep. They also offer interim and permanent housing for women (including individuals who identify as female or non-binary) over the age of 18 who do not have children. “In some of our permanent housing programs, residents must have a disabling condition,” said Watson.

“We take all referrals for our permanent housing from

Chicago’s Central Referral System, which allows all homeless services providers in the city to maintain a central list of people experiencing homelessness, prioritizing those who are most vulnerable to receive appropriate housing as soon as it becomes available.”

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1. The Rebecca Johnson Apartments are home to 90 women, with half the units reserved for women with disabilities. This location in East Garfield Park also houses the administrative offices of Deborah’s Place.

2. Deborah’s Place Board Chair Robin Ross, Honorary Event Chair Gaynor Hall Patterson, and Board Member Janel Saar at the 30th Anniversary Opening Doors Benefit, held on June 12, 2015, at Harold Washington Library Center.

When it comes to available resources, there’s a waitlist followed by a screening process— conducted by staff—for both interim and permanent housing.

At the organization’s facilities, staff works with the women to help achieve life-changing goals such as stable housing, employment, family reunification, and improved health. Ideally, this process occurs within 120 days, but the length of a resident’s stay depends upon the availability of affordable housing options.

For those with a severe mental illness and/or who have been chronically homeless, there are Safe Haven houses where women are free to come and go for an indefinite amount of time, compete with access to meals, health services, learning center access, art therapy, computer access, and more. “These individuals are considered the hardest to serve,” said Watson. “Our staff works with them to build trusting relationships, while encouraging them to see the Safe Haven as a resource to achieve the goals they self-identify.” fw

PHOTO BY GRAMATICS PRODUCTIONS.

3. Volunteers from Sammons Financial Group join Deborah’s Place residents in a craft activity at the Rebecca Johnson Apartments’ Learning Center.

4. Mary McFadden, a resident in the Rebecca Johnson Apartments, recently completed the coursework for her Associate’s Degree.

Residents at Deborah’s Place have access to Learning Centers where they are encouraged to achieve goals for education and self-expression.

save the date!

The Young Professional Board is hosting a fundraising fete on October 14 at the Highline in River North.

Visit Deborahsplace.org for more information.

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! s i h t d e u ne RESPONSE APP YoLIFELINE A few seconds can make all the difference when it comes to preventing an attack.

Learn why Lifeline Response is probably the most important app you can buy. by Jennifer Smith Tapp For women (and men, for that matter), being physically attacked is one of the most frightening things we can imagine.

What if you could prevent an attack from escalating to something much worse? The Lifeline Response app was developed in 2012 to do precisely that.

The brainchild of Chicagoan and former investment banker Peter Cahill, Lifeline Response is an app that—at the touch of a thumb—automatically notifies authorities when you are in danger. As soon as your thumb leaves the screen, the police are notified and an ear-piercing alarm sounds to deter the attacker while help is en route.

It all happens within about 20 seconds. The genius of Lifeline Response is that it has solved an inherent problem with the present 911 system: the assumption that the caller is able to articulate exactly where she is, or that she is even able to talk at all. In 90 percent of the U.S., 911 cannot find you unless you verbally tell them where you are. Let that sink in for a bit…

Lifeline Response grew out of the fact that violent crime touched Cahill’s own family.

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Thirty-seven years ago, a female relative was sexually assaulted at Northwestern University.

His niece was also the victim of an attempted abduction in the Northern suburbs in 2012.

This, coupled with the fact that Cahill desired to spend more time with his young daughter (Cahill is a single father), led him to develop a way to empower women and help them take charge of their own safety.

The foundation of Lifeline Response was laid with Cahill actually interviewing violent criminals to understand their behavior. “I wanted to find out why they did what they did,” Cahill says. “I learned that there was often no trigger that led them to attack. But when I asked them what would prevent them from attacking, they said that the possibility of getting caught is what stopped them.”

Prevention is the primary mission of Lifeline Response.

It allows the victim to contact authorities while scaring off the assailant at the same time. In addition to the alarm, the app emits a spoken prompt letting the victim and the assailant know that the police are on the

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“...what would prevent them from attacking ... the possibility of getting caught is what stopped them.�

way. It also alerts any family members and friends previously added as contacts that you are in danger, so action is taken immediately on multiple fronts to ensure your safety. According to Cahill, in the last 12 months, 14 violent crimes have been prevented and six medical emergencies have been attended to with Lifeline Response. More than 100,000 users have downloaded

Lifeline Response, including many users within corporations and on college campuses, where the app has been especially popular. You already have an app telling you how many calories were in that iced latte you had this morning—you probably have room on your home screen for one more.

Learn more about Lifeline Response at llresponse.com. fw

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HORIZONS n o n e m o w d a o R e h t

The recent death of a friend prompted a cross-country trip to reconnect with old friends and follow in the footsteps of fellow female wanderers from decades past.

by Hadley Austin

Jim’s “real” memorial was in Elk Grove Village, in an imposing stone Arts and Crafts style church, with a tasteful gathering at a country club afterwards.

Canapés were served, and throughout the evening everyone who approached the three of us who had known Jim during his graduate school days in Arizona seemed to know we were from outside this well-coifed and well-dressed community.

I guess we did look a little whackadoodle by comparison.

Patty was in haphazard long layers of black and, having come from Phoenix, was not dressed warmly enough for the blustery winter day. Dan was wearing jeans and a wool plaid jacket with a cut that was popular over a decade ago. You can wear jeans to a funeral in Arizona and nobody thinks a thing of it. Not so in the Midwest. Even I, who have lived in Chicago for more than seven years,

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looked out of place. I’ve never quite been able to fall into the fashion rhythms and perpetual put-togetherness of this place.

So, there I was in a grey and black Kate Spade wool dress, destroyed eyeliner (head smack: do not wear eye makeup to a funeral), and with my waist-length curls looking like a weaver bird’s nest.

Jim always looked out of place, too. He’d wear a lawyerly blazer and slacks with cowboy boots and a homemade t-shirt that more often than not said something fairly raunchy and offensive. He drove a vintage, cherry-red Mercedes on the dirt roads through the Hopi reservation for work. He would have loved that we were there looking and feeling out of place.

When he died, Jim was living in Austin, Texas, and was forever asking me to come visit him.

I never did. It was easier just

to wait for him to come home to visit his family. I regret that now, of course. I wish I’d gone to Texas and had a drink with him at his favorite bar, met whatever girl he was dating at that given moment.

So in honor of Jim, I’m spending five weeks on a solo memorial road trip, dropping in on all the friends I only ever see on Facebook. I’ve got so many babies and spouses to meet, so many new homes to sleep in, so many marathon catch-up sessions to partake in. But first, I have to make my way to Jim’s second memorial in Flagstaff, Arizona, his favorite town and where he and I met ten years ago. In making my way alone across America, I am following the trail of many brave women who didn’t have the benefits of four-wheel drive and thoroughly connected Interstates.

For instance, the incredibly courageous and eccentric Emily

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Hahn, who drove from Wisconsin to New Mexico in the 1920s with a girlfriend, Jane, in a Model T. Both women felt the need to travel disguised as men, even though both agreed that “men were the absolute limit.”

Two women in their early twenties, they convinced their parents that this was an acceptable summer undertaking because Jane had an uncle in Albuquerque they could stay with. Meanwhile, they “... saw lucky young men planning the summer adventures open to their sex. Some boys had jobs as chauffeurs, some were going to work their way to Europe on cattle boats, and a few declared their intention of hitchhiking across the country.”

As they set off, Jane remarked, “I get so tired of being someone’s daughter or somebody else’s niece, don’t you?” I know that feeling. Probably all women do. They are someone’s girlfriend, someone’s wife, someone’s pretty little girl.

Most women dutifully play these roles, working hard to please all, as we were taught.

When I first moved to Arizona at 18, I was so pleased that I knew no one and no one knew me.

Ever restless—and always living with loads of roommates for the cheap rent—I’d go on long, night drives in the desert for privacy.

What I loved most about those nights, even more than driving with a crisp view of the Milky Way dashed across the sky, was the knowledge that nobody, not a single soul, knew where I was and, thus, I had no obligations, at least for a little while.

One night on Emily and Jane’s journey they were awakened by the local sheriff who was dismayed they were sleeping alone in their car. He insisted they move their gear to his lawn where they’d be safe.

Fast forward about 90 years.

I was sleeping in my car on a New Mexico dirt road and was awakened at dawn by a knock on the roof. My breath had, in the cold desert night, condensed on the interior of my old station wagon and frozen.

Looking through my windows was like looking up to the sun from under water. Not being able to see who was on the other side of the knock, I opened the hatch with trepidation. A serious but friendly lady police officer greeted me. She was in her mid-twenties probably, a bit younger than me.

“I just wanted to make sure you were still alive,” she said. “It was a cold night last night.”

Emily Hahn was an early 20th century adventurer. A few of her many feats include being the first woman to get an Engineering Degree from the University of WisconsinMadison, walking the breadth of central Africa alone on foot, and becoming a concubine to the Chinese poet, Sinmay Zou.

Emily Hahn’s parents complained that she was never the same after the summer in the Model T. She was always restless, making any excuse for a trip, however small. Maybe that’s what such trips do for women: give a glimpse of what’s on the other side of all the obligation, of the freedom that the opposite sex can exercise casually and without any appreciation of its magic.

She wrote about much of these exploits in articles for the New Yorker and in her memoirs, all of which are rollicking reads.

I am the second in a familial line of American road wanderers. My mother, unlike me, is an impeccably tidy dresser with a love of fast cars, and though she has never understood my CONTINUED ON PAGE 78

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WITH THE FRAGMENTED STATE OF MUSIC (AND ATTENTION SPANS) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT STATE OF MUSIC CRITICISM? ARE THERE ANY CRITICS WHOSE WORK YOU ADMIRE?

h t i w She’s Band the Chicago-based music writer and author

JESSICA HOPPER is a singular voice in music and culture criticism. FW: Chicago caught up with Hopper to talk about the current state of music, women singers you should be listening to, and why she wanted to put a local newspaper on notice over their treatment of one of her favorite bands. by Jennifer Smith Tapp PLEASE TALK ABOUT YOUR INITIAL INTEREST IN MUSIC AND WHAT LED YOU TO VENTURE INTO MUSIC CRITICISM. I didn’t really feel obsessed with music until a friend gave me a mixtape of a bunch of post-punk and punk bands when I was in 9th grade. I mean, I love Top 40 and had tapes and listened to the radio, watched MTV like any kid did in 1990. But being introduced to Babes in Toyland was the real lightning bolt/moment of clarity for me. And they also served as my gateway to music writing, indirectly. I wanted to write about them in the local music papers because I thought they were being treated derisively--and as their number one fan I took offense. I offered to write a corrective in the local music paper in Minneapolis, and when they turned me down I decided to just make a little Xerox magazine of my own. And so it began there. Simply taking it into my own hands, and being concerned that my perspective as a young female fan of music was not being adequately represented.

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I think we are in a bit of a golden age—I could list dozens— but I feel particularly excited about the ecumenical nature of current cultural criticism. The way that young writers can go seamlessly between genres, frameworks, mediums, and media with ideas spanning TV, film, music, technology. That fragmentation has certainly lent itself to dissection. I love the writers that write for The Pitch and many of the young writers I worked with at Rookie, everyone who contributes to The Pitchfork Review---especially young talents, like Hazel Cills, Meaghan Garvey, Kayleigh Hughes, Dorren St. Felix. The list is pretty long these days.

IS THERE A MOMENT IN MUSIC THAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT ERA? DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE EXPECT LESS FROM MUSIC NOW? Music occupies a different space in society, in culture, in the scope of our consumption. In some ways it’s much easier to have a deeper and broader relationship with music because of the portability of the music we like now. It’s hard to pinpoint a particular time and say it was more crucial; every decade has brought us new technology, new ideas, emboldened the scope of how personal a song or expression can be, what an artist and a song can “mean.”

WHY DO YOU THINK THERE HAVE BEEN SO FEW WOMEN IN MUSIC CRITICISM? That’s the myth of it­—there have always been women in criticism. Their work is generally just accorded less prestige. They do not have books in many cases, their work is seen as more marginal. But you know, some of them—many of them—-get forced at points.

They get tired of the battle for a right to exist and have an opinion and be considered authentic. You see a lot of 50, 60, even 70 year-old rock critics at papers—still all men. But plenty of women have participated and even driven and innovated music writing. But somehow very few of them have been recorded as canonical.

NAME FIVE FEMALE SINGERS YOU THINK WOMEN OF EVERY AGE SHOULD LISTEN TO. Etta James, Nina Simone, Neneh Cherry, Chaka Khan, and Frida Hyvonen. fw Jessica Hopper is also a Senior Editor at Pitchfork Media. Her latest book, The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic, was released in May 2015.

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CAREER+ MONEY

WANT YOUR WORK TO APPEAR IN FW: CHICAGO? SHARE YOUR PORTFOLIO AT EDITOR@FW-CHICAGO.COM.

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Detail of “Wild West, Bronze” by Justine Bianco. Read more about the artist on page 82.

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Designing the Perfect

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE STARTUP TRENCHES No one said that being an entrepreneur was easy. But there are some problems that can be avoided by taking a note of a few lessons from someone who has been there- the women behind local social media marketing firm Oak St. Social. by Johanna Grange and Rebecca Taras LESSON #1: You cannot expect your employees to have the same drive and passion for your brand as you do. You can only hope to infuse it into their brains through osmosis and hope that your enthusiasm is contagious. And if it doesn’t work out...it doesn’t work out.

Everything happens for a reason.

LESSON #2 Learn to walk away from some clients—even if your bank account is begging for it. Like any relationship in life, you and your clients have to own the same aligned vision. You never want an ex-client telling peers that you performed poorly only because they weren’t on board to begin with.

LESSON #3 It’s okay to say “no.” You’re actually doing a disservice to your client by continuing to acquiesce to their every whim. Eventually your profit margins shrink and you become resentful. While I occasionally want to over-deliver, at the end of the day, it’s not a guarantee and your time is worth something. Your time is worth money.

Oak St. Social is a boutique social media marketing firm dedicated to elevating unique brands into household names. Learn more at oakstsocial.com.

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Need to revamp your resume and stumped on where to begin? FW: Chicago tapped Chicago-based Lindsay Humes, founder and creative director of White Oak Creative, a graphic and web design studio for small business and bloggers, for three key points on crafting the perfect resume.

1.What are the biggest mistakes that people make when designing their resume? The biggest mistake people make with resumes is trying to add too much fluff and not enough concrete and tangible details about their previous experience. When reading resumes, I should get a very concrete visualization of what the job entailed and one’s accomplishments. Using specific examples is also helpful. Instead of writing something like “Project lead on various client projects…,” try “Led three client projects from development to implementation in the third quarter.”

2. Is there a “checklist” of elements that come together to create a well-designed resume? In terms of a welldesigned resume, it is important that you have a clear hierarchy of information. What do you think is most important to the reader and less important? What do you want to stand out? Resumes also should be consistent in language and formatting. At the most basic level, resumes should include contact information, employment experience, and education. If looking for tech or design jobs, it is important to list the software you are familiar with and to what level.

3. When should someone consider hiring a professional to design a resume? C-suite professionals should consider hiring a designer for their resumes. For everyone else, there are plenty of free templates available where you can lay out the design. If you really are struggling for time and also awful at formatting documents, then maybe you should consider having a pro design your resume. Resumes always change and need to be clear, and you can accomplish those two things using Microsoft Word and making sure that you lay everything out clearly and consistently.

Learn more about Lindsay and White Oak Creative at whiteoakcreative.com.

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DAILY DOWNLOAD Jeannine Adams, Founder of ReadyPretty.com Running a new start-up and being a new mom keeps Jeannine Adams on her toes 24/7.

Here are a few of the sites and apps that help Adams take a break and stay in touch with the world.

CNN: I like to start the day with the headlines, so I typically scroll through my CNN.com app first thing in the morning to see what’s going on in the world that day. It’s important to me to stay connected to the news.

ScaryMommy.com: As a new mom, I’m

The Calm App: After everyone telling me about the benefits of meditation, I downloaded the Calm app and have been practicing daily. With varying levels and time durations, I can do a two-minute meditation in the midst of a particularly stressful period, or a 20-minute session to relax before bed.

I’m seriously obsessed!

constantly looking at what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. ScaryMommy is a hilarious and honest look at parenthood from a mom of seven.

While raising a kid is serious business, it’s a great reminder that there’s a whole lot of funny business involved, too.

Polyvore: I use this for Ready Pretty every single

Crain’s Chicago Business: I’ve always loved Crain’s because it gives you a great local view on what’s going on around the city—a look at all the business headlines, new openings and updates, Chicago leaders and influencers—and most of all, I love that they continually support the emerging business and start-up community here in the city.

Stylecaster: This is a great lifestyle site where I can peek around at some awesome street-style photography, read an article on how to throw a stylish summer BBQ, and get beauty and makeup advice from the pros. It’s a nice, quick read when (if!) I have a bit of down time.

log on

Knowing Your Options Dipping a toe into the investing pool can be daunting. Dough is a new options trading platform that takes new investors as well as veterans step by step through the trading process.

Watch video tutorials or learn options trading strategies in real time.

Learn more at dough.com.

day. It’s a great source of fashion inspiration and how we organize and showcase all of the “looks” we create for our customers.

MUST READ RISING STRONG

by Brené Brown Oprah favorite Brené Brown is back with a new book exploring what we gain when we get back up after an emotional fall. In Rising Strong, Brown shares the stories of Fortune 500 leaders, teachers, parents and artists of being brave, falling and rising again.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS Few things can be more nerve-wracking than settling on a professional-looking photo for your LinkedIn profile. Photo Feeler is a service that gives you honest, unbiased feedback on your photos for your social media accounts. They will tell you the truth about whether you really do look capable and trustworthy in that picture.

Learn more at photofeeler.com.

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and learn about something new every day—and then tell other people about it. I majored in Mass Communications in college, earned a Master’s in Journalism, and landed my first job as a TV reporter in Wichita Falls, Texas. I knew no one when I moved there at 22 years old. My second day on the job was 9/11. The next year and a half were extremely challenging for professional and personal reasons. But I survived and am certain I am a better journalist and tougher person for it. From there, I was able to work my way up through the markets (with stops in Little Rock, a layover in Kansas City, another stop in Washington, DC) before landing in Chicago. And I’m thrilled to be here.

6 Questions With...

brandis friedman

Since joining WTTW’s Chicago Tonight in 2013, correspondent Brandis Friedman has reported on education and other issues confronting the city.

FW: Chicago caught up with the regional Emmy award-winner to learn more about her career path and how she unwinds after hours.

2. What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

What is the most rewarding?

I remember as a reporter in Little Rock, the Iraq War was at full tilt. The Arkansas National Guard lost five members in combat—in one weekend. Many of them were from around the Little Rock area.

Because I was working weekends, I covered their deaths Sunday and followed-up Monday. Reaching out to their families is the hardest thing I’ve ever done as a reporter. At the same time, you hope that by doing a story on them, you’ve given their friends and families a chance to honor them. Most rewarding has been the ability to learn a lot about any subject. As a producer in DC, I (with a lot of help) made an hour-long special report on the perils of

by Jennifer Smith Tapp

1. Can you tell me a bit about your career journey?

Have you always been interested in broadcast journalism?

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I’m the child of two doctors—my parents met in medical school. So, for a while, I thought I’d become a doctor as well. Then I realized, I’m not so great at math or science. As I started thinking about options, I realized I like to ask questions

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teen driving. It might have won an Emmy or two, but learning so much information—and hopefully, educating the public—about something is rewarding. Today, I’m assigned to the education beat. While it is massive and challenging to learn so much information and history, I can tell that I’m building my knowledge on the subject—slowly, but surely.

3. Is there a negative experience in your career that has, over time, proven to be something that you were able to learn from?

4. Did you have a mentor early in your career?

Early on, I didn’t have any one mentor. But I was lucky to meet many people, including my professors, who were supportive and encouraging. Even as an adult, I still take a mentor where I can get one. Lately, I find myself mentoring interns who come through the station. But, I’m proud that I have enough experience now to be of some value and happy to be able to help. Plenty of people did the same for me.

5. Do you have a ritual that you employ to get through a particularly tough day ?

I probably should, but not really. Luckily, my tough days are few. But when the going does get

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That weekend of interviewing families of the deceased was the beginning of a lesson. As journalists, we often give the same treatment to shooting or murder victims: talk to their families and try to learn about them. There’s nothing wrong with that. There are many great reporters who are able to cover those stories thoughtfully. But, if I’m interviewing a victim’s or late soldier’s mother and I’m crying right along with her (which is unprofessional), then I’m in the wrong place. I avoid those kinds of stories where I can.

That’s why I love my current position. Rather than covering the individual shootings themselves, we cover the issues of violence and criminal justice, the trends, how police and policymakers manage the violence, and how communities respond.

interview with the Little Rock Nine

tough—like, when my toddler wakes up waaayyy too early, and I’ve got a long day ahead—I might apply an especially unproductive habit: online shopping. A few minutes of window shopping, and I’m ready to refocus! I should work on that.

I’ve been meaning to get into meditation...

6. Is there a moment in your career that you are especially proud of ?

A few. I was especially proud when my teen driving report in DC won two Emmys from the local chapter. I worked hard on that and was glad my work was recognized. Another favorite was covering the 2008 presidential inauguration. I was stationed on the risers across from the White House, which is where the parade ends. We were there to watch the President and First Lady finish their part in the parade and take their seats at the White House to watch the rest of it. And just a few weeks ago, I interviewed eight of the nine living members of the Little Rock Nine. They are rarely all together to see each other, let alone for an interview. I feel especially lucky to have been afforded the privilege. Being a witness to history and honoring those who made it are some of my proudest moments. fw

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she did it her way FASHION PR MAVEN MELISSA SKOOG

By Rebecca Taras-Lee

PHOTOS BY DEMI RICHARDSON

When you land a gig as Anna Wintour’s personal assistant fresh out of college, it’s safe to say your career is already off to a charmed start.

After all, sartorial-inspired young women all over the country clutching their glossy Vogue magazines would kill for an opportunity like this one. But for Melissa Skoog, it was merely a classic case of luck and timing—one that ultimately helped shape Skoog’s adventurous journey in the world of fashion and entrepreneurship.

After eight months and several dead end interviews with the HR department at Condé Nast post-graduation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Skoog finally received a call-back saying she could have a six-month internal temp position as a “rover,” if she could move to New York in three weeks. Despite no guarantees for future employment, Skoog packed her bags, moved

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out of her parent’s Hinsdale home, and moved in with her older sister in the Big Apple.

Her first day on the job, Skoog was told to report to HR. Anna Wintour was looking for an assistant, and they thought she would be great—the decision was obvious. Skoog’s duties entailed everything from putting Wintour’s newspapers in order to taking the infamous work-inprogress “book” over to Anna’s house each night . “I was successful in the position because of hard work and becoming very resourceful,” said Skoog. “I was told my first day on the job that there was no such thing as ‘no’ in Anna’s eyes, and I took that very literally and seriously.”

About a month into her job, Skoog was promoted to first assistant, managing all things personal and professional for Wintour. “I learned not to expect something from someone if you weren’t already doing it yourself,” said Skoog. “Anna never expected anything from herself that she didn’t demand personally.”

After two and a half years, it was time for a change, so Skoog became an accessories editor at Vogue. “The notion of the ‘it’ bag was created while I was in that role—around 1998,” recalls Skoog. “It was very cool to be a part of history when status bags and the idea of changing your bag regularly/seasonally became a thing!” Skoog eventually left Vogue to take on a larger opportunity as the Market Director at Marie Claire, but eventually resigned after a career-changing event.

While on a market appointment to see Banana Republic’s new collection, the brands’ PR team asked Skoog what she thought of a handbag, so she was honest.

“I suggested they bring back a style from their previous collection, but punch it up with color and materials so they would have a relevant silhouette,” said Skoog. A few weeks later, she got a call saying they were going to make the bag in nine colors and sell it for $38 in 375 stores across the country. “I could not believe I was able to create that kind of impact,” said Skoog.

Soon after, she was recruited by the company, moving to San Francisco in 2000 to join the merchant team for Banana Republic’s women’s division.

talented Milan team, traveling a lot in the process.” While that may sound like a dream job, Skoog left Prada and briefly tried her hand working for an Internet venture, but wound up broke and jobless by February of 2009.

Instead of feeling defeated, Skoog took advantage of her entrepreneurial spirit and began consulting for high-end brands like Loeffler Randall, Anna Hu Fine Jewelry, and Emanuel Ungaro. While finding her new career path, Skoog also found love and eventually got married. Within seven months, she gave her newly betrothed the option to stay in New York CONTINUED ON PAGE 78

After four years, Skoog left to become the director of PR for Prada back in New York. “Prada is where I really learned about branding and how important staying true to your vision is,” said Skoog. “I had the incredible fortune of working with Mrs. Prada and her ridiculously

“CREATIVE STRATEGY AND MY NETWORK ARE MY STRENGTHS, SO THAT—ALONG WITH CONNECTING BRANDS/CONCEPTS TOGETHER AND WATCHING THEM TAKE FORM—IS WHAT I LOVE THE MOST ABOUT MY JOB.”

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t s e w de Si y r o t s

It’s been said the best things in life are worth working for. That’s exactly how Rochelle Trotter would describe her colorful life. Ahead, the vibrant businesswoman talks about everything from her humble upbringing to her entrepreneurial spirit and life after Charlie.

By Rebecca Taras-Lee

Truth: Rochelle Smith led an interesting life long before becoming Rochelle Trotter—or the cover model for our inaugural print issue of FW: Chicago.

A self-made woman whose success was built on a foundation of strength, determination, and love, Trotter’s story is many things, but easy isn’t one of them. We’re here to tell you about the side of her you may not know, but should.

For the cover, we decided to photograph Trotter— president and owner of R’Culinaire Consulting and executive director of Charlie Trotter’s Culinary Education Foundation—at the newly revamped Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. It was an apt choice not only because it’s one of the buzziest new hotspots in town but also because it was historically a men’s-only club. And breaking down barriers is something Trotter knows firsthand.

Posing for the camera like a pro, Trotter exuded a positive energy that was contagious. But it wasn’t in the opulent White City Ballroom—where Trotter was photographed dressed in a stunning navy Carolina Herrera gown—that we really got to know her. Rather, it was behind closed doors in one of the smartly

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decorated suites, with our subject sipping a glass of rosé (Whispering Angel is her favorite) and clad in a cozy hotel bathrobe, as she told her story.

Trotter grew up on the West Side of Chicago, in a largely Greek neighborhood where hers was the only family of color on the block. She recalls fond memories of summertime in the city. “It didn’t matter what race you were, how much money you had, or what mommy and daddy did; it was all about community and fun,” said Trotter.

In addition to chasing down the Good Humor ice cream truck or busting open a fire hydrant with friends, it was during those childhood summers when Trotter—then Smith—began developing her passion for food.

Trotter’s parents originally lived in the deep South, where they learned to work and live off the land. To carry on the tradition when they moved to Chicago, they purchased an acre and a half of property in Momence, a small town just outside of Kankakee. Trotter was the only one of four siblings who would wake up early every Saturday and take the 90-minute trek to the farm with her mom and aunt Priscilla to work the field for 10 or 12 hours.

“Without even realizing it, a seed was planted inside of me that I’m so passionate about

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right now: organic gardening and eating seasonally,” said Trotter, whose mother used black pepper instead of pesticides and preserved everything they picked. Standing on an upside-down milk carton in the kitchen learning how to clean the greens or pick the meat off the pig to make hog-head cheese are among Trotter’s fondest memories.

But tragedy struck when Trotter’s mother died of sickle cell anemia at the young age of 40.

“We went from being a stable middle-class family to one of the poorest, because my dad wasn’t willing to give up our Catholic school education,” said Trotter. Suddenly, instead of the seasonal cuisine made with fresh produce they were used

to, Trotter and her siblings were consuming powdered milk; “choke” sandwiches made with government cheese; and DIY Kool-Aid—a combination of water, apple cider vinegar, and honey or granulated sugar.

Hardship and living hand-tomouth, however, weren’t the only things that soured Trotter’s childhood. Between the ages of 12 and 16, she became involved in a gang. “My mother had died and my dad was working three jobs, so I went from being a child to the head of the household,” she said.

“I was looking for a sense of belonging.”

A watchful neighbor eventually encouraged Trotter—a.k.a.

Shorty Ro—to quit the gang and agreed to help keep her on

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Rochelleo’srites Fav DESIGNER “That’s hard to say! Sometimes I’m in a good-girl Southern Belle mode, so I’ll wear Carolina Herrera, Lanvin or Oscar de la Renta. Other times I feel like I have to get my sexy on, so I’m wearing Roberto Cavalli or Hervé Léger.”

STORE “Heather Farley at Saks Fifth Avenue Club.”

COMFORT FOOD “Buttermilk mashed potatoes made with clotted buttermilk and a lot of butter.”

COCKTAIL “Absolute Mandarin vodka-soda, tall, with two fresh squeezed limes.”

the right path as long as she vowed to never forget where she came from. Though it’s hard to believe, this now-successful businesswoman was “jumped” out of the gang and still bears a scar under her eye from taking a good hit across the face with a roller skate. Staying true to her promise, Trotter still regularly visits the West Side to encourage young girls to choose a safe haven over a dead end.

Street life aside, Trotter saw the struggles her dad went through, so she worked during and after high school to save toward college. “My parents always said that if you are debt-free, then you are able to operate with integrity in any part of your life and be in complete control,” said Trotter. With the help of

OLD-SCHOOL CHICAGO RESTAURANT “Lem’s Bar-B-Q on the South Side.

There’s straight-up nothing better.”

TRENDING RESTAURANT “Nico, in Gold Coast, from Donnie Madia and Paul Kahan. I love that everything is fresh, light, and seasonal.”

DELIVERY “Sai Café or Dee’s Chinese— Charlie’s favorite spot for late night food.”

CARRYOUT “My favorite restaurant in the city is Le Colonial. I love getting the pho soup with extra noodles, no beef, and the condiments on the side.

It’s not traditional carryout, but that’s my joint.”

RECIPE “My mama’s peach cobbler. People want to know what’s in the crust or sauce, but I’m not telling a soul. I’d challenge Bobby Flay with my mama’s recipe.”

a $2,500 loan, she attended DePaul University’s evening program working toward an undergraduate degree in Communications. By making A’s in her courses, Trotter was able to pay 80 percent back via a reimbursement program and move on to Northwestern University to get her Master’s in Finance with a minor in Marketing.

Shortly after attending a job fair at Northwestern, Trotter landed a brand management gig with Coca-Cola Co. in Atlanta. Not only did Trotter thrive in a numbers-driven environment, she was making a salary that—at the time—was beyond her wildest dreams. Later, while working for Turner Home Entertainment, she started a small catering business on the

side called Simply Delicious.

But it was a near death experience—a car accident on the way to a ski trip with friends—that prompted Trotter to reevaluate her life and more purposefully pursue what she really loved: food. “I was lying on the side of the road in shock, negotiating with God,” said Trotter. “I made a promise to follow my passion if I was to survive.”

Well, you can guess what happened next. Trotter sold everything she owned, put her house on the market, and took one roll-on suitcase to Paris, where she enrolled in the Ritz Escoffier cooking school. “It was tough. There was a time I called my daddy and said I wanted to come home,” recalls Trotter. “He said, ‘What home?

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You left all of that behind when you decided to quit your job and move to Paris and find whatever it was that brought you there. Finish what you started.’”

And so she did. After graduating at the top of her class and traveling through Europe, she returned to the States when her father became ill.

Once again, she found herself in the high-powered business world, landing this time at PepsiCo, where she worked on brands such as Pizza Hut and Taco Bell and became a top-performer in the global company’s competitive, fast-paced, analytics-driven environment.

“He taught me how to slow down, live every moment, and be present.

That’s probably the greatest gift

I ever received.”

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Two years into her six-year tenure, however, Trotter began putting together a business plan for what would eventually evolve into R’Culinaire Consulting. After years of dealing with analytics and profit and loss statements for some of the largest fast-food restaurant groups in the world, she found her calling. “I realized that most restaurants fail not because they aren’t putting out a good product, but because they can’t turn a profit,” said Trotter. “When it comes to the numbers, more often than not that’s the last thing a creative type is focusing on. Yet it’s the largest chunk of the operation platform in any business—particularly restaurants.”

Trotter began taking on pro-bono consulting projects while being mentored by one of her best friends, chef Rick Bayless. He took her under his wing and helped her figure out the right channels to make her business a success, including being exposed to some of the best in the business. At an IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) conference in Minneapolis, she was intro-

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duced to her future husband, Charlie. Though the celebrity chef was less than impressed when she passed along her information on a wine-stained cocktail napkin as opposed to a business card, his assistant ended up contacting her to set up a meeting to discuss her business plan. The pair played a game of cat and mouse, scheduling and rescheduling meetings, during which she learned what being late meant to Charlie Trotter. “He said being late one minute for a meeting is as bad as being late one hour. I’ve never forgotten that.”

Originally designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb in 1893, the Chicago Athletic Association was created to have a distinctive identity when viewed from the lakefront by visitors of Chicago World’s Fair.

Pretty cool, right? Our cover shoot took place at the newly remodeled facility, where we shot in three stunning spaces: The White City Ballroom, The Madison Ballroom, and the Cherry Circle Room.

Run—don’t walk—to check out this Michigan Avenue jewel.

Trotter officially launched her restaurant consulting business in 2000, and as luck would have it, her first client was Charlie Trotter. But don’t think she received any special treatment—even after they were married. “I must have said I was going to quit at least 20 times,” she recalls. “But Charles took me—and all his team members—to levels that one hadn’t even thought they were capable of.” She goes on to point out the number of chefs who came through Charlie’s kitchen and became successful in their own right, several achieving celebrity status. “My husband always said nothing worth having is easy,” said Trotter. “If it’s easy come, it will be easy go.”

Now, nearing the two-year anniversary of her husband’s death and as part of the healing process, Trotter is really getting back to business.

“Right after he passed, I just dropped everything,” she explained. “The optics weren’t right for me to be smiling or talking about how to plan a romantic dinner on my weekly Fox News segment when I was mourning.” So, she fell off the radar for a bit—a necessary decision for a woman who was used to being the caretaker for everyone except herself. “His death took me to places where I’ve never been emotionally, and it also made me realize what the term soul-mate really means.”

Right now, R’Culinaire Consulting represents just one of the areas that occupies Trotter’s considerable energy and expertise. With Charlie leaving his Culinary Education Foundation in her hands, she’s been focusing on standardizing its approach to awarding scholarships to youth who have a passion for cooking and food. The process, she says, has been a cathartic one, and the foundation has given out more than 20 scholarships since Charlie’s passing.

Slowly falling back into her go-getter ways, she’s also in the process of launching two books: One detailing all the things she learned being married to and in love with Charlie and the other about the natural remedies she would make for her family—taken straight from her Southern roots. And while Trotter couldn’t share more details at the time of this interview, a pilot for a national network television show also is in the works.

So, how is she really doing now? “I’m grateful,” she said, with a slight tear in her eye. “I have over 15 years of incredible memories that will remain in my heart forever—I can still hear Charles saying, ‘Go get ‘em champ,’ before I go to work every morning. He taught me how to slow down, live every moment, and be present. That’s probably the greatest gift I ever received.” fw

COVER: Silk-blend gown with bow detailing on the shoulder, $1770 All available at CH Carolina Herrera Chicago, 70 E. Oak Street, 312-988-9339 PAGES 34 + 36: Brocade Dress (rose), $4,750 Zandra Necklace, “Beautiful”, $1,290 All available at LANVIN, 116 E. Oak Street, 312-765-7075 PAGE 38: CH Carolina Herrera, Black cloqué sleeveless top, $300 Black cloqué trousers, $300 All shoes: Rochelle’s own Photographer: Heather Talbert Hair: Carleen North for DreamDry Makeup: Mercedes Parra Shot on location at Chicago Athletic Association Hotel

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Recruiting Women in Male-Dominated Fields

By Amy Whyte

As founder and CEO of Hireology, Adam Robinson is a big proponent of hiring best practices—and that includes gender-balanced recruiting.

But Robinson doesn’t just talk the talk. Hireology’s own leadership and engineering teams are made up of 50 percent women, despite engineering being a notoriously male-dominated industry.

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WHY DO YOU THINK WOMEN ARE UNDERREPRESENTED IN STEM FIELDS?

models in STEM fields. The data show that they’re choosing other paths as a result.

Women represent nearly half of the U.S. workforce but earn just 18 percent of computer science degrees and make up only 25 percent of the computer and mathematical science workforce.

When I ask successful women in tech the question, ‘Why aren’t more women in technology?’ the answer I most commonly receive is, ‘Because our field lacks visible, public role models.’ In other words, the relatively small number of high-profile female leaders in these fields means that young women considering career paths have limited role

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN WORKING IN STEM JOBS? The good news here is that the gender gap in tech is closing. It’s closing too slowly, in my opinion.

I believe that teams are much better off when they’re made up of a diversity of ideas and backgrounds. Leaders in technology have an obligation to promote success stories of women in this industry, but the fact is that gender balance is powerful, a force for innovation and a positive company cul-

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ture. It’s 100 percent in our industry’s best interest to address this problem head-on.

AT YOUR COMPANY, HIREOLOGY, ENGINEERING TEAMS ARE EQUAL PARTS MEN AND WOMEN. HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE THIS GENDER BALANCE? Half of our company’s leadership team is female, including our VP of product, a critical tech-centric role in our company. The majority of our UX design team is female. Critical members of our engineering team are female, and our longest-tenured lead engineer is female.

But here’s the thing: We didn’t set out with a mission to have a gender-balanced workforce. We set out to build our best possible team. Gender balance was never a topic of discussion; it was never a stated strategy. It just happened. And, frankly, that’s probably why it happened. We hire the best person for the job, period. We live our company core values, first and foremost, and we evaluate our candidates based on a core values match and their qualification for the role.

WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO HAVE A GENDER-BALANCED WORKFORCE? A balanced workforce results in better ideas, better decision-making, and better execution. We’re in business to provide value to our customers, and we’re able to do that much more effectively when we surround ourselves with people who have differing points of view and life experiences.

HOW CAN OTHER COMPANIES IN MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRIES BETTER RECRUIT WOMEN? It all starts at the top. The CEO has to create a culture that promotes and encourages diversity.

Companies are, in most cases, a reflection of the values of the founder, CEO, and leadership team. If there’s a “fraternity culture” at the company that makes women feel marginalized, that’s on the CEO. It’s that simple.

I believe that our HR policies have had an important positive impact on our ability to hire and retain a diverse workforce.

Half of our company spends all or part of their time working from a home office during the week. We offer paid paternity and maternity leave. Family-friendly benefits policies ensure that when team members at Hireology decide to start families, they feel like their needs are being met. fw Amy Whyte is an editorial intern at Human Capital Media. This article originally appeared in Diversity Executive magazine and is reprinted with permission.

LOOK CLOSER Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold LESS THAN 25 PERCENT of STEM jobs.

Women with STEM jobs earned 33 PERCENT more than comparable women in non-STEM jobs—considerably higher than the STEM premium for men. As a result, the gender wage gap is smaller in STEM jobs than in non-STEM jobs.

Women hold a disproportionately low share of STEM undergraduate degrees, particularly in engineering.

Women with a STEM degree are less likely than their male counterparts to work in a STEM occupation; they are more likely to work in education or healthcare.

SOURCE: “Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation,” U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics, and Statistics Administration. http://www.esa.doc.gov/ sites/default/files/womeninstemagaptoinnovation8311.pdf

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The search for a trusted financial advisor can be daunting.

Investment experts Carolyn Leonard and Monika Black at DyMynd offer 10 key points to keep in mind when interviewing prospective advisors.

ENGAGING IN YOUR FINANCE 10 Important Things to Consider When Looking for a Financial Advisor 1. Passion Ask them what got them into this field and why they continue to do this line of work. What exactly is it they hope to do for you as their client and how?

2. Experience Find out what designations, licenses, or certifications they have. Ask them why they chose those specific designations and whether their certifications will limit the products that they sell to their clients.

3. Service model What can you expect from them as their client?

Ask if you also will be working with other members of their team. Ask them to explain their service model and how that model will be customized to meet your unique needs.

4. Access to information How will they help you understand your financial plan? Make sure they explain how they will help you to understand the strategies of the investments you have and your earning reports.

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5. Client engagement Ask them to describe their ideal client. How many clients do they work with? Find out how they know whether a partnership with their client is working (or not). And what happens to you and your account if something happens to them?

6. Proactive communication Find out how they communicate with their clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;do they send out notifications that explain every buy and sell decision? Perhaps they offer weekly/monthly commentary, monthly investment outlooks from the firm. Do they offer their clients educational videos, industry updates, and whitepapers for reference purposes?

7. Investment philosophy What is their investment philosophy or approach?

8. Product offerings Ask about their core product offerings (e.g., stocks, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, bond funds, equities, options, etc.). What other product lines (life insurance,

long-term healthcare insurance, etc.) do they offer?

9. Fee transparency It is also important to ask them how they get paid. Is it on a fee-based structure, commission, or both? Are they tied to sales goals? Inquire whether they charge an annual fee, outside of commissions, for financial planning.

10. Regulatory controls Are they a fiduciary? Make sure to find out if they ever have been charged with mishandling a clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s account or with any Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FIRA) infractions.

If the financial advisor that you are interviewing cannot answer all of your questions and clearly demonstrate his/her value, you should find one who can. fw Founded in 2011, DyMynd works with financial institutions to help them build meaningful and lasting relationships with their female clients.

This article is an excerpt from The DyMynd Code Book and reprinted with permission. Learn more about Carolyn and Monika at dymynd.com.

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HEALTH + BEAUTY

WANT YOUR WORK TO APPEAR IN FW: CHICAGO? SHARE YOUR PORTFOLIO AT EDITOR@FW-CHICAGO.COM.

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Detail of “Paper Rainbows, Wing” by Justine Bianco. Read more about the artist on page 82.

8/17/15 10:46 AM

inside + out APPsolutely Gorgeous

By Rebecca Taras-Lee Perhaps one of the best beauty trends to hit Chicago over the past couple of years is the blow-dry bar. If we could think of just one way to improve this go-to service, it would be the convenience factor. But it looks like someone else already thought of that.

Enter Blohaute, Chicago’s first on-demand beauty service and app. “I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Blohaute in Chicago.

In an era where beauty products, tutorials, and trends are constantly changing, we saw a real demand for a more personalized experience,” said Founder and CEO Amanda Diedrich. “Blohaute makes getting the salon styles you love easier by bringing the services right to your doorstep.”

The iPhone app boasts inspirational images, real-time booking, and automatic billing, so getting glam was never so easy. Download the free Blohaute app from the Apple store or visit www.blohaute.com to schedule your appointment.

y d o b r u o y l e u f

We asked registered dietician and nutrition expert, Amari Thomsen a crucial question: What are women actually doing RIGHT when it comes to their food choices?

“I feel that there has been a...

positive shift in mindset among women towards fueling the body for optimal health rather than dieting... to achieve a specific number on the scale or particular media-driven appearance. Women are embracing nutrition education and, in addition to using nutrition to alter body composition, women are focused on how good nutrition makes them feel. Whether the goal is weight loss, optimal fitness performance, or improved overall health, women are viewing food as fuel and making more nutrient-dense choices because of it.”

To learn more about Amari, visit eatchicchicago.com

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One Step Toward a Healthier You

By Kat Pummil If there was one thing you could do to jumpstart your health right now, would you do it? What if it involved delicious smoothies, overnight oats, chia pudding, and avocado toast?

That one thing is breakfast. A protein-packed, fiber-fueled breakfast.

The mistake many women make is skipping their first meal. The body immediately goes into mini-starvation mode, which causes you to feel lethargic, cloudy and cling to additional calories throughout the rest of the day. A real breakfast should have at least 16 grams of protein and eight grams of fiber to kickstart your metabolism and keep you feeling full throughout the day. If you are pressed for time in the morning, try making some grab and go breakfast jars or keep bananas, peanut butter, and chia seeds at work for a quick breakfast toast.

Be mindful of your sugar intake, as many processed breakfast foods are loaded with it—stick to natural sugars found in fruit and low-glycemic sweeteners, like honey and agave.

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6 Easy Tips For Sporting Professional Hair

By Rebecca Taras-Lee Keeping your hair in check can be a daunting task— especially if you’re usually a wash-and-go kind of gal.

But just like you take those careful measures with your wardrobe to make sure its on-point, your hair should receive the same attention.

But there’s no reason you have to make a dramatic transformation à la Melanie Griffith in Working Girl.

As proof positive, John Gialluisi, creative director of Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas, shares his top tips for achieving a polished look without having to leave everything on the salon floor.

1. Healthy Hair Is 2. Now

3. Establish

As always, healthy hair is beautiful hair, but especially if you’re trying to achieve a sophisticated look. It’s all about shiny, well-cared for hair, so don’t skimp on treatments and great products.

Guests should be sure to ask their stylist to help them come up with a proper hair regime for their particular texture.

A customized routine and cut helps guests maintain beautiful hair.

Professional Hair

Trending…

We will continue to see longer lengths with face-framing layers this season. Kate Middleton and Jennifer Garner have that healthy, shiny long hair that is both desirable and sophisticated. However, we will continue to see longer bobs on Reese Witherspoon and Rosie Huntington Whiteley with the same face-framing layers.

a Routine

4. Functionality – 5. No Need to Completely 6. Product Day to Night

Hair that has body and movement with a slight bend is great for any look for the office or for a girls night out! To achieve this look, use a large curling iron or flat iron and volumizing products.

Chop Off Your Locks

If you’re considering making a change, hair that is slightly layered around the face, with the shortest layer starting below the chin, is a great sophisticated shorter cut. Internal layers throughout the hair provide some movement that is anything but old-school!

Is Key

For body my favorite product is Diamax Advanced Thickening Treatment and Moroccan Oil for shine. Both are available at Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas.

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BEAUTY BOX st e t a e r g d n a t s e t a the L

By Rebecca Taras-Lee

Remember the excitement of getting new clothes for school when you were a kid? Well, the bloom was off that rose as soon as you were old enough to buy your first “proper” handbag or pair of heels. But what never seems to lose its luster is the season’s new crop of beauty products, ripe for our picking and yours. Ahead, a few favorites that are guaranteed to perk you up when the cool-weather doldrums roll in. fw

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tip:

Don’t feel like going for that long run?

Run for 20 minutes or go on a long walk.

It’s only 20 minutes out of your day. I promise you will feel better after you get done!

Move It! FIVE TIPS FOR GETTING TO THE GYM

It’s the beginning of fall. The days are shorter, and the air is already getting a little cooler. When a glass of wine and takeout sushi after a long day of work sounds better than hitting up a spin class or hopping on a treadmill, here are five things I’ve done to keep myself motivated to work out. by Kat Pummill 1. BREAK YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE INTO SIMPLE STEPS. Getting to the gym is entirely a mental exercise, after all. Next time you really don’t want to go to the gym, try this: challenge yourself just to go to the locker room and put on your clothes. If you still don’t want to work out after that, you can leave.

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If you decide you’ve come too far to go home, challenge yourself to work out for 15 minutes.

When the 15 is up, add another 10 (you’re already sweaty anyway). Continue adding until you feel satisfied and happy with your workout. Now, don’t you feel better?

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2. BE REALISTIC ABOUT HOW MANY DAYS YOU CAN WORK OUT. One of the biggest mistakes people make is setting an unrealistic goal, like, “I’m going to go to the gym five days a week.”

While that sounds awesome, ask yourself if it is realistic with your work and social schedule. If you only get three or four workouts in that week, will you feel like a failure?

I find it helps to create a calendar for my workouts for the week ahead. I can look in my Google Calendar and see upcoming plans with friends or possible work conflicts and plan out a reasonable schedule for the week. I color code my gym days in a happy color and create recurring appointments no more than four weeks out, if there is a class or instructor that I like.

3. MOTIVATE YOURSELF WITH REWARDS. After an insane and challenging hot yoga class, I like to treat myself with my favorite takeout sushi. I’ll order it before I leave work or on my way home from class, creating a nice routine for myself.

Find your motivation. Is it a post-workout smoothie from your gym? A new workout top? Or maybe it’s just looking forward to going home after your workout and catching up on your DVR. Whatever your reward, don’t let yourself collect unless you’ve actually accomplished your workout that day.

4. SIGN UP FOR A CLASS YOU CAN’T CANCEL. For those who have true gym

commitment phobia, sign up in advance for a yoga, spin, Pilates, barre, or Crossfit class.

Most classes cannot be cancelled less than 24 hours in advance or you will be charged the full amount. Throwing away $15, $20, or $30 should be motivation enough to go.

Look at your schedule at the beginning of the week and figure out which classes you want to go to and sign up then.

No excuses!

5. F IGURE OUT YOUR WORKOUT M.O. I can’t work out at home. It just doesn’t speak to me. I need the energy of a class environment to feed off of (with the exception of running). I can count on my hand the number of times I have tried to do a home Pilates mat or yoga class.

However, several of my friends swear by their Tracy Anderson at-home workouts and do them diligently! As long as you are realistic with yourself, do the workout that serves you best. fw

Times You Should Not Go to the Gym 1. You are injured. If the injury is minor, you can try something like cross-training (swimming or biking for runners is great!). If you pulled a muscle or did anything major, don’t push it. Give yourself a few days off.

2. You are sick. If you have a serious cold or flu, please don’t go to the gym and sweat it out.

You will risk infecting other healthy people. If you just have a headache, doing a low-impact activity, like Pilates or yoga, can be great mentally and physically for you.

3. You are in the middle of a juice cleanse or are super dehydrated. If you are doing any sort of liquid cleanse, take it easy on your workouts. Cleanses deplete your body of serious nutrients and electrolytes, and any work out should be as minimal or low-impact as possible.

If you wake up hungover (dehydrated), drink at least one liter of water before trying to sweat out the bad stuff.

s i h t e p o Ih gym r u o y s help ion! t a v i t o m Kat Pummill is a yoga instructor, nutrition expert and author of international wellness blog, Fit Girl’s Kitchen. Pummill also works with athletes as the nutritional health coach for Chicago triathlon team Skyline Tri.

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e c i v r e s p i l

By Rebecca Taras-Lee

BURBERRY BEAUTY LIP GLOW NO. 17 “When it comes to lips, I’m a berry girl.

I’ve sampled every variation out there, and I love this one’s color payoff and rich texture.” Available at Nordstrom, $29, Nordstrom.com.

If you ask us, one of the fastest ways a gal can look put together is by applying a little lipstick.

Even if you’re only running errands in your Lululemon, a pop of color can be an instant confidence booster—just ask Nicole Pearl Kaplan, the driving force behind “The Beauty Girl” blog (thebeautygirl.com), a treasure trove of tips, celebrity interviews, product reviews, and more. Along with essentials like a cell phone, elastic hair bands, her Kate Spade datebook, and a spare diaper for her beautiful baby boy, Kaplan definitely has a few options of the ultimate go-to beauty essential (you guessed it)—lipstick. Ahead, the glamour guru opens her purse to show us the best picks for a perfect pout on the fly.

NYX MATTE LIPSTICK IN INDIE FLICK “My mantra is Beauty Shouldn’t Be a Bitch, and this matte coral is the perfect example at only $6.”

Available at Ulta Beauty, $5.99, Ulta.com.

MICHAEL KORS LIP LUSTER IN GETAWAY “This gloss provides just enough pink to add life to your face when going for a natural makeup look.” Available at Michael Kors, $24, MichaelKors.com.

MIU MIU MADRAS TEXTURED-LEATHER SHOULDER BAG “This bow bag has been with me longer than my husband! I got it when I was a beauty editor in NYC, and more than six years later, I’m still not sick of it. It’s just as functional and fashionable today.” Available at Net-A-Porter, $2,020, Net-A-Porter.com. {Note: This is a similar version of Kaplan’s bag.)

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NAPOLEON PERDIS DEVINE GODDESS LIPSTICK IN APHRODITE “A red lip is empowering, and this shade, appropriately named Aphrodite, attracts attention in the best way.”

Available at Dermstore, $25, Dermstore.com.

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STYLE + HOME

WANT YOUR WORK TO APPEAR IN FW: CHICAGO? SHARE YOUR PORTFOLIO AT EDITOR@FW-CHICAGO.COM.

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Detail of “Graphite on Paper” by Justine Bianco. Read more about the artist on page 82.

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t o h s ’ t wha Delicious Shoe

The only thing better than a shoe boutique is a shoe boutique that parks itself in your neighborhood. Delicious Shoe, owned

by Ann Sedgwick, is the latest in a growing number of mobile boutiques that have hit the streets of the city. But if you are looking for a run-of-the-mill black stiletto, you will be disappointed.

Delicious Shoe stocks a rather unique selection, most of which are sourced from European labels that are hard to find in the U.S. With offbeat colors and quirky silhouettes, Sedgwick buys with other creatives like herself in mind. “These styles are definitely not for everyone. I don’t cater to the masses,” she explains. Keep Delicious Shoe on your radar the next time you need to punch up book club or just want a new idea for a birthday party—Sedgwick has started doing private events. Visit deliciousshoe.com for more information. Photo Credit: Michelle Keim

New Tiffany & Co. Michigan Avenue Location You may have noticed that the Tiffany store on the Mag Mile (which first opened in 1966) has been undergoing a bit of a facelift since April.

What you may not be aware of is that, when it makes its grand reopening this month, it will boast approximately 1,400 square feet in extra sales space. Part of this additional real estate will be devoted to a watch salon—the first of its kind in any of the Tiffany stores in the Americas. Along with its current selection of watches, the salon also will stock the new CT60 collection of watches, which made its global debut in April.

Using y ou as a timr iPhone will nev epiece as chic er be .

Tiffany CT60 3-Hand in 18K Rose Gold, 40mm, self-winding mechanical movement with a white soleil dial on a black alligator strap, $12,000, at Tiffany & Co., 730 North Michigan Avenue.

Wish List Sometimes the most intriguing jewelry has a touch of melancholy. Channel your inner Edgar Allen Poe with this chic bracelet featuring the most famous bird in Gothic poetry. With black mother-of-pearl and black agate as supporting players, this piece makes a statement in the office and out on the town.

Alexis Bittar Hand Carved Raven Cameo Hinge Bracelet, $395.

Alexis Bittar, 61 East Oak Street, alexisbittar.com.

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my Space

Heather Talbert

Photographer Heather Talbert is one of the city’s most in-demand talents in both the fashion and commercial arenas. Her West Loop loft is a supercool live/work space full of intriguing personal items. Our curiosity got the best of us and we asked Heather about some of her favorite things in her studio. by Jennifer Smith Tapp

BRONZE CUBE Designed by local multi-disciplinary design studio, weetu, the bronze cube was conceived as a side table to mask AV components and opens via remote control. weetu founder Carly Cannell says, ““The design was inspired by accommodating 2 common functions (storage and side table) combined with a client’s desire for a beautiful art object in their urban living area. Bronze Cube hides messy cords and equipment while maintaining a beautiful aesthetic”. Merging multiple materials into hybrids, weetu blurs the boundaries between objects and materiality via patterning and manipulation of the surfaces.

For more details and pricing, visit goweetu.com.

1. TURQUOISE UTILITY CART from Ikea 2. PLANTS — DEAD AND ALIVE. I have a lot of succulents, terrariums with dinosaurs, and dried flowers from our wedding.

2. FASHION BOOKS — mostly Taschen 4. WHITE LIGHTNING STUDIO LIGHTS from a company called Paul C. Buff in Nashville TN. “I have had these trusty things since portfolio school (8 years).”

5. FILM AND DIGITAL CAMERA COLLECTION — Canon, Polaroid, Lomo, and Pentax

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4 3

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(ON TERA) Shirt by Fausto Puglisi, $560 at Blake Skirt by A.L.C., $495 at Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue Sandals by Birkenstock, $145 at Nordstrom Michigan Avenue Handbag by MA+, $1028 at Robin Richman Earrings by Moku Momi Designs, $28 at Etsy (ON MEGAN) Sweater by Isabel Marant, $390 at Steven Alan Chicago Dress by Fausto Puglisi, $1228 at Blake Boots by Maison Margiela 22, $1045 at Blake Cuff by Johnny Farah, $140 at Robin Richman Necklace by Artemis Quibble, $360 at Robin Richman

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The New Classics Forget trends. Fall fashion should be about elevated, urbane looks with staying power.

Here, we offer a few fresh ideas about how to wear the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staple looks.

Photographed by Kirsten Miccoli Styled by Brandon Frein and Arlene Matthews

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Blouse by CĂŠline, $1550 at Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue Jeans by Julien David, $628 at Blake Boots by Maison Margiela 22, $1045 at Blake Ring by Vintage, $135 at Robin Richman

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Dress by Sonia Rykiel, $610 at Blake Boots by Guidi, $1195 at Robin Richman Necklace by Dries Van Noten, $610 at Blake Handbag by MA+, $1025 at Robin Richman

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Coat by Julien David, $1800 at Blake Shirt by Tee by Alexander Wang, $125 at Nordstrom Michigan Avenue Jeans by Vetements, $1290 at Blake Sandals by Birkenstock, $145 at Nordstrom Michigan Avenue Ring by Ma+, $830 at Robin Richman Necklace by Lucas Restrepo, $490 at Robin Richman

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Turtleneck by Majestic, $135 at Nordstrom Michigan Avenue Dress by Stella McCartney, $2445 at Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue Boots by Maison Margiela 22, $1045 at Blake Handbag by Pierre Hardy, $1195 at Blake Bracelet by Lucas Restrepo, $260 at Robin Richman

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Blazer by Stella McCartney, $1630 at Neiman Marcus Sweater by Stella McCartney, $900 at Neiman Marcus Pants by Stella McCartney, $745 at Neiman Marcus Slip-ons by Dries Van Noten, $605 at Blake Handbag by MA+, $1715 at Robin Richman Ring by Avant Garde, $75 at Robin Richman

PHOTOGRAPHER Kirsten Miccoli, kirstenmiccoliphotography.com STYLING Arlene Matthews and Brandon Frein, Kit This, kitthis.com HAIR AND MAKE-UP Andrea C. Samuels of Factor Artists using Makeup Forever, andreasamuelsmakeup.com MODELS Megan, Modelogic Midwest; Tera, Ford Chicago STYLISTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ASSISTANT Nelissa Carrillo

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HOME sweet HOME

By Rebecca Taras-Lee It doesn’t matter if you rent or own, live in a shoebox or a palace, everyone wants a home that’s a combination of functional and fabulous. A place that feels comfortable on the daily, but also fit to host a family holiday or throw an impromptu dinner party.

So to get you inspired, we called upon Donna Hall, owner and principal designer of Donna Mondi Interior Design. Using her stunning and recently revamped rooms as examples, Hall shows us a few easy-yet-effective ways to refresh your pad like a pro. fw

“Flooring on the wall? You bet!

What depth and dimension this Ebony wood floor adds to this room. It blurs the lines in the best way possible and gives the perfect contrast to the room.”

“Contrast textures... include something furry, something shiny, and something graphic.

The spider web headboard, purple lamb’s wool pillow, and sparkly green beaded pillow deliver! It never hurts to top it all off with a cozy throw.”

s e l y t s & s r o l o c x mi

“Vary your colors and styles. With purple, black, and white playing first string, pops of turquoise and chartreuse add surprise to the room. Furniture styles vary from a Mid-Century Modern wire chair to an armoire in Hollywood Regency style. Keeping the colors consistent makes them all play nicely together.”

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dazzle & glam

“Lighting that dazzles is the easiest way to instantly glam up a space! This chandelier is dripping with crystals that bounce light around the room.”

“Wall-to-wall window treatments create endless drama and add softness to the space. I combined stationary pewter silk panels with sheer traversing panels that have a slight shimmer to them. Function and beauty all in one!”

neutrals with texture

“Neutral palettes can easily become too ‘vanilla.’ I layer in textures to keep things exciting and unexpected. The silver shag rug, silk velvet giraffe print on the chairs, and the lamb’s wool pillows add dimension and interest to the space.”

a m a r d s s e l d n e create

“My number one rule in design is to mix up your furniture. What could be more opposite than Rococo French-inspired black leather chairs and modern and minimal Louis Ghost Chairs?

And yet, it works!”

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r a e w o t CULOTTES how The culotte is one of those pieces that every fashion-forward woman has in her closet, but it has now found its way into the mainstream.

In fall 2014, Vogue called the culotte “the pant of the season”.

We think it is about time that women embrace this versatile and stylish piece and make it their own. by Brandon Frein and Arlene Matthews

weekend

Toss on a sporty jacket and a pair of sneakers and the culotte is the ideal piece for a weekend of running around the city.

Transition to a quick drink after work by removing the blazer and adding a sharp pump.

cocktail hour

Leith striped blouse $54 at Nordstrom, 520 North Michigan Avenue SJP Fawn pump $350 at Nordstrom, 520 North Michigan Avenue T by Alexander Wang sleeveless pocket tee $195 at Nordstrom, 520 North Michigan Avenue Mason sheer bomber jacket $335 at p45, 1643 North Damen Avenue Topshop lace-up sneakers $35 at Topshop, 830 North Michigan Avenue Topshop tote $52 at Topshop, 830 North Michigan Avenue Tom Binns Safety Binns earrings $215 at Chalk, 2611 Prairie Avenue, Evanston Watch, stylist’s own

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Mineralogy Pyrite earrings $102; hammered cuffs, $72/each; Dalmatian jasper cuff $80; African jasper cuff $90; Mineralogy, 1944 West Montrose Avenue Mason sheer bomber jacket $335 at p45, 1643 North Damen Avenue Topshop lace-up sneakers $35 at Topshop, 830 North Michigan Avenue Topshop tote $52 at Topshop, 830 North Michigan Avenue Tom Binns Safety Binns earrings $215 at Chalk, 2611 Prairie Avenue, Evanston Watch, stylist’s own

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PHOTOGRAPHER Karl Rothernberger, karlrothenberger.com STYLING Arlene Matthews and Brandon Frein, Kit This, kitthis.com HAIR AND MAKE-UP Jenna Baltes, jennabaltes.com MODEL Erin, Ford Chicago

Featured piece HOPE MY TROUSER $240 at Steven Alan 1659 North Damen Avenue

l l a f r o f

to the office

Wear it to work with a classic blazer and tote.

Pair a chunky knit with an ankle bootie and this pant easily moves into a look perfect for cooler weather.

Wear it to work with a classic blazer and tote.

T by Alexander Wang sleeveless pocket tee $195 at Nordstrom, 520 North Michigan Avenue Steven Alan boyfriend blazer $485 at Steven Alan, 1659 North Damen Avenue

Demylee Amber sweater $175 at Steven Alan, 1659 North Damen Avenue Acne Studios Pistol boot $570 at Steven Alan, 1659 North Damen Avenue

Phillip Lim 31-hour bag $795 at Nordstrom, 520 North Michigan Avenue Topshop freedom ball necklace $18 at Topshop, 830 North Michigan Avenue

Topshop fanny pack $40 at Topshop, 830 North Michigan Avenue

SJP Carrie T-strap pump $355 at Nordstrom, 520 North Michigan Avenue

Mineralogy Tanzanite earrings in 14K gold, $368 at Mineralogy, 1944 West Montrose Avenue

Mineralogy Tanzanite earrings in 14K gold $368 at Mineralogy, 1944 West Montrose Avenue

Mineralogy hammered cuff $72 at Mineralogy, 1944 West Montrose Avenue

Mineralogy Pervuian Pyrite cube ring $80 at Mineralogy, 1944 West Montrose Avenue

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style files PROMOTION

YOUR BEAUTY

+ STYLE GUIDE TO THE CITY

CHARLOTTE OLYMPIA VENDOME MARBLE PRINT BLOCK HEEL $825

Sunken eyes and dark circles?

Welcome to PritiSkin—a luxury cosmetic enhancement boutique dedicated to helping you achieve the best version of yourself. Dr. Mary is our eye specialist that will customize a non-surgical option to address your under eye concerns and obtain your overall beauty goals.

Pritiskin 111 N. Wabash Avenue, Suite 1810 312-332-4296 pritiskin.com

Neapolitan Collection

Tan Custom. Tan Smart.

Neapolitan Collection Housing some of the world’s leading women’s luxury designers such as Marni, Lanvin, Valentino, Saint Laurent, Wes Gordon, fine jewelers Monique Péan, Irene Neuwirth, and Aurelie Bidermann, and Mattia Cielo, Neapolitan Collection is a shopper’s paradise.

Top off your everyday or special event look with a custom airbrush tan! At Ortanic, our formulas and technique ensure a flawless tan with no orange, no streaks, and no funny smells. Four convenient locations.

Neapolitan Collection, 715 Elm Street, Winnetka 847-441-7784 Neapolitanonline.com

get listed

Azeeza Azeeza US designs have been worn by some of the most iconic women of our times, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Sophia Bush and Gabrielle Union. The label is handcrafted in limited runs to ensure exclusivity and superior detailing, featuring versatile and transitional day-to-evening separates and accessories with subtle statement.

Azeeza 900 North Michigan Avenue, 312-649-9373 Azeeza.us.

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Ortanic at Fitness Formula Clubs Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, West Loop, Oak Park 877-678-2642 ortanic.com

This monthly section

is dedicated to bringing the best in style and beauty to our readers. Tailored to suit

Reinvent Yourself at Robert Gold Salon & Spa Enjoy a luxurious experience as our highly skilled staff transforms your look as you head into the fall.

Using only the latest techniques and trends in cut and color, we can help you reinvent yourself.

the needs of local businesses, the Style Files appear in print, online and in our newsletter. To learn more about getting listed in the Style Files, please contact Andrea@fw-chicago.com.

Robert Gold Salon & Spa 2942 Central Street, Evanston 847-492-8787 robertgoldsalon.com

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FOOD + DRINK

WANT YOUR WORK TO APPEAR IN FW: CHICAGO? SHARE YOUR PORTFOLIO AT EDITOR@FW-CHICAGO.COM.

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Detail of “Gold Arrow, Paper Rainbow” by Justine Bianco. Read more about the artist on page 82.

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e t s a t d in goo TASTE TALKS

There is something about a traditional food festival that can seem a little formal for food lovers of a certain demographic. Enter Taste Talks. Conceived as a cooler, more inclusive food festival, Taste Talks originated in Brooklyn and launched in Chicago in 2014, with Kelsey Kreiling and Mallory Ulaszek Tews of Presence Agency at the helm as the producers. The second Chicago Taste Talks is set to kick off October 2-4 at Morgan’s On Fulton. Kreiling describes the event as perfect for “people who are in love with food and in love with the industry.” Everyday foodies can take a deep dive into the world of all things culinary through tastings, unique experiences, and conversations with the industry’s most innovative talents. This year’s event boasts a lineup featuring some of the city’s top female chefs, including April Bloomfield, Mindy Segal, and Stephanie Izard. Visit taste-talks.com for ticket and event information.

the download!

RSVP Perfection

By Rebecca Taras-Lee Perhaps the only thing more difficult than navigating Chicago’s dynamic and expansive dining scene would be making the arrangements for a fabulous evening of wining and dining. Enter Reserve, the all-encompassing “concierge” service that makes eating out as easy as a sommelier choosing an on-point wine pairing. The savvy app—backed by the co-founders of Uber and Foursquare—launched in Chicago earlier this year, succeeding New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

So, what makes Reserve unique? “It’s a completely seamless, soup-to-nuts process,” says General Manager Erica Kane.

“Everything from making the reservation to the payment (including tax and tip) is done ahead of time—there’s even a function to split the bill.” Kane, who previously co-managed Cheeky Chicago, still wears as many hats as she did when she was a business owner, all of which aid the internal and external interests of the company.

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For more information and to download the app, visit reserve.com.

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NEW BOOK K O O C ALERT If you are like us, fall brings hints of hibernation season—and that means comfort food. There are few things more satisfying or comforting than a big slice of cake.

Instead of heading out to the local bakery, make your own! Chicago food blogger, Jocelyn Delk Adams, has collected 50 vintage cake recipes in a gorgeous new cookbook, Grandbaby CAKES: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories. Inspired by her grandmother’s recipes, Grandbaby CAKES is designed to be welcoming for the novice baker and challenging for the more experienced. Either way, there is a recipe for an Arnold Palmer cake (yum!!), so we’re already excited.

Learn more about Jocelyn and her new cookbook at grandbaby-cakes.com.

ON OUR RADAR

OPENING SOON! Amy Morton, the owner of one of Evanston’s most buzzworthy restaurants, Found Kitchen and Social House, has her eyes on another eatery. Called The Barn, the new space is set to open this winter, pending the township’s approval.

Wild Ophelia Empowering female entrepreneurs and chocolate are clearly two of our favorite things here at FW: Chicago. Thanks to Katrina Markoff, the brains behind the chic Vosges line of luxury chocolate, you can do your part to support women business owners in America, as well.

Wild Ophelia is a new collection of chocolate bars and cups that celebrate the wide variety of flavors at play in regional cuisine across the country.

All-natural and made from ingredients sourced from small farms and artisanal makers, there are offerings such as Milk Chocolate with Roasted Peanut Butter and Hawaiian Caramelized Bananas and a Bayou Style Country Chili Dark Chocolate Bar with Cayenne Peppers. Now might be a good time to elevate your candy game. Wild Ophelia donates a percentage of its profits to help fund female entrepreneurs around the U.S. Learn more about Wild Ophelia and its mission at wildophelia.com.

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Amy Dordek//Ramen-Sun Managing Director and Co-founder of GrowthPlay

Dordek and her team help businesses thrive with the use of predictive assessment technology and an array of proven sales consulting, training, development, and coaching interventions.

Go-to Power Lunch Spot:

Ramen-San

Our offices are right above the restaurant and, in my opinion, they have the best lunch special in River North. It’s delicious and I take a lot of people there—especially those who are a bit more adventurous. I am a big fan of Lettuce Entertain You and the Melmans, who I see every time I’m there.”

POWER HOUR

By Rebecca Taras-Lee

Back in the day, a “power lunch” was a gathering where ideas— and rocks glasses—were laid out on the table Mad Men-style.

Today, there’s no question that this mid-day meal is an opportunity to network, brainstorm, and maybe seal a new business deal.

As proof positive, we tapped three power players to find out their go-to spot for meeting and eating in Chicago.

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What to Order: I love the lunch special, which includes a salad, protein of your choice, rice, pickled cucumbers, and a small bowl of ramen. In my mind, it’s the perfect lunch: delicious, filling, LUNCH SPECIAL visually beautiful, and fast.

Who to Take: I am a very adventurous eater, so I check with my lunch guest first to make sure there is something on the menu for them. It’s lively, but you can still hear yourself talk, so it works for most occasions—with the exception of more formal ones when you need to do a deal over lunch.

Seal the Meal: I remember one lunch several years ago, I took a colleague with me to meet a prospect. She and I clicked so quickly, we ended up leaving my male colleague out of the conversation because the connection between us was so strong. We had a lot in common—we were passionate about our careers, we had children the same age, we loved food and travel, etc. Not long after the lunch, I worked with her company. Later, she joined a board on which I served as president, and we remain good friends today.

Ramen-San | 59 West Hubbard Street | 312-377-9950 | ramensan.com.

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Susanna Kalne//Soho House President and Owner of Take Shape Communications Inc.

Kalnes specializes in media relations, PR, social media, and strategic communications for a wide array of clients based in and out of Chicago.

Go-to Power Lunch Spot:

Soho House

I am a member of Soho House, so I like to go there for lunch, either by the 5th floor in the Club Level or the 6th floor by the pool in the summertime.

What to Order: I have recently (in the past few months) become vegetarian—though I still eat seafood. So, I like to order the toast with avocado and a poached egg, the tuna tartare, or the salmon.

Who to Take: I take my current and potential PR clients there. It’s a gorTOAST WITH AVOCADO + geous facility, it’s POACHED EGG not too crowded or loud during the day, and it’s a perfect setting to think creatively and brainstorm. As a member, I can bring up to three people per day, so it’s a great option for client entertaining.

Seal the Meal: I think I work best when I’m there because it’s a space that makes me feel more creative. I have written articles that have been published there, come up with some brilliant media campaigns, and have made new business connections—just from networking there over the lunch hour.

Soho House | 113 North Green Street | 312-521-8000 | sohohousechicago.com.

Tina-Marie Adams//Rivers Chicago Managing Director, APCO Worldwide

Adams has counseled dozens of top executives, including governors, CEOs, commissioners, and presidents of organizations on key business, crisis, and organizational communications issues for the largest, independent, female-owned public relations consultancy in the United States.

Go-to Power Lunch Spot:

Rivers

It’s on the river—an increasingly hot spot through the city—and in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center (the “Merc”), which is a centerpiece of Chicago’s business district.

What to Order: Seafood has been my go-to here, including the grilled Atlantic salmon, asiago-crusted sea scallops, and Chilean sea bass.

Who to Take: I’ve personally taken three CEOs there in just the last six months.

Seal the Meal: With one of the CEOs, I secured a business lead as well as multiple opportunities she connected me to with others around Chicago. fw Rivers | 30 South Wacker Drive | 312-559-1515 | riversrestaurant.com.

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THE FIVE ELEMENTS

of a Beautifully Set Table

by Marc J. Sievers We have never had more options and choices than we do today to create a beautifully laid dining room table. At the same time, the tedious formalities of entertaining have given way to more personalization that should reflect a host’s individual sense of style and occasion. We can mix and match—from our family heirlooms, our own classic treasures, and even those bargain finds—to pull together a table setting that reflects our own unique vision of how we want to entertain our guests.

The classic dinner party of the 1950s may be gone, but so is the stuffy formal dining room. Today’s more open and casual spaces allow for more of a focus on what a dinner party is really about—people and food coming together. A table setting is part of the backdrop that showcases the host’s style, as well as sets the tone and mood for the guests. And no longer are we expected to lay the same table every time. Today’s great entertainer likes to switch it up and create different looks for different soirées.

SCALE The difference between an overcrowded table and a perfect backdropis scale and proportion.

Take advantageof different heights in glassware, stemware, and candles to add depth without bulk. Keep centerpieces under eight inches tall so your guests can see one another and converse.

When you consider we have so many style and design choices at hand, the opportunity to try new things with every dinner party, and no requirement to adhere to old rules of entertaining, there are five elements of a beautifully set table that I have identified to help you keep your focus and express your style.

I can think of one carry-over cardinal rule of entertaining from the 1950s that still applies to entertaining today: A lady always sets her table the night before! Though we would include gentlemen in that statement as well today, starting with your table setting before a dinner party will help you to entertain more confidently. fw

Marc’s Gold Coast dining room table, set for an intimate soirée. Some furnishings provided by Crosell & Co., 900 North Michigan Avenue, Level 5.

For more details about this table go to fw-chicago.com.

For more home entertaining tips and to learn more about Marc, visit marcsievers.com.

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PERSONALITY This is your table, let it reflect your sense of style. My first rule when advising clients is to have fun! If you love a particular print or color, then find a way to introduce it into your table setting— use what inspires you!

TRADITION Though many rules have relaxed, tradition is essentia when laying your table. We may have fewer pieces to lay than did the Edwardians, but the format in which you place things reflects a honed function that will actually help your guests dine with ease and showcase your wonderfully curated collection. Go to fw-chicago.com/table-chart to download your table-setting chart.

BALANCE

TEXTURE

Gone are the days of complete sets in a single pattern. Not every item has to match. Find balance in the harmony and design of the pieces you use. Each place setting should have the same basic items, but consider mixing chargers, different china patterns, and even flatware.

More than just cloth or fabric, texture is the feel and appearance of surfaces. Using multiple textures and materials will help achieve a more layered and curated look that is visually appealing.

Finishing detail can be done with a great use of textures, instead of just adding more “stuff.”

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e m o h t a s i try th

THREE-COURSE DINNER PARTY Inspired by the Chicago Gourmet Festival For foodies and general lovers of all things culinary in Chicago, Millennium Park will be destination number one during the last weekend in September.

The Bon Appetit presents Chicago Gourmet Festival is “a celebration of food and wine” and will feature some of the industry’s top talents.

But if you want to get a head start on the fun, we have a way for you to re-create a bit of that pro magic at home. FW: Chicago asked three of the festival’s top female chefs— Lorena Garcia, Sara Moulton and Gale Gand— to each share one of their recipes with us to create an eclectic and intimate three-course dinner. Long lines not included.

by Rebecca Taras and Jennifer Smith Tapp

The Bon Appetit presents Chicago Gourmet Festival takes place in Millennium Park and runs September 25-27.

Visit chicagogourmet.org for more information.

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Sara Moulton’s

Frisee Salad with Duck Confit, Blue Cheese and Grapes Makes 4 servings INGREDIENTS 4 Maple Leaf Farms Duck Leg Confit, meat shredded and skin chopped and reserved 2 cups 1/2 –inch bread cubes cut from country style bread 1 1/2 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 4 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 6 cups frisee lettuce ripped into bite size pieces 1 ½ cup seedless grapes, cut in half 3 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Sara Moulton, nationally recognized chef, television host, author and educator has had an esteemed and illustrious career spanning over three decades. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Sara spent seven years working in restaurants throughout the US and Europe, including a stint at La Tulipe in New York City, before leaving the kitchen in favor of recipe-testing and development.

Sara is the author of several cookbooks including Sara Moulton Cooks at Home (2002), Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals (2005), Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners (2010) and a fourth cookbook scheduled for release in the spring of 2016. The latest milestone in her pioneering career includes the debut of the fourth season of public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals,” her newest cooking show focused around her true passion of helping home cooks get dinner on the table each night. The fifth seasons of “Sara’s Weeknight Meals” will premier in the fall of 2015.

DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the duck skin with 2-inches water to cover in a small nonstick skillet. Bring the water to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and simmer the duck skin until all the water is evaporated and the skin has turned into cracklings. Transfer the cracklings with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain reserving the duck fat in the pan.

Combine the bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of the reserved duck fat (the remainder of the fat can be used for other uses, such as sautéing potatoes), spread the croutons in one layer on a rimmed sheet pan and bake the croutons in the middle of the oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until they are light golden. Let them cool.

In a small bowl whisk together the sherry vinegar, the salt, the

pepper and the mustard, whisking until the salt is dissolved.

Whisk in the oil and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the frisee, the shredded duck, the grapes and the croutons, add the dressing and toss well. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top each plate with a sprinkling of cheese and a sprinkling of cracklings.

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Lorena Garcia’s

Green Tomatillo Pulled-Chicken Tamales Lorena Garcia is a Venezuelan-born restaurateur, TV personality, TV producer, and published author. She is currently one of the country’s leading chefs, well-known for numerous TV series, a successful chain of restaurants ,and cookbooks.

On the heels of the success of her first cookbook, Lorena Garcia’s New Latin Classics, Garcia has taken her love of cooking to the next level by creating the Lorena Bella Kitchen Collection for HSN.

Makes 4 servings INGREDIENTS 4 Sweet Corn Tamales, store bought* 1 cup grated queso fresco Spicy Pickled Onions, homemade* 6 tomatillos, husked and washed 1 green pepper 2 Serrano peppers 2–4 tablespoons olive oil 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 lime, juiced 2 tablespoons agave syrup 2-1⁄2 cups cooked shredded chicken 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper 1 tablespoon of butter (to warm tamales)

DIRECTIONS Preheat the grill to high heat.

Place tomatillos, green pepper, and Serrano peppers on grill and char all sides.

In a medium-size sauté pan, heat olive oil. Add grilled tomatillos, grilled green peppers, grilled Serrano peppers, garlic, and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and place pan ingredients, plus cilantro,

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lime juice, and agave in blender and blend until smooth.

them on the griddle for 20 seconds on each side, to warm.

Pour the tomatillo mixture into a large heated sauté pan.

As the tomatillo sauce simmers, add chicken, coriander, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat.

Assemble the dish: Remove Sweet Corn Tamales from heat and center each on a serving plate. Spoon tomatillo and chicken mixture over each tamale.

Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco and spicy pickled onions.

Serve immediately.

Prepare the Tamales: Melt butter in a griddle over medium-high heat. Unwrap tamales and place

* Recipe available in New Taco Classics.

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Gale Gand’s

Roasted Stone Fruits with Cinnamon and Honey INGREDIENTS 4 medium pears, ripe but firm4 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and washed (or substitute 8-10 ounce bag of frozen) PHOTO BY BEN FINK

½ cup orange juice 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons light-bodied red wine (Beaujolais would be perfect) ½ cup light brown sugar 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (optional) 2 teaspoons cornstarch ½ teaspoon cinnamon OPTIONAL CRUNCHY ALMOND TOPPING 3/4 cup sliced almonds 1/4 cup sugar 1 large egg white

Gale Gand is pastry chef/partner of the one year-old Spritz Burger in Chicago—a collaboration with The Hearty Boys—and partner in the Michelin one-star restaurant, Tru. She also hosts “Sweet Dreams” on the Food Network, is the author of eight books, and produces Gale’s Root Beer. The recipient of two James Beard Awards has been inducted into the Chicago Chefs Hall of Fame and is the mother of three.

DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Quarter the pears and remove all seeds. Do not peel. Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch sections.

In a bowl, combine orange juice, honey, wine, brown sugar, vanilla bean seeds, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Add the fruit and toss to coat.

Pour into a casserole or gratin dish and bake until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. When the fruit is done, remove it and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

sheet and spread the almond mixture on it. Bake the almonds, turning them with a spatula every 5 minutes, until golden brown and caramelized, about 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the almonds and sugar together, then add the egg white and mix well to lightly coat. Lightly grease a baking

Serve the fruit warm or at room temperature, with the almonds sprinkled on top.

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HORIZONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

penchant for plain grey t-shirts and practical cars, she very much understands my need to wander. When a teenager, she regularly drove her blue Mustang out to Montana by herself in the summers.

Many steps up from Emily Hahn’s Model T, the Mustang had an 8-track player for listening to Emmylou Harris and Simon and Garfunkel. Living in a Cold War world, she had the benefits of good, paved roads maintained to ensure quick movement in the event of nuclear attack.

My mother continued to wander, even after she had me. When I was a little girl we’d drive down to Tennessee for the weekend, if the week had been lousy. When I was in college, we’d sometimes drive across the country from Kentucky to Arizona in separate cars (good for our relationship, admittedly bad for the environment), me in my old wagon, her in a rented Mustang. Adult responsibilities have limited my road time, but I’ve still managed to drive from Mexico to Canada and most places in-between. The only continental state I’ve not yet hit is South Dakota. Maybe I’ll tap it on the way home.

My next stop on this trip is in the Jemez Mountains, where I will visit my friend who is the Bureau of Land Management Wildlife Biologist for the area. We will be getting up at 2:30 in the morning to track mountain lions. He has a mulberry tree in his backyard, apparently, and a chicken.

After that, I’ll be heading to Flagstaff for Jim’s second memorial, taking place in a field at the base of the San Francisco Peaks. There will be a bagpipe player, poetry readings, and an old friend dressed as a priest in honor of Jim’s infamous offensive sense of humor.

Beyond those stops, I have Phoenix, San Francisco, Eugene; small towns in Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, and Kentucky; as well as Nashville, Charleston, West Palm Beach, and New Orleans on the docket. By the end, my old car will have almost 7,000 more miles on it and I might feel a little lighter, a little less restless.

When I told my old boss, Barbara (who is on the list of folks who’ll get a visit), about my journey she said, “Oh, you’re earthing!” A Reiki master these days, she explained that earthing is the calming, stabilizing practice of getting on nature’s wavelength. One does this by studying the sky, sitting and sleeping on the earth. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I’m earthing. Studying the sky by driving into the horizon at 65 miles an hour.

Maybe Hahn and my mother were earthing, too. Maybe the three of us, in the course of our rambles, tapped into a different wavelength, one very much unlike that of those who, while we were out under the sky, spent their nights in comfortable beds and their days within the various predictable four-walled confines of home, work, and the grocery. fw

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SKOOG CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

or move to Chicago, when he was approached to become a partner at a Windy City-based wellness company called EngagementHealth.

“To be honest, I was terrified when he chose to move. There was no job for me in Chicago, so I had to create it myself,” said Skoog. “I spent the first year working from Chicago on New York and London-based brands, but was forced to staff up and become an agency in February 2012 when we landed a major gig with LOFT.” With a three-week old son and an apartment as an office, Skoog recalls her startup period as one that was crazy, but not impossible. Her firm has steadily grown into a team of eight, all of whom work out of temporary office space on Michigan Avenue. With clients like Tiffany & Co., CH Carolina Herrera, and Shinola Detroit in her portfolio, it’s safe to say her fashion experience paid off.

“Finding time in my day to manage back-of-house office work along with the creative is a constant challenge,” said Skoog. “But creative strategy and my network are my strengths, so that along with connecting brands/concepts together and watching them take form is what I love the most about my job.”

While Skoog admits she would have had more opportunities in her industry had she stayed in New York—since fashion enterprises are largely based there—she’s very proud of what she’s accomplished in Chicago.

And this aspirational go-getter isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. fw

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connections

Continue to be inspired by the people featured in this issue by following them on social media.

BRANDIS FRIEDMAN SHAYNA SWANSON JEANNINE ADAMS @aloftcircusarts

@BrandisFriedman

SUSANNA KALNES TINA-MARIE ADAMS @susannakalnes

MARC SIEVERS

@tinamarie19

KIT THIS

@marcjsievers

@DynamicMynds

NICOLE PEARL @NPtheBeautyGirl

AMY DORDEK @amydordek

JUSTINE BIANCO

@kitthis

MONIKA BLACK

@justinebianco

LINDSAY HUMES

@stephandthegoat

@hcchicago

@CTCEF

DONNA HALL @DonnaMondID

GISELLE WASFIE @gwasfie

@debsplacechi

KIRSTEN MICCOLI

@heathertalbert

@kirstenmiccoli

KAT PUMMILL @fitgirlskitchen

@SkoogDunagan

ROCHELLE TROTTER

ERIN WATSON

HEATHER TALBERT

MELISSA SKOOG

@whiteoakcreativ

STEPHANIE IZARD

MINDY SEGAL

@ReadyPretty

@cheekyerica

CHERYL MENDELSON @harristheaterchicago

KELSEY KREILING @KelseyLK

@cheflorena

PETER CAHILL @LLResponse

SARA MOULTON @sarasmoulton

JOCELYN DELK ADAMS

@Hireology @adrobins

@grandbabycakes

CAROLYN LEONARD @DynamicMynds

KATRINA MARKOFF JOHN GIALLUISI

@ gand_gale

@aprilbloomfield

@HadleyAust

ADAM ROBINSON

/gemma.b.allen

GALE GAND

APRIL BLOOMFIELD

HADLEY AUSTIN

@jesshopp

GEMMA ALLEN

LORENA GARCIA

ERICA KANE

JESSICA HOPPER

@katrinamarkoff

JACQUELINE PERLMAN

AMANDA DIEDRICH

@myfavoutfit

ANN SEDGWICK @delicious_shoe

@johngcreativemt

@blohaute

CARLY CANNELL @weetu

MALLORY ULASZEK TEWS @malloryulaszektews

AMARI THOMSEN @amarithomsen

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2015 AUXILIARY BOARD:

BLU “Frog Wild”

July 25, 2015 | The Shedd Aquarium thesheddaquarium.org he Auxiliary Board’s annual soirée—is the little sister to the Shedd’s annual gala, but it certainly isn’t any less entertaining or important. In honor of the museum’s new exhibit, Amphibians, more than 1,000 guests were treated to an aquatic show (parade of penguins included), bites and sips from more than 20 of Chicago’s top restaurants, and a night full of live music and dancing, which was capped with fireworks on the terrace. The event ended up raising $415,000 for education and conservation initiatives.

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1. VIP guests enjoy early access to the North Terrace and views of the Chicago skyline with flowers and décor by Event Creative. 2. The audience was surprised and delighted by a parade of Magellanic penguins during the evening’s aquatic show.

3. Auxiliary Board member Drew Gravitt (center) with guests on Shedd’s North Terrace overlooking the Chicago skyline. 4. BLU guests mingled with Shedd’s 32,000 animals and explored the Waters of the World galleries. 5. Partygoers stop by the Shedd Fund-a-Friend table which raises money to support the aquarium’s mission and top-quality animal care.

6. From left to right, Auxiliary Board member Claudine Tambuatco, guest, Auxiliary Board member Susan Hedlund and guest kick off their evening at BLU.

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PHOTOS BY HEIDI ZEIGER + BRENNA HERNANDEZ

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The Geraghty Opening August 6, 2015 | 2520 S Hoyne Ave, Chicago, IL 60608 thegeraghty.com Tom Kehoe—president and founder of Kehoe Designs—hosted the grand opening of his own all-inclusive venue, The Geraghty, for over 1,000 of Chicago’s most influential tastemakers, business moguls, and leaders in the event planning industry. Along with over-the-top décor as only Kehoe could do, highlights from the evening included BMX bikers and skateboarders performing tricks, contemporary, a rotating/moving lounge area, a performer by Nico and Vinz, and stuntmen repelling down from a skylight—Kehoe included. Located in Pilsen, less than two miles away from McCormick place, the 25,000 squar- foot venue, with its luxurious finishes and state of the art technology, is destined to host the most noteworthy corporate, social, and gala events.

1. Tom Kehoe makes a grand entrance. 2. Bridget Frizzie, Stephanie Fields, Tom Kehoe, Leslie Tuzi. 3. Jacob Abrams, Andrea Dres.

4. Alexis Wells.5. Barb Harris, Joey Berman. 6. Model, Candace Jordan, Model. 7. Scott Wilken, Nancy Resnick, Kathy Taslitz, Corey McPherrin, Tom Kehoe, Emilio Rivera.

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Zoo Ball: Arctic Blast

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July 10, 2015 | Lincoln Park Zoo lpzoo.org

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We’re lucky to have a free zoo here in Chicago (an amazing one at that), but the zero-dollar entry fee, animal maintenance, and new exhibits aren’t possible without events like the annual Zoo Ball, hosted by the Women’s Board of Lincoln Park Zoo. More than 850 guests attended the festivities which raised more than $1.1 million dollars. Keeping with the theme, HMR Designs transformed the zoo grounds into an arctic paradise, complete with ice sculptures and an ice bar serving up the signature “Aurora Borealis” cocktail. Attendees worked off their crab salad and crusted filet of beef tenderloin by dancing into the evening to the beats of Dr. Bombay under a whimsical arctic-themed tent.

1. Lecretia Johnson and Larry Capista. 2. Sri and Brian Sullivan. 3. Karen Eisenbart, Zoo Ball Co-Chair; John Ettelson, Chairman of the Board; and Denise Stefan Ginascol, Zoo Ball Co-Chair. 4. Roberta Olshansky, Women’s Board Member (Glencoe); Kevin Bell, Lincoln Park Zoo President and CEO; and Christine Zrinsky, Vice President of Development. 5. David and Faith Slowinski (Naperville) and Deborah and Bruce Crown.

6. Kim Theiss, Women’s Board President; and Steve Theiss. 7. Angela Chaudhari, Dayna Goldstein, Beth Stamos, Phoebe Nitekman and Elizabeth von Peterffy PHOTOS BY BOB CARL

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SUBMIT PHOTOGRAPHS AND COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS! Visit www.fw-chicago.com/social-life for more details or email us at social@fw-chicago.com.

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Featured Artist

JUSTINE BIANCO

FW: Chicago features the work of a local, female artist throughout the pages of each issue.

For our premier issue, we get to know artist Justine Bianco and learn why she thinks we should just relax the next time we are at the museum.

Interview by Jennifer Smith Tapp

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE WAY THAT YOUR INTEREST IN SCIENCE INFORMS YOUR WORK? In many ways my art shares scientific process, material experimentation, constant trial and error, and trying to understand or discover something by looking into the microcosm and macrocosm of the world. I have always loved both science and art, but ultimately relished art’s lack of rules. Rather than mixing chemicals in a lab, I mix art materials in my studio.

After the material experiments, I use my camera to reframe the way those experiments are viewed.

Justine is a member of Perspective Group and Photography Gallery.

To see more of her work, visit justinebianco.com or go to Perspective Gallery, 1300 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, perspectivegallery.org.

WANT YOUR WORK TO APPEAR IN FW: CHICAGO? SHARE YOUR PORTFOLIO AT EDITOR@FW-CHICAGO.COM.

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WHAT WAS THE PROCESS BY WHICH YOU ARRIVED AT YOUR CURRENT STYLE? I have been involved in visual art for a very long time, so I have worked my way through many materials and styles.

I attended School of the Arts High School in San Francisco, where I was trained in traditional representational oil painting. By the time I was pursuing my undergraduate studies, I was thirsty and excited to know all materials and styles and I spent mornings welding flying machines out of bicycle parts in the metal shop and then evenings working in photo and stone lithography. I was continually searching styles for a means of expression that could be understood more universally. It was during my graduate studies that I found a way of pulling from all my materials training and came into my current style and process.

PEOPLE ARE OFTEN INTIMIDATED BY ABSTRACT ART. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE ON “READING” ART? Unfortunately, people are often intimidated by contemporary art, abstract or not. People feel that there is a right way to respond to a piece of art and that you need a ton of background info in order to access the artist’s concept.

I would tell those people who are intimidated by abstract art they should simply stop and take time just looking and feeling. Every viewer’s response to a work of art is valid. Sometimes art leaves you asking more questions or looking at the world differently and other times it is just a moment of simple visual exchange with nothing else. Don’t be afraid to have your own response! fw

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Less than 15% of U.S. venture-backed startups have a female founder.

15%

80%

Women control over 80% of U.S. consumer purchasing power.

.com Shop from Women

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fw: chicago SEPTEMBER 2015

WHY DO YOU TRAIN?

ffc.com

ROCHELLE TROTTER

| RECRUITING WOMEN

| POWER LUNCHES

|

FW0915_Cover.indd 1

www.fw-chicago.com

t s e w side y r o st Vibrant businesswoman

ROCHELLE TROTTER

talks everything from her humble upbringing to her entrepreneurial spirit to life after Charlie

POWER LUNCHING: TOP SPOTS FOR NETWORKING RECRUITING WOMEN FOR STEM FW-CHICAGO.COM

EVERYONE IS TRAINING FOR SOMETHING

8 FEMALE-LED BUSINESSES

TO FEEL EMPOWERED

SEPTEMBER 2015

NEED TO KNOW: 8 WOMAN-LED BUSINESSES

8/17/15 11:33 AM