Chicago
The Windy City. The Second City. Chicago is the 7th largest global city responsible for setting global agendas and global commerce. But it’s also a city which made major contributions to arts, culture, jazz, blues, film, theater, visual arts and more. In their free time (or if the arrived early or left late), gathering attendees enjoyed cultural icons like the Art Institute of Chicago, Tripadvisor’s No. 1 thing to do in Chicago, Millenium Park, Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Holy Name Cathedral, the Field Museum and more.
Hotel Ivy
The location of the Hotel Ivy put us in one of the most fashionable districts of Chicago, just a short walk from the Magnificent Mile and high-end shopping and within walking distance of some Chicago’s top attractions.
“Maker and Muse” at the Driehaus Museum
We were dazzled by 250 pieces of custom art jewelry, the epitome of design from the Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain, Art Nouveau in France, Jugendstil in Germany and Austria, Louis Comfort Tiffany in New York, and American Arts and Crafts in Chicago. The exhibit was focused on jewelry but included a wallet, purse, cigarette case and dance card holder. The dance list was done by Josef Hoffman from Wiener Werkstatte and the stunning gold Art Nouveau purse called “Le Rêve” is by Frédéric de Vernon. A final unique aspect of the exhibit, the jewelry was all either designed by women or features women in it.
The Chicago History Museum
This museum is home to the second largest costume collection in the world. With 50,000 fashion and textile artifacts, The Chicago Museum’s archive contains items from the mid 18th century to today. Think about that last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but instead of boxes and boxes of hidden government treasures, imagine it filled with dresses, shoes, hats and, yes, purses. Unfortunately we we'ren't able to go behind the scenes at the museum, but we were able to explore the various pieces the museum had on display> This free time to explore was followed by lunch and a lecture at the museum about the fashion collection.
Leslie Hindman Auction House
Since 1982, Leslie Hindman has been a leading auction house in the Midwest. In 1997 it was acquired by Sotheby’s and has continued to be premiere spot for purchasing arts and antiques in the Midwest. Leslie Hindman provided us with a private tour (including champagne and snacks), a lecture on auction houses and ran an exclusive auction for attending APCS members. This auction featured purses from participating members attending the gathering and was done free of charge.
Mary Nunn: “Fashions and their purses: A photo stroll through the decades”
APCS member Mary Nunn took us on a photo journey through purse fashion, showing how to recognize and date purses based on the fashions women are wearing in photographs. In addition to historic photos of women and their purses, Mary showcased advertisements and catalog pages. And highlighted inventions (like the zipper) that help date a purse.
Purse Bazaar
At every Gathering, the purse bazaar is a featured event. We all love looking for great deals and special purses.
Art Deco Architectural Boat Tour
With most of the city destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Chicago buildings showcase modern design rather than antiquity. Travel + Leisure readers voted Chicago as the nation's “Best Skyline." Some of the first modern skyscrapers were built here. This boat tour on the Chicago River (albeit COLD weather) gave us a unique view of the city and its buildings including the Tribune Tower, Wrigley Building, Trump Tower, Marina City; more than 40 Chicago landmarks.
Bette Sherman: “Dress for the Occasion”
From 1910 through the 1970s, Bette Sherman guided us through the fashions of the decades. Complementing Bette’s slideshow presentation was a vintage fashion show with some special models, our APCS members!
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Oct 1 - 4
Posted by Kathy Gunderson on Monday, October 12, 2015