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BOOKS…BOOKS…BOOKS: AN EVENT… BILL CUNNINGHAM WAS THERE

January 21, 2022January 28, 2022nenasnotes3 Comments

Bill at work, photo featured in the book.

Don’t we all miss the wonderful Bill Cunningham photos that appeared in The New York Times…I say, yes, yes we do! Not only was he there but on his trusty bicycle, he was everywhere! Over the years he chronicled the Who’s Who of fashion and society like no one else. A new book takes us inside these photos. And lucky us we can join the Costume Council when they welcome co-author Steven Stolman at a very special program on Wednesday, March 16th.

CO-AUTHORS, STEVEN STOLMAN AND JOHN KURDEWAN PHOTOGRAPHED BY BILL CUNNINGHAM

I just did a post to introduce you to Steven Stolman, please check it out. The co-author, John Kurdewan, Bill’s right hand man and a person who knew him best, was at his side when laying out those pages that drew us to the Style section of the New York Times each Sunday. One of the things I like about the book…..well several things…are the quotes from Bill, never one to mince words or thoughts….brilliant! In addition there are essays by Stolman and Kurdewan and the brilliant forward by the extraordinary artist Ruben Toledo.

Do we need yet another book on the uber talented Bill Cunningham, seeing this book…the answer, is again, a resounding yes, yes, we do! Full color photos, I really didn’t realize he did so much in color and I followed him like I was in a cult! He chronicled not only the social functions but street fashion and current and upcoming trends without regard to where it was coming from. Of course, he covered all the fashion weeks as well as Haute Couture. His was a totally original eye! The book is divided into categories each begins with a quote from Bill. He indeed had a eye like no one else and when he saw a color, a silhouette, a pattern more than once he would see what else was out there with those themes….brilliant. He saw tends before they became trends. He seemed to be everywhere in New York on his bicycle and in his blue Frenchman’s work top. I had the wonderful experience of working with him for Fashion Group events when he was designing millinery as well as spending time, off camera, visiting New York’s museums and landmarks and enjoy his running commentary on everything that interested him…..good times!

A quote from Bill in the book…”I let the street talk to me. I try to find what’s honestly there….I just enjoy life and enjoy what I do”. Bill Cunningham, July 19, 2015

The invitation…details of this special Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum event…book now…it’s an event you won’t wait to miss!

Please note date change:

March 16, 2022
Woman’s Athletic Club of Chicago
626 Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

VIP and general receptions 5:30 p.m.
Program 6:30 p.m.
Wine & hors d’oeuvre will be served

Join the Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum for a presentation on the book Bill Cunningham Was There by its authors. The five-star book follows the famed New York Times photographer who chronicled society and fashion with his images of the vibrant events of spring and summer. Guests will enjoy a presentation by the one of the book’s coauthors: Steven Stolman, design and entertaining icon.

Sponsors and Costume Council Patron members are invited to attend a VIP meet-and-greet book signing with the authors preceding the event.

Reservations are limited, so don’t hesitate to purchase your ticket!

Due to Covid, this event has been postponed to Wednesday, March 16.Purchase Tickets

Co-Chairs: Gabriela Cleveland & Pauline Kurtides Sheehan

Proper attire required; athletic apparel and denim are not permitted.

Event attendees are welcome to purchase additional signed books for $40 apiece. If you wish to do so, please contact Nell McKeown at mckeown@chicagohistory.org or 703-403-1482.

Questions? Contact Nell McKeown, Development Events Manager, at mckeown@chicagohistory.org.

The Chicago History Museum and Woman’s Athletic Club of Chicago are following all state and local Covid-19 guidelines. Masks will be required when not eating or drinking. Learn more about the Museum’s safety policies and procedures.

Photos courtesy of Steven Stolman.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

December 31, 2021nenasnotes5 Comments

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

December 24, 2021nenasnotes2 Comments

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27

November 26, 2021November 26, 2021nenasnotesLeave a comment

I have asked my friends to share their favorite local spots and started a series of Independent neighborhood businesses a couple of weeks ago and since tomorrow is Small Business Saturday I wanted to continue that theme today with my neighborhood. There is a tiny district on the Near North Side of Chicago called Streeterville, I’m going to concentrate on the area which sits just East of The Magnificent Mile. Let’s look at its “folkloric” history…it’s quite a story!

An article published in The Chicago Tribune in 1988.
“Streeterville is now a posh lakefront area bounded by Lake Michigan to the north and east and, roughly, Rush Street to the west and the Chicago River to the south. But 100 years ago, it was a wasteland that gave rise to pitched battles and legal skirmishes between the authorities and the eccentric man who gave it his name, “Cap” George Wellington Streeter.
Streeter served a spell in the Civil War before embarking on a colorful career as showman, circus promoter and Mississippi steamboat operator. Coming to Chicago in July, 1886, he bought a rickety old schooner, called it the Reutan and made frequent excursion trips between the city and Milwaukee. During one of those trips, a fierce storm led his passengers to take the train instead of the Reutan back to Chicago, leaving Streeter; his wife, Maria; and several crew members to sail on through the storm until, late at night, the boat ran aground just north of Chicago Avenue.
At daybreak, the captain found himself on a sandy, barren stretch of shore land. Judging it to be an ideal place, he and his wife decided to stay put, making their stranded boat their home and receiving permission from N. Kellogg Fairbank, the wealthy businessman who owned the land, to remain there until their boat was fixed.
At what is now the Northwestern University downtown campus, Streeter built a shack, named the surrounding area the “Deestrict of Lake Michigan” and, from an office he opened in the Tremont Hotel at the corner of Lake and Dearborn Streets, sold parcels of it to gullible buyers. The area, he said, owed allegiance only to the federal government, basing his claim on an 1821 military survey, squatters’ rights and some dubious documents allegedly signed by President Grover Cleveland.
Offended by Streeter’s shabby shack and his land-grabbing scheme, his lakeshore neighbors began to take steps to get him out of potentially valuable lakefront property. In July of 1888 five constables came with an eviction order but were driven off at gunpoint. The next month several officers in a surprise visit caught the rifle-toting Streeter off guard. “Now we gotcha,” said one officer triumphantly. But just as they were about to lead him away, Maria emerged and threw boiling water from a kettle at the bluecoats. Streeter then grabbed his rifle and sent the lawmen fleeing.
Another time, Streeter’s self-appointed “military governor,” William Niles, fired several shots at the buggy of a police captain. The next day a contingent of 500 officers came to arrest the old man once and for all, but the officers were met by an “army” of hobos and squatters who tried to repel the attack with rocks, stones and clubs. Streeter was eventually arrested, but he was released the following day because, according to historian Emmett Dedmon, firing at a police officer was not then considered a crime.
Two years later Streeter was found guilty of killing John Kirk, a night watchman, for allegedly trespassing. After serving his nine-month sentence in the Joliet penitentiary, he went right back to his shanty, and the struggle to evict him began all over again.
By then Streeter’s Deestrict had become a favorite watering hole for a number of Chicagoans seeking to quench their thirst with booze supplied from his shack – even on Sundays. Invoking Sunday closing laws, Mayor Bill Thompson ordered a raid that ended up with the police seizing hundreds of beer bottles and burning the shack to the ground. “This here is an outrage,” said Streeter. “It’s worse than the Kaiser ever did. I’ll have the law on ’em.”
Streeter then turned to the courts to win legal recognition of his claims to his Deestrict, continuing his struggle until he died of pneumonia, at age 84, on January 24, 1921.
Picking up the fight, his second wife, Elma (Marie died in 1903), in 1924 filed a claim of a billion dollars against 1,500 lakeshore property owners for the loss of what by then had become known as Streeterville. By the time she died in 1936, many other Streeter heirs had also submitted their own claims. Not until 1940 did Streeter’s fight finally end when the last of the claims were dismissed in federal court.”
*_{from Chicago Tribune Magazine, “Way We Were” section, Dec. 18, 1988, by June Sawyers}*

streeter boat — An article published in The Chicago Tribune in 1988.
“Streeterville is now a posh lakefront area bounded by Lake Michigan to the north and east and, roughly, Rush Street to the west and the Chicago River to the south. But 100 years ago, it was a wasteland that gave rise to pitched battles and legal skirmishes between the authorities and the eccentric man who gave it his name, “Cap” George Wellington Streeter.
Streeter served a spell in the Civil War before embarking on a colorful career as showman, circus promoter and Mississippi steamboat operator. Coming to Chicago in July, 1886, he bought a rickety old schooner, called it the Reutan and made frequent excursion trips between the city and Milwaukee. During one of those trips, a fierce storm led his passengers to take the train instead of the Reutan back to Chicago, leaving Streeter; his wife, Maria; and several crew members to sail on through the storm until, late at night, the boat ran aground just north of Chicago Avenue.
At daybreak, the captain found himself on a sandy, barren stretch of shore land. Judging it to be an ideal place, he and his wife decided to stay put, making their stranded boat their home and receiving permission from N. Kellogg Fairbank, the wealthy businessman who owned the land, to remain there until their boat was fixed.
At what is now the Northwestern University downtown campus, Streeter built a shack, named the surrounding area the “Deestrict of Lake Michigan” and, from an office he opened in the Tremont Hotel at the corner of Lake and Dearborn Streets, sold parcels of it to gullible buyers. The area, he said, owed allegiance only to the federal government, basing his claim on an 1821 military survey, squatters’ rights and some dubious documents allegedly signed by President Grover Cleveland.
Offended by Streeter’s shabby shack and his land-grabbing scheme, his lakeshore neighbors began to take steps to get him out of potentially valuable lakefront property. In July of 1888 five constables came with an eviction order but were driven off at gunpoint. The next month several officers in a surprise visit caught the rifle-toting Streeter off guard. “Now we gotcha,” said one officer triumphantly. But just as they were about to lead him away, Maria emerged and threw boiling water from a kettle at the bluecoats. Streeter then grabbed his rifle and sent the lawmen fleeing.
Another time, Streeter’s self-appointed “military governor,” William Niles, fired several shots at the buggy of a police captain. The next day a contingent of 500 officers came to arrest the old man once and for all, but the officers were met by an “army” of hobos and squatters who tried to repel the attack with rocks, stones and clubs. Streeter was eventually arrested, but he was released the following day because, according to historian Emmett Dedmon, firing at a police officer was not then considered a crime.
Two years later Streeter was found guilty of killing John Kirk, a night watchman, for allegedly trespassing. After serving his nine-month sentence in the Joliet penitentiary, he went right back to his shanty, and the struggle to evict him began all over again.
By then Streeter’s Deestrict had become a favorite watering hole for a number of Chicagoans seeking to quench their thirst with booze supplied from his shack – even on Sundays. Invoking Sunday closing laws, Mayor Bill Thompson ordered a raid that ended up with the police seizing hundreds of beer bottles and burning the shack to the ground. “This here is an outrage,” said Streeter. “It’s worse than the Kaiser ever did. I’ll have the law on ’em.”
Streeter then turned to the courts to win legal recognition of his claims to his Deestrict, continuing his struggle until he died of pneumonia, at age 84, on January 24, 1921.
Picking up the fight, his second wife, Elma (Marie died in 1903), in 1924 filed a claim of a billion dollars against 1,500 lakeshore property owners for the loss of what by then had become known as Streeterville. By the time she died in 1936, many other Streeter heirs had also submitted their own claims. Not until 1940 did Streeter’s fight finally end when the last of the claims were dismissed in federal court.”
*_{from Chicago Tribune Magazine, “Way We Were” section, Dec. 18, 1988, by June Sawyers}*

I have always loved this story! Now within this unique part of Chicago are many landmarks but also small shops, restaurants, a local library in the historic Water Works which also houses The Lookingglass Theater, https://www.lookingglasstheater.org which is now presenting HER HONOR JANE BYRNE. Take a stroll through Seneca Park and Eli M. Schulman Playground, just renovated, visit the unique gift shop at The Museum of Contemporary Art, and the SOAR Farmer’s Market every Tuesday from May through October….the list goes on and on…..

An interesting stop I wanted to feature today is SPACE 519 and THE LUNCHROOM, located at 200 East Chestnut Street. There is always something exciting going on in this carefully curated store featuring the newest trends in women’s clothing and accessories, a green apothecary, unique home goods, books, and fabulous gifts. The owners, Lance Lawson and Jim Wetzel, partners in business and life, know exactly what works for their clientele and share their taste perfectly with them. A personal touch is essential to Lance and Jim and is obvious in their expertly trained staff. A true specialty shop, based on European-style boutiques, the gentleman travel the globe to find exclusive items to share with their loyal followers. There is always something special happening, personal appearances by designers, book signings and other special events many exclusive to the shop. Add to the mix the extraordinary, charming 40 seat restaurant, THE LUNCHROOM, it is THE place to see and be seen for, breakfast, lunch and brunch or plan a special get together. The wine list, another carefully curated collection, is also noteworthy (my favorite the Sancerre, yum!). The menu features locally sourced ingredients, vegetable based and is California style…the bakery goods are extraordinary. THE LUNCHBOX was added during the Pandemic and continues for grab and go items. One of my favorites featured on the menu is the Pimento Cheese Spread, featured below. And did I mention the always abundant florals….exquisite.

And, of course, one of my favorite gifts, to me very personal, is a gift card. https://www.space519.com

Please support your local independent businesses throughout the year, now more than ever they need us and we need their creativity, their exclusives, their personal attention and service. It’s a great way to keep our City (and Cities throughout the States) vibrant and, obviously, in business…let’s not lose the individuality of these stores, restaurants, booksellers and charming, sometimes hidden, gems of our wonderful neighborhoods!

A reminder this is not a sponsored post, I don’t have sponsors.

A HAPPY THANKSGIVING GREETING!

November 25, 2021nenasnotesLeave a comment

UNIQUE HOLIDAY GIFTS PART 1: BRINDILLE PERSONALIZED HOLIDAY BASKETS AND HOLDAY TEAS

November 23, 2021November 23, 2021nenasnotesLeave a comment

I will be posting unique, one of a kind experiences to celebrate the holidays in Chicago and begin by featuring the creativity of the Uber talented Chef Carrie Nahabedian. Each meal at Brindille is an occasion to remember and the exquisite creative menu experience is enhanced by the service, the wine and the unbelievable friendliness of Chef Carrie and the impeccable staff….where the front of house and wine program are supervised by co-owner, cousin, Michael Nahabedian.

Chef Carrie was always a huge supporter of many of the charity events I planned at Saks Fifth Avenue, Chicago when I featured the top Chicago Chefs and their restaurants. The Chefs did their own table decor, always quite elaborate, along with tastings of their signature dishes. I would say to them, “This isn’t a competition”, to which they answered…”To us it is”! But always a friendly camaraderie, their presentations were spectacular and made the events!

Personalized Holiday Gift Baskets…I asked, how does a person personalize their baskets this year…..

“Each basket is custom made based on your request. Simply, send us the profile of the recipient, their preferences and we will curate a basket that will be sure to impress friends, family, co-workers and loved ones!”

A quote from Chef/Co-Owner Carrie Nahabedian on the Gift Baskets on how they came about and an example on what one can find in their baskets….

“I am a traveler in my heart and was Inspired by the hampers from London and Paris food halls––these beautiful baskets are filled with Epicurean delights, and adorned with festive holiday decorations.”

“Examples of what can be in each personalized basket that range in price from $250-$1500: Jams, confitures, chocolates, cookies, White Alba and French Black Perigord Truffle products, Greek EVOO, honeys, hot chocolate, nut spreads, Locally sourced Farmstead items and cheeses, crackers, vinegars, preserved fruits in alcohol and syrups, Holiday Panettone, candied nuts, maple syrup, Satsuma mandarin oranges, Dried fruits, charcuterie, Jambon de Bellota, mustards, Medjool dates, Hand batched cocktails, vermouths, and wines”.

In addition….how about a unique Holiday experience when… “Brindille kicks off French Afternoon Tea, in honor of Marcellas Reynolds: Author of Supreme Models and (just released) Supreme Actresses. Enjoy a beautiful afternoon of delicious frivolities, as Marcellas shares his inspiration behind writing his two acclaimed books. Vogue named Supreme Models “one of the nine best fashion books of 2019” and Town and Country named Supreme Actresses “one of October 2021’s best books”. We are thrilled to welcome our friend and Chicago native into our home for this two day event. Grab a reservation today and spend a day with Marcellas as he shares his personal inspiring story along with witty anecdotes from his “behind the scenes” adventures. Both books will be available for purchase along with a signing…this is a special event you won’t want to miss!”

Details:
December 10th + 11th: 2p-5p
Arrival: 1:45p | Conversation: 2:30p
Pre-Paid Event on Open Table: $90: excludes tax + tip

Questions: brindillechicago@gmail.com | 312-595-1616
…save-the-date for their upcoming Festive Holiday Teas:
December 17 + 18
Sunday, December 19th: Takeaway tea | $70 pp for pick up between 10-12p.

I have always enjoyed my visits to Brindille and put the Holiday Teas at the top of my annual Holiday tradition list….I hope you will too. (As usual this is not a sponsored post, I don’t have sponsors!!!!). The photos are courtesy of Brindille.

HOLIDAY COOKIES 2021 EDITION PART 2

November 22, 2021nenasnotesLeave a comment

More goodies to add to your Cookie Collection…..

FROM TOM MANTEL, HIS MOTHER’S RECIPE

Lebkuchen

Bring to a boil and cool 1 cup honey

Stir in:

¾ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

Sift together:

2 ¾ cup flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg

Stir into honey sugar mixture

Mix in:

1/3 cup chopped citron

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Put in jelly roll pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes in 350 degreeoven

Score into squares while hot

While hot glaze with lemon glaze

Beat 1 egg white slightly add 1 ½ cup sifted powdered sugar & 1 TBSP lemon juice beat until smooth.

THOMAS O’GORMAN’S BISCOTTI DI NATALE

BISCOTTI DI NATALE
My favorite Christmas Cookie is a Biscotti flavored with anise seeds and anise extract, pistachio nuts and dried cranberries.
It’s a delightful combination of flavors that reminds me of my childhood Christmases. It’s festive looking as well.
It’s baked twice at 350 degrees, once in 3 log forms for 30 minutes and once after cooling for ten minutes and
cutting diagonally into 1-inch thick slices for 10 – 15 minutes.

They will keep in an airtight container 1 week or frozen 1 month. So delicious!

The ingredients are:

4 1/2 cups flour,
1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon anise extract
1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
egg wash

Christmas in Italy doesn’t end at New Years. It goes deep into January. Decorations don’t disappear. You really get to engage the festive beauty of the season from the Vatican to small precious churches. These anise biscotti reveal the grandeur of Christmas Holy Season for me. And I treasure the memory-ladened mystery they always reveal.

Two more to add to our growing collection…..I can do a Part 3…..just saying…..

HOLIDAY COOKIES 2021 EDITION

November 20, 2021November 20, 2021nenasnotes5 Comments

I have, once again this year, asked some of my friends to share their favorite holiday cookie recipes. I am sharing them as they were sent to me. There is still time to send me your favorite….I can do 2021 PART 2!

My Mom, Ruthy, and I made Christmas cookies for many, many years and I have saved recipes since I was a child…many clipped from magazines and now from the Internet using my New York Times Food App…love it! In addition, I collect cookbooks and have amassed a great variety…I am as eclectic in my book collections as I am in the objects in my home! Here is one from the 1950’s that has many of the cookies we included each year

We did dozens of cookies each Christmas for our holiday entertaining, trays for parties at work and tins full for gift giving. We looked forward to this tradition each year and added new ones to our tried and true favorites.

I’ll start with one of my most favorites….LIZZIES….I still make these each year along with RUSSIAN TEA CAKES….both last a long time if you can resist stuffing them into your mouth!!!!

LIZZIES
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups raisins
1/2 cup bourbon
4 cups pecan halves
3 cups candied cherries
1/3 pound diced candied lemon peel (optional)

Instructions
Soak fruits in bourbon at least 1 hour to plump.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
Cream butter, gradually adding sugar and eggs. Add dry ingredients, then fruit and nuts. Mix well.
Drop from teaspoon onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

CANDACE JORDAN Mouse Cookies

When we lived in Old Town, we hosted yearly Christmas parties. My neighbor Stefani Turken, made these cookies and when she brought them in, I fainted they were so cute! They were darn tasty too but it was hard for me to eat these little works of art. Anyway, if I had a favorite cookie, this would be the one!

Preparation Time–1 hr

Cooking Time -27 min

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
2 cups flour
1 cup finely ground pecans
¼ teaspoon salt
Chow mein noodles
Mini-chocolate chips
Sliced almonds

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar; beat until combined. Mix in flour, pecans and salt.
Shape dough into 1-inch ovals, tapering one end. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; insert noodle at tail end and 2 almonds about 1/3 of the way from pointed end for ears. Return to oven; bake until slightly browned, about 12 minutes.
Remove from oven; immediately place 2 chocolate chips in front of ears for eyes. (Chocolate will melt slightly and stick to cookie.) Dust mice bodies with confectioners’ sugar. Cool on wire rack.

PAMELLA CAPITANINI Italian Cannoli Cookies ! makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

1 cup chopped pistachios
1 10 ounce bag mini chocolate chips divided
1 cup unsalted butter softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest – optional
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups all purpose flour

Instructions

Number One, In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs then ricotta cheese until well combined then mix in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and fresh orange zest.
Number Two, Next, mix in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Mix in the flour. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips and the pistachios. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
Number Three, Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease.
Number Four, Using a medium cookie scoop or spoon, drop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough for each cookie leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
Number Five, Bake cookies at 375 degrees F for about 8-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool slightly then move to wire racks to cool completely.
Number Six, Microwave remaining chocolate chips on high in a small microwave safe bowl in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Spoon melted chocolate into a small resealable bag, clip one corner slightly, then drizzle melted chocolate over cookies. Let cool for chocolate to set.

AMY AND CLODAGH LAWLESS OF THE DEARBORN….FROM JULIANNA WESTGOR, THE DEARBORN PASTRY CHEF DE CUISINE

BARBARA VARRO FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

I don’t know about you but I need to get my supplies and get baking…..ENJOY!

THE HOLIDAYS PART 1

November 19, 2021nenasnotes7 Comments

Marshall Fields Walnut Room Tree, many years ago

This years’s Walnut Room Tree Macy’s 2021

Tomorrow begins the traditional Chicago, and the Chicago area, Holiday celebrations returning from their hibernations….first up the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival for its 30th Anniversary…did you know that Saks Fifth Avenue, Chicago started the tradition of lighting the trees many years before when they first were discovered and the tiny lights brought to Chicago by Mr. Silvestri from Italy and shared with Saks Visual Display Director, Joe Kreis.

Can that be possible? Let’s take a brief look back even further to see where it all began. I was sitting in the office of the General Manager of Saks Fifth Avenue, Hal Clyne, in a meeting with the Display Director (would now be called Visual Merchandising Director), Joe Kreis, discussing the upcoming Holiday season. At the time, and for many years, I managed the Holiday Boutique which housed the best of the best of the Store’s merchandise that I personally edited and styled for the shop. It started the day after Thanksgiving and went away on Christmas Eve. Joe was very excited about new information he had just received. He used a display company to buy props and have props made for the many windows we had on Michigan Avenue (the Store was then located on Michigan Avenue and Erie Street it moved to 700 North Michigan Avenue in 1990). The company was Silvestri. Joe and Mr. Silvestri were fast friends and Mr. Silvestri had told him about a discovery he had made while in Italy. Strings of tiny lights… At the time we had a lighted outline of a Christmas tree that went from the main floor to the fifth floor (the addition hadn’t been built). This tree was sold to Charles A. Stevens on State Street. What Joe wanted to do was festoon the elm trees in front of the Store with these lights….well the rest, as they say, is history, to say the least! Hal said go for it although he hesitated about the cost if memory serves me correctly, each tree was around $250, but it might have been less. The year, 1959!!!!

The Chicago Tree is brilliant in Millennium Park….