Carol and Lauren of Second City Style
Second City Style’s coverage of February 2008’s New York Fashion Week was Fabulous! We wanted to catch up with Lauren to see what shes been up to…
Tell us a little bit about yourself…
Let’s see, I’m originally from Lewiston, NY which is near Niagara Falls. My parents still live in the same house I grew up in (which I love). I have been in love with clothes and fashion ever since I can remember. My favorite book as a little girl was “Ann Likes Red” which was about a red dress and a little girl’s obsession with the color red. I have not looked back since, even though I love many more colors now. I originally wanted to be a fashion designer, but could not draw the ideas in my head so I went to school for merchandising. Then I switched schools and degrees. I received my MBA with a concentration in marketing from Johns Hopkins University and spent years in marketing and then in technology marketing. However, I missed fashion and writing so I came back full circle. Carol Calacci and I launched Second City Style 2.5 years ago because we saw a need in Chicago. We were pretty short sided about the power and reach of the Internet though and are thrilled our site reaches much further than just the Midwest. Last May I married my New York City born and raised (and never leaving) husband and left the Windy City for the Big Apple. Carol and most of our staff remain in Chicago.
Tell us about Second City Style and how it got to the level it is right now.
As I mentioned, Second City Style started as a weekly published online magazine which we thought would be mostly about shopping and fashion in Chicago. We now get about 2 million readers per month. Within a year we added our blog which is updated several times a day. About a year and a half ago we also opened Second City Store which is an online store that sells and promotes wares from Indie designers. Most are from Chicago, but we are opening that up as well. How did we get to this level? Dedication and our fab group of contributing editors and writers! They are so supportive and inspirational. We love them and our readers. We tailor our site from the feedback.
We’ve seen all the coverage you did of New York Fashion Week’s fashion shows. What were your favorite and why?
Hmmmm, that’s a tough one. We loved Oscar de la Renta and Monique Lhuillier, but we always do! No surprise there. Some other faves were Ports 1961, Y & Kei, Carmen Marc Valvo and Marc Jacobs. I am continually amazed that the shows
I look forward to are usually the disappointments and the ones I could care less about usually pleasantly surprise me. I just love that. It keeps it interesting. I’m just glad you didn’t ask which ones we hated!
Did you see any emerging trends at the shows? On the streets?
Feathers and fur are the two that come immediately to mind! You would never know we are headed for a recession with this fashion week! Thank God! Who needs to be reminded? However, there were so many trends it was ridiculous (chunky sweaters, bubble skirts, belts, sweaters with chiffon, etc.). One thing we noticed…. pretty much every designer had one jumpsuit. Ew. On the streets or if you mean in the tents, well when it’s cold and raining outside it’s all about the coat, bag and shoes. I am always astonished by the women who teeter in 5 inch heels on the stone and cement at the tents. God bless them. I tried it one day last fall. I nearly died 
Did you attend any parties during fashion week?
I attended a few at the beginning and of course our own party we had with Papierdoll Magazine. We started a new series with them called “Meet the Designer.” It was packed and we had without a doubt, the BEST giftbag of all of Fashion Week! Then I sadly caught a death of a cold and missed any nightlife fun the last few days. I barely made the shows! I spent this past weekend home recovering. I’m feeling almost human now.
What’s next for Second City Style?
We are updating our e-zine and the store as we speak. We are also planning a Chicago event around the store and our designers this spring. Any excuse for me to get back to Chicago really. I miss it!
Thanks for chatting with us!
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