Happy Halloween from Très Awesome

RAWR!!!! Can you guess what personal style blogger is behind this tiger mask?

I'll give you a couple of hints:
1. She's relatively new to Chicago by way of Indianapolis
2. The initials of her blog are I.Y.S.S

Give up? Don't worry, all will be revealed later this week when I post more pics of her sans tiger mask. In the meantime help yourself to some candy corn and drink in the awesomeness that is this photo.

Chicago Street Fashion: Alyssa Rae Hoffman

I caught up with Alyssa at the Free People store in Wicker Park this weekend. I stopped by to capture some Free People looks for an upcoming street style guest blogger post on the Free People Blog BLDG 25. Alyssa looks pretty incredible here in her linen over-sized coat and textured scarf from Free People (of course!). Also the jack-o-lantern background couldn't be more perfect for this Halloween day post.

New York Street Style: Sassy Lass

This animal print floppy hat is so cool on her. Taken all together this is a ramshackle outfit that manages to look elegant and effortless, which is no easy feat. Another one from the vaults, this New York street style fashion was captured at fashion week in September.

Chicago Street Fashion: Ellie Goulding

This photo was orginally published on Elle.com

I was reviewing my photos the other day and happened upon this beautiful photo of Ellie Goulding that I took at Lollapalooza.  Even though I snapped this photo back in August she looks like she's ready for Fall.

I'm a HUGE fan of this outfit in particular and Ellie's personal style in general. Her clothes are quietly expressive and artful in a way that feels authentic. She's wearing a Peter Jensen sweater, Burberry trousers and Doc Martens.

Chicago Street Fashion: Cory

I spotted darling Christopher outside of Hermes on Oak Street this weekend. I'm in  love with his androgynous layered look.

Cory is also our look of the week on facebook. Go  check out his entire outfit and while you're there like us to keep up with all the latest in Chicago street style fashion.

This image was captured in the Gold Coast.

Topshop and Très Awesome Love Boobies

In case you haven't heard it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Roughly 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop  breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. Organizations like Bright Pink aim to change that through education and awareness programs for high-risk individuals, which I happen to be one of. My Father's Mother Eve lost her battle with Ovarian Cancer in the 60's before I was even a glimmer in my parent's eyes, and my Aunt Lexi died of Breast Cancer in the early 90s at the age of 40. So to raise awareness and support for the cause we teamed up with Topshop stylist extraordinaire Mellissa Muoio who created three very pink head-to-toe Topshop looks for us to capture.

Chicago Street Fashion: Elena

Elena is a shop girl at American Apparel and is absoloutely stunning here with her burgundy lipstick and mini side braid.  I'm in love with the fall color palette of this photograph, although I took it in 80 degree weather  during the eerily long Indian Summer we just experienced.

This Chicago street style fashion was captured in Wicker Park.

Chicago Street Fashion: Simon Doonan

Self described Bon Vivant Simon Doonan  of Barneys New York strikes a pose for me outside of the Chicago Oak Street location over the weekend. Ever quotable two of my favorite quips were on the paparazzi like flavor that overtakes street style at fashion weeks "Unlike Chicago you don't have to buy someone a Whitman sampler if you want to take their picture" And on the state of fashion intellegentsia and bloggers: "wearing a pair of yellow shoes does not make you an interesting person, that is of course unless you've just murdered someone in them".

The Eye Has to Travel by Lisa Immordino Vreeland

Lisa Immordino Vreeland looks beautiful here in her leather pleated skirt and big black scarf. She was in town last weekend for her screening of the film Diana Vreeland: The Eye has to Travel at the Chicago International Film Festival If you missed the two screenings have no fear,  the film has been picked up by a major distributor and will be in select theaters in the coming year.

I caught her at Barney's where she was signing the book she had written by the same name. For those of you thinking about writing a book and making a movie at the same time, Lisa has some sage words of advice for you "Don't do it". Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel is available at Barneys and on Amazon.

Chicago Street Fashion: Kimberly

Kimberly looks beautiful here with her platinum blonde to pink faded hair and Marc by Marc Jacobs head-to-toe ensemble (she's a shop girl there). This is the second time Kimberly has been on Très Awesome, check out the photo I took of her last winter.

This Chicago street style fashion was captured in Bucktown.

Blogger Spotlight: Martha Williams of Bike Fancy

Martha Williams is the very talented photographer behind the street style blog Bike Fancy. She looks stunning here in this eye popping palette of orange and purple. Bike Fancy features fashionable people and their bikes in different neighborhoods throughout the city. It's a unique blend of bike culture, style and personality, with the best name ever. If you aren't already following Bike Fancy, do it immediately, you won't be sorry.

Instagram Jewelery Collages: Painted Ladies

Here at Très Awesome we've been getting back to our roots and creating some good old fashioned art work. It seems like a lifetime ago, but my main medium used to be drawing, painting and collage. Now that I am a street style photographer, it feels nice to actually create something from scratch. Although I wasn't thinking about Lanvin at the time I made these they are clearly related to the work Elbar Albaz was doing last season as well as modernist painters such as Picasso and Braque.

Come follow me on Instagram for more collages as well as street style outtakes, pics from the road and bonus content. My username is tresawesome (of course!)

Chicago Street Fashion: Noelle Sharp of Aporta

This photo of Noelle was originally published on Elle.com

Noelle Sharp is the textile designer and artist behind the fabulous knit accessories line Aporta She also makes wonderful art objects that you can check out on her personal portfolio site. 

This isn't Noelle's first Rodeo. With style like her's it's no surprise that she's been on the site before, wearing Aporta of course! (See her photos from last winter on Très Awesome)

I love the bold and delicate design of Noelle's scarf. It looks great with her patterned romper and is available online at (alongside all kinds of other wonderful things). Also can we talk about her tiny critter spine necklace?!?! It's out of this world cool.

This Chicago street style fashion was captured in Millennium Park

Chicago Street Fashion: Kevin

Three words. Stone. Cold. Fox. Additionally, rad hair cut.

This Chicago Street Style Fashion was captured in Wicker Park.

Simon Doonan invites you to a Diana Vreeland Book Signing at Barneys

Diana Vreeland was the editor in chief of Harpers Bazaar and later on Vogue. According to Photographer Richard Avedon she basically invented the profession we now recognize as fashion editor. Previously, the fashion editor was "a society lady putting hats on other society ladies." Vreeland, on the other hand, felt that "to-day only personality counts . . . I do not believe we should put in [the magazine] so-called society, as it is démodé and practically doesn't exist . . . but ravishing personalities are the most riveting things in the world -- conversation, people's interests, the atmosphere that they create round them -- these are the things that I feel are worth putting in any issue." (from New York Magazine)

I received a big beautiful Diana Vreeland coffee table book for my Bat Mitzvah many moons ago  which I used to obsessively pour over (as you can see from the condition, this puppy got a lot of use). The images and woman behind the book enchanted me. It was my first glimpse into the world of high fashion, growing up as a kid in South Bend, Indiana.

Because the Vreeland legend was such an integral part of my fashion  development it makes it doubly exciting for me to announce that Lisa Immordino Vreeland's documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye has to Travel will be screened as part of The Chicago International Film Festival. Also the author and film maker will be signing copies of her book by the same name at a reception on the main floor of Barney's New York on Oak Street in the Gold Coast this Saturday.

The movie will be screened later that evening at 7:15 and also on Tuesday at 3:30 pm. Do we have a date or what?!

Buy tickets here

Chicago Street Fashion: Gordana Rasic

Gordana Rasic is the designer behind the line GOCA. She is one of my favorite people to photograph. Such a sophisticated and evolved sense of style.

This Chicago street style fashion was originally published on Elle.com.

Chicago Street Fashion: Brittany Southworth LaFlamme

Brittany's back! Delightful Ms. LaFlamme has graced the pages of Très Awesome several times(here and here) with her quirky yet elegant looks. This photo was originally published on Elle.com. 

This Chicago street style fashion was captured in the Loop.

TOMS Eyewear is Très Awesome

On the heels of it's very successful 1-for-1 shoe campaign (pun very much intended) TOMS has launched an eyewear line with the same premise. For every pair of sunglasses purchased TOMS provides a pair of prescription glasses or sight saving eye surgery to someone in need.

Our lovely intern Jackie looks super cool in these Classic light blue frames. 

I'm also loving her faux metal collar and leapord print shirt. Altogether a great outfit.

The color blocking on these frames is a nice and unexpected detail.
Watch this moving video to learn exactly how the One for One program works.

Chicago Street Style: Jazmine

I ran into  Jazmine this afternoon as she was rushing back to work at Bloomingdale's. She looks striking here with her short blonde hair and black layered ensemble. This is actually the second time Jasmine has appeared on Très Awesome. See her first look here.

The ruffled layers on the back of Jazmine's jacket are rad. I  love her use of texture to spice up this all black outfit.

Jazmine is our featured look on Facebook this week.  Go check out her photo and while your there, like our page.

This Chicago street style fashion was captured in the Gold Coast.

The Devils in the Details: Mixing Prints

By some miracle from God this outfit(with all it's wack-a-doodle components) is just perfect. Her Liberty of London print  button down looks right at home, and I've never seen someone wear these blue and white Minimal Baroque Prada Sunglasses so successfully. She looks happy, at ease and RADICAL.

I chased Marissa Gilman, Fashion Director at Helen Yi for almost two blocks in Chicago's Gold Coast to capture her splendid jacket.

Fabulous bold combinations at work here. The big block of yellow from her Proenza Schouler PS1 bag really ties this outfit together.

This New York street style (in addition to the first photo) were captured at Lincoln Center during New York Fashion Week Spring 2012