By Liz Armstrong | Photographs by Jim Newberry

FOR THIS ISSUE, the first filter we applied was hometown pride: we presented a vast collection of garments and accessories by Chicago designers to four local stylists and asked them to concoct outfits for six models, all of whom are artists working in the city. The stylists did what professional stylists do, developing fantastical narratives for their models, thinking about who their characters were and what they might be up to, and clothing them accordingly. Which, if you think about it, is just an extreme version of what anyone with style does every day. Click an outfit to get started.

We’ve also included a directory of where to buy each designer’s goods (so if you wake up one morning feeling a little goddess-of-the-hunt and a little gothloli, at least you’ll have a place to start) and a roundup of select official and unofficial events happening this week in conjunction with the second annual Fashion Focus Chicago, a city-sponsored 12-day run of industry workshops, shopping events, student displays, and runway shows intended to bolster the local fashion business. We’re all for that, but we know that to support local fashion, you first need local style.

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