The buzz around Chicago clothing line Creatures of the Wind–it will be featured in the March issue of W, which is, needless to say, a Big Deal–is thanks to some savvy marketing and networking (not to mention great talent) from designers Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters. Their rise is concurrent with an increasing interest in Chicago designers, thanks to Michelle Obama and Maria Pinto, although their path is their own.

Read more about the line and the designers in my story in this week’s Chicago Reader, available online here.

So I was sitting here mulling over good topics for January, but they all were so hackneyed, e.g., New Year, New You! Your 2009 Style Resolutions! And so on.

What I’d really like to address this year are the deep-seated beliefs and negative voices that keep people from really going for it, style-wise. You know–those voices that tell you that wearing that new purple dress to a dinner party is too dressy and will make you look like you’re showing off,  so you go with your usual, safe uniform of a nice top and pants instead. Or a memory of your mother telling you that wearing tight jeans makes you look like a hussy, so you still stick with the baggier versions even though they’re unflattering.

I’m not talking about not having the money for nice clothes or genuine physical characteristics that keep you from finding clothes, like if you’re bigger than a size 12 or have an extra-generous bosom. For some, the hurdles are more psychological in nature. For example, I’ve had clients nervous about the attention and comments their new look will get from office mates  or refuse to wear certain items because a family member made fun of their legs 20 years ago. Or they feel guilty about spending money on clothes when people are starving all over the world. Additionally, we Americans seem especially conflicted about clothes given the Puritanical nature of this country’s early history, not to mention the fashion industry’s worship at the altar of celebrity, thinness, and wealth.

Well, I don’t want to write a thesis–at least not here! What I would like to know are the negative thoughts that go through your head as you get dressed–the thoughts and beliefs that make you decide in favor of the safe black dress instead of the red one, keep the dramatic hats you adore stowed away in the closet, or stick with “sensible” clothes instead of the edgy ones you really lust after. Respond in the comments.

So you want to know what I thought about Michelle Obama’s inauguration outfits. As you already know from the post below, I am pretty impressed with the citrine Isabel Toledo dress and coat she wore to the ceremony. That is a tough color to pull off, but a great choice, both style-wise and symbolically. Yellow heralds hope, the sun, warmth. All things we need right now. I admit would not have paired the dress with teal shoes and green gloves, but she made it work. It looks like Michelle Obama is even more daring color-wise than I am. I probably would have gone with grey as an accent, or maybe a blue shade.

I didn’t get a look at her inauguration gown until yesterday, and on first glimpse I was concerned that it looked a little prom-y. But upon closer examination, I am really impressed with its sophistication. The crystals embedded in the dress twinkled subtly, and I’m a sucker for anything asymmetric, so I am very pro-one-shoulder strap. As everyone in the world knows by now, it was designed by a relative unknown named Jason Wu, from whom we shall all expect to see and hear more of in the near future.

But if you ask me, the real fashion showstopper was Aretha Franklin’s hat.

Now that is the kind of dramatic look we need to see more of.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the hat cost just $179 and is from a milliner in that city. Again, more proof that you don’t need to wear couture to make a fashion splash–just an eye for the dramatic and a lot of confidence.

According to the Today show this morning, Michelle Obama still has no idea what she is going to wear either to the inaugural ceremony or the balls. Instead, she’ll decide tomorrow morning–waiting until the last minute, as so many of us do. Unlike many of us, I’m sure she has a roomful of delicious dresses and gowns from adoring designers to choose from. Will she pick something by Chicago’s own Maria Pinto, or will she go with a more high-profile American designer? Whatever she picks, I am sure it will reflect her combination of down-to-earth style and a discerning eye for fashion.

Since Mrs. Obama has already brought so much attention to Chicago designers, I thought it would be interesting to ask another local designer what she would create for her to wear on Tuesday. Veronica Sheaffer is the design force behind Chicago women’s clothing label Coco Irene (the other half of the duo is business partner Taryn Parker), a line distinguished by romantic, vintagey details transposed onto contemporary contours.

Veronica came up with this extremely elegant yet modern fitted sheath featuring detachable train in back, which she calls “reminiscent of 60s Hollywood.” She chose the wide neckline to highlight Mrs. Obama’s “lovely neck and shoulders,” while the detailed seams around the bodice add a contemporary (even slightly edgy) touch. The fabric is a goldenrod damask, truly an unusual and eye-catching yet entirely appropriate choice.  Veronica calls it “royal and elegant,” two adjectives that can be applied to Mrs. Obama herself.

I love it. A beautiful design for the matriarch of the new First Family. Maybe Veronica and Taryn should send the sketch to the White House in case they need ideas for the next inauguration!

UPDATE: It looks like Veronica has her finger on the pulse! Mrs. Obama’s day dress is yellow and of a brocade fabric. It’s by the Cuban-American designer Isabel Toledo, and one report I saw said that it was not made for her but was actually bought at Ikram, the high-end Chicago designer boutique. More on Mrs. Obama’s inauguration fashion later.

I don’t suggest that clients shop for clothes at Target because it’s not usually the best use of their time. But of course I look around when I’m there. The one-off collections by major designers usually look good on the rack but I am rarely enamored enough of anything to purchase a piece. It’s the house brands that throw out the occasional keeper. Like this cream jacket!

Just $34.99!

I love the vintage look that the buttons and the lapels provide, as well as the texture.

The only drawback, in my mind, is that it doesn’t look as good unbuttoned as it does buttoned. If this were a designer piece or a higher-end brand, there would be a pleat in the back or some tailoring to keep it from gaping open. But for $34.99, I can live with it. Or I might fold over the fabric in back and fasten it with a brooch. I’m planning on wearing it over a burgundy dress with a belt, with a T-shirt and jeans, and with a nicer top and black wool wide-legged pants.

If you’d like one for yourself, I got it at the Target on Addison between California and Kedzie, and there were plenty left as of yesterday.

In the sunroom of my great-aunt Mimi’s Chicago bungalow hung an image of a Christmas tree made entirely from broken brooches, discarded earrings, and other assorted bits of costume jewelry–a creation of her sister, my great-aunt Alice. I used to stare at it for hours, entranced by the glittering rhinestones and glass gems.

I thought of Alice’s jewelry tree when I saw Broad Street, Chicagoan Sara Bradstreet’s line of jewelry, and decided to include some of her pieces in the Chicago Reader gift guide last month. She trolls vintage stores for old costume jewelry and melds pieces together to form arresting new pieces, especially chunky cluster necklaces that are like exquisite bouquets.

I decided I wanted one for myself and stopped by her north-side studio to pick it up. One room is filled with trinkets and chains, which cover every surface and fill several jewelry boxes. It’s like pirates’ booty–if pirates were interested in fake gold, silver, and jewels.

There are monogrammed lockets, flowers studded with faux pearls, giant glass “rubies.”

Sarah says that occasionally she has an idea in mind, but that she usually “lets the piece tell me what it wants to be.” Indeed, looking at some of the jewelry, you start to wonder where it came from and the bosoms it might have been perched on. No wonder the pieces seem to have definite opinions about where they want to be.

She’ll also do custom pieces and will work in pieces that you already have. It’s a great way to give renewed life to those old broken pins and mismatched earrings a lot of us have lurking in our jewelry collections.

The designer herself.

I planned on buying “Marina,” a necklace featuring a swirling snail’s shell and a scallop shell, but I ended up preferring one with a flower motif. It features a gold butterfly on top with delicate wings that stand up and wave gently with movement–just like a real one. I love the way it is slightly asymmetrical too.

My birthday present to myself.

Broad Street jewelry is available in Chicago at Wolfbait & B-girls, 3131 W. Logan Boulevard, and Salon Blonde, 1643 W. North, and online at Etsy. Please note that if you see something you like, you should grab it–they tend to sell quickly.

The must-have cell-phone accessory for any self-respecting fashionista is not a faceplate encrusted with Swarovski crystals but a ringtone that intones Vogue editrix Anna Wintour’s style dictums:

ringtone_wintourm (from Cityfile)

Now if someone could explain how to actually get it onto my Nokia phone, I’d be ever so grateful.

On the other hand, I might prefer one of the great quotes from this extremely envy-inducing story about Carine Roitfeld, the innately uber-chic editor of Paris Vogue. Maybe this one: “I do not like comfortable.” Or one of design icon Diana Vreeland’s legendary mots: “Pink is the navy blue of India.”

Some of my best tips for sales shopping are up on Pivot Boutique’s blog. There are some amazing deals at this terrific women’s clothing boutique, which specializes in clothes and accessories made with environmentally sustainable materials and processes–a Lara Miller top for $49 is a steal, trust me.

If you’re planning a visit to Europe this month, you may not get to enjoy the full experience of a long walk enjoying the greenery in the Borghese Gardens of Rome or the grounds of Versailles under a warm sun–but the annual sales might make up for the chilly weather and bare branches. The government-mandated sales period that starts in January and runs to about mid-February (there is another one in July) offers lots of chances to pick up super-chic clothes at a discount–which gets steeper as the weeks pass by. This is good news for Americans, who have been suffering from a low dollar for quite a while now.  Hotels also offer lower rates during this low season, and crowds are generally nonexistent at tourist sites. That might just be an incentive for you to snatch up a last-minute fare and head across the pond.

In Paris, I always check out the boutiques of my favorite French designers,  Isabel Marant in the gentrifying Bastille neighborhood (16, Rue Charonne) and Vanessa Bruno (my favorite location is at 25, rue St. Sulpice, a beautiful area for a stroll and “window-licking,” as the French say instead of “window shopping”). Colette (213, rue Saint-Honore), a bastion of cool and the prototype for “lifestyle boutiques” all over the world, is also a must. Check out this story in the New York Times for more info. If you go, bring back some macarons (I like the chocolate and salted caramel versions) from Pierre Herme for me!

In Italy my favorite store is probably Ethic, which offers unusually detailed or textured pieces at affordable prices. How I wish they offered online shopping! At the (much more) expensive end, I am a devotee of Marni, the appealingly girlish yet chic line by Consuelo Castiglioni. Stop by the flagship boutique in Milan’s “Golden Triangle,” a posh shopping neighborhood that’s home to the country’s most respected names in fashion.

Bon voyage!