George Gonzalez, owner of George the Salon in River North (23 W. Hubbard St.) has had his hands in the hair of plenty of celebrities—most recently, Cindy Crawford’s brunette mane. I asked him to share how to duplicate the look at home, which deftly falls somewhere between iconic supermodel and girl next door:

To avoid frizz, Gonzalez says to dry hair from the top down, getting roots 70 percent dry before directing the dryer towards ends. Create a product cocktail combining a leave-in conditioner and a volumizing mousse and dry hair in two-inch sections using a medium round brush to smooth follicles while curling the ends. As each section is complete, roll the piece into a loose curl and secure with a clip. Once cooled, take down and use your fingers to gently shake out the style while misting with hairspray.

Or, let the pros handle the job. Book a styling session with Gonzalez ($75) by calling the salon at 312-923-9444.

As with many slightly dandy-ish fashion pieces—bow-ties, cufflinks, seersucker—I go back and forth on vests.

The right one, with the right fit, can be a showstopper. The wrong one, well, hello grandpa. Or worse, with the dreaded sweater vest, paging Rick Santorum, and could you please point me to the driving range?

The trick is to pick the right cut, the right pattern, and—apologies to the ab-challenged—have the right frame. Vests can be unforgiving, especially when they’re too tight.

Those caveats aside, this smart, urban-stylish waistcoat by John Varvatos, constructed of 55 percent linen and 45 percent cotton, has an all-over barstripe pattern, with vintage nickel zippers and five cordozo buttons running down the center for a look that’s edgy, not stodgy.

$198 at johnvarvatos.com

PHOTO: ANN PERRY DESIGNS

The Tulip apron: Too pretty for greasy hands.

I spent this past Sunday morning soaking up the sunshine and perusing booth upon booth of covetable wares at the inaugural Chicago Flea MKT.

When a bright wrap skirt caught my eye, I hightailed it over to Chicago-based Ann Perry Designs’ booth for a closer look. To my surprise (and temporary confusion), the skirt was backless—and not a skirt at all, but the world’s most stylish apron.

Would I finally make good on my resolution to cook dinner more often if it meant I got to accessorize with this tulip-shaped number? Maybe not.

But at least the apron would make me look fabulous when I answered the door for the delivery guy.      



$40 at annperrydesigns.com

Carried off with aplomb by everyone from Pablo Picasso to Jackie O, the classic striped Breton sailor’s shirt never goes out of style—and it looks to be especially popular this season. 



While dozens of different versions are available, from a boxy $30 number at L.L. Bean to a slim-cut $90 model from Petit Bateau, my favorite right now is this St. James for J. Crew tee. It’s the product of a collab between J. Crew and French company St. James, which has been making the originals for generations. 



The 100-percent cotton knit is neither too light nor too heavy, the cut neither too slim nor too loose. And the three-quarter-length sleeve is très French. While it comes in four colorways, get the ivory/navy (pictured): It goes with literally everything.

$90
 at J. Crew, 900 N. Michigan Ave., 312-751-2739

In my eyes, Phoebe Philo can do no wrong. Pretty much everything she does at Celine is perfection. Her intellectual, no-nonsense, minimalist clothes and accessories are timeless and effortless, which make them great for busy multi-tasking women (not surprising, given that she is a working mom herself).  

Recently, I decided that I should do away with my all purpose leather shoulder tote bag and find something that was still slouchy, but a little more structured with a closure that would hide my lack of organization from the eyes of the world. The first place I turned to was Celine and this beautiful leather bag came to my rescue.

If only Ms. Philo had an advice column too, as she always seems to have the answers.

$2,300 at Ikram, 15 E. Huron St.

Drew Barrymore has a new beauty line you’ve probably never heard of. No longer the face of Cover Girl, Barrymore created Flower, a modestly priced makeup line sold exclusively at Walmart. She’s forgoing in-your-face advertising campaigns and marketing tactics in favor of putting that cash straight into the product.

Take the Zoom-In Ultimate Mascara, for example. The adjustable brush allows you to twist the wand into a spiral shape to create volume, and then untwist to create length. That’s a neat trick packed into a $7.98 product.

In fact, every product in the Flower line is priced under $15, made in the USA, and never tested on animals. That, um, actually sounds pretty great.

$4.98-$13.98, Walmart.com

When it comes to fashion, I’m not often a fan of things that include the word “novelty” in the description. To me, this conjures images of fake vomit and adult store unmentionables. But I make an exception when it comes to cufflinks.

In the past, these little end-of-the-sleeve clasps were the domain of the stuffy—to be worn with French-cuffed shirts under suits only. Just like with bowties and gay marriage, however, attitudes have evolved. Today, casual cufflink-dependent shirts work great with jeans—no blazer required. This is where you can get creative, and where Mag Mouch (not to be confused with the Mag Mile) shines.

Whether you fancy a night at the symphony, at the poker table, or simply want to show your love for all things smart, the British company once known for spats, braces, and buttons has become the go-to destination for funky cuff bling.

As a sometimes fan of the ponies, I’d have no problem sporting these horse racing cufflinks. Packaged in Mag Mouch’s gorgeous signature tin, they’re handsome, comment-worthy, and, who knows, maybe even lucky.

$14 at Lord & Taylor or lordandtaylor.com

Yes, the mercury really reads 80-something today. I’ll bet that, like me, this stretch of faux-summer has you taking serious stock of your warm-weather wardrobe. Now is the time to figure out which key pieces you’ll need to be ready for barbecues, music festivals, and afternoons on Big Star’s patio.

One item I plan to add pronto: This tie-dye knit dress from Billabong.

If this summer is anything like last year’s seemingly endless scorcher, I’ll once again be living in roomy shift dresses that don’t cling when I’m glowing and—this is key—don’t resemble the dreaded muumuu. With a roomy (but not shapeless) fit, crochet detailing, and the handkerchief hem that seems to be the ticket in dresses this year, this frock has earned itself a space in my closet.

Now, onto the quest for footwear. Not that there’s a huge rush—rain in tomorrow’s forecast and highs in the 50s for the next several days mean there’s still plenty of time to shop before the real summer shows up. Sigh.

$60 at Billabong, Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave., 312-867-7249

Jewel neckline. Silk-satin fabric. Pleats. This fuschia dress ticks off all those “classic” boxes. Until you get to the hem. The touch of asymmetry—which results in a pleasing flutter when you walk—makes this Maison Martin Margiela dress something special.

In a sea of boring sheaths, you’ll stand out just the right amount.

$1,030 at Barneys New York, 15 E. Oak St., 312-587-1700

Every woman has the right to play out different sides of her persona through her wardrobe. Most days I tend toward the sleek and straightforward, but every once in a while there are super feminine collections that make me want to dress up ladylike and twirl around like a little girl. 

The Spring 2013 collection from Chloé was one of those heavenly collections that looked like it floated down from a cloud, with the kind of sheer fabrics, frills, and flounces that many young ladies dream about. 

This taffeta top is plenty girly, but the navy brings it in line with most of my wardrobe. I love it with the matching navy shorts, but I also imagine it with a flippy A-line skirt and, if I were to really dream, a matching silk parasol.

$1,995 at Neiman Marcus or neimanmarcus.com