It's been about a week since I did my last outfit post so I was happy when Albert suggested that we go for lunch at Longman & Eagle today in Logan Square. If you recall, Longman & Eagle is the hip restaurant that quoted me a 3 hour+ wait for my birthday dinner, ouch. I'd definitely recommend going at 12:30PM on a weekday as there was NO wait.Surprisingly it was sunny and cloudless here in Chicago, which felt great after weeks of gray skies, but unfortunately that meant harsh light for taking photos. Ah well, all photos can't be taken at the 'magic hour' right (the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset).
The above photo and the next four photos were taken in front of an amazing mural right by the Logan Square blue line stop, across from the street from the restaurant. Last week I also took outfit photos against a mural... do I see a trend here? The vibrant colors capture the creative spirit of the neighborhood.
There are a ridiculous amount of photos today, be sure to scroll all the way down to see them all! Have I been posting too many? I might start breaking pictures into 2 posts. Thoughts?
Albert decided it was too cold to take off his coat for pictures as it's still in the 40s here. Sadly I do not know his outfit details but he's rockin' that black trench coat.
OUTFIT DETAILS:1950s black & white gingham cotton dress: Wicker Park, Chicago vintage/consignment store1980s red leather skinny belt: A Chicago thrift store (has now closed)1950s red wool suit jacket: vintage store in Philadelphia1950s red hat w/bow & feathers: Brown Elephant thrift?? I've had this a while.1960s sunglasses: Chicago antique storeCelluloid Elephant Necklace: Not sure on the date, it's vintage and from a Chicago estate sale1950s (?)Rhinestone Elephant Pin: Evanston thrift storeRed suede t-straps: Urban Outfitters saleAs you can tell from some of these pictures this dress is a bit big on me but I really wanted to wear it today--will need to get it altered soon. Originally I wanted to accessorize it with green as I always default to red but 'the usual' won out. Since I have dark hair, red is always flattering on me and it especially POPS in photographs.
Longman & Eagle's menu features regional American fare utilizing local farm-to-table ingredients. They rotate their menu frequently, apparently sometimes daily according to their website (I imagine that the items will rotate out faster in the summer). They do upgrades on the classics like an eggs benedict made with peeky toe crab and dehydrated bacon, a breakfast egg sandwich topped with pig cheek (Albert tried this) and a sloppy joe made with wild boar meat. Pictured above was my delicious pork belly BLT. I opted to top it with an egg. It was quite tasty but unfortunately the flavor of the pork got smothered by their 'secret sauce', a white creamy concoction that looks suspiciously like tartar sauce. Next time I'll get that on the side!
Albert's paisley shirt looks vintage but has the modern comfort of COTTON rather than 1970s-era polyester. His mound of green salad obscured his Tete De Cochon egg sandwich.
I've never actually watched a movie at this theater, it screens second run commercial movies so admission is much cheaper than usual--I think it's $5? I love the old marquee and the neon signage above; the theater was actually built in 1915 but the sign looks to be from the 1930s.
Above, I'm tried doing a 'serious' expression but just ended up looking kind of angry, there's a reason I smile in most photos. Above I'm posing in front of the box office and below in front of one of my favorite movie posters, I was tempted to see Black Swan again!
When I moved to Chicago four years ago, Logan Square was a slightly gritty up and coming neighborhood. In the past year or so, however, it has transformed into a hip center for creative types. Despite the convenience of two blue line El stops, the neighborhood didn't have much in the way of restaurants, cafes or shops. New Wave Coffee (a 1980s themed coffee shop) and Lula Cafe (organic cafe) were pioneers of the area. Since then the area has exploded with the opening of The Boiler Room (pizza restaurant & bar), The Rocking Horse (pub), Longman & Eagle, Cafe Moustache (coffee), The Whistler (music venue/lounge), Rewster Cafe (casual French fare) and Revolution Brewing Company (they brew their own beer & serve American food).A lot of the smaller family owned businesses are still around and we decided I should pose in front of a few of them.
Albert & I found storefronts that represented both our heritages. Above, a kitschy Chinese take out restaurant, I loved how they had a photo menu in the window (if you're wondering I'm not Chinese but am half Filipino so can identify with the pan Asian American ethnicity). Albert has fond memories of his family's jewelry business, as represented by the joyeria we found a couple doors down.
By far the best store sign in the area is this crudely cut out red shoe. Sadly the shop has closed, I wonder who will get that piece of Logan Square folk art? If you're wondering, my kooky pose was Albert's idea. Surprisingly didn't get any weird comments on my behavior, one couple just remarked that I must be cold!
It's hard to see the details of my jewelry in the photos so I shot them on top of a 1960s children's book. The book has fun illustrations and is titled "Zeke the Zoo Keeper". The necklace is made out of a carved celluloid plastic, I think it's from the 1960s?
Another elephant, he's made of rhinestones and is from the 1950s. I've been mad for the animal shaped jewelry lately.
Speaking of animals, I spied this huge penguin statue in front of a sweet shop on the way back home. I'm not sure of its story but knew I wanted a picture with it!
Mr. Penguin is taller than me! I'm 5 foot 6 inches for reference and was wearing 3 inch heels. A BIG THANK YOU goes to Albert for taking all these photos of me!