vive la femme

Greetings sassy shoppers on this glorious summer day! The sun is shining, the city is ablaze with things to do, and vive la femme is packed with weather-friendly options to keep you cute and cool.

As usual we have a slew of new dresses for your seasonal wardrobe that are the ultimate in summer chic. Check out this store of ruffle-front/babydoll frocks perfect for street fairs, casual dates, and al fresco dinners. We also brought in this adorable blouson dress in what is truly a stunning shade of emerald green…so cute with strappy sandals and a floral purse! We also have a ton of easy tees in soft summer shades with sweet and sassy detailing, and all of them are just adorable with a denim or solid color twill skirt. All of this order is limited in availability, so call or email if you likey likey.

We love dressing gals for office adventures! A crisp, tailored suit always comes in handy and this debut design from Lotis hits all the notes! Wear it for presentations, networking, or interviews for professional polish with pizzazz and finesse. For more relaxed offices, or to dress up a classic pair of black trousers, check out Gayla Bentley’s lightweight cropped jackets in a black op-art pattern, or her signature cheetah print. Always classic in tailoring with a delightfully Texan twist, GB’s jackets are not for the shy!

Our new Kathryn Kerrigan Shoe Boutique opened officially last night with a rousing soiree! This weekend we move right into sidewalk sale mode with lots of one-offs in a range of sizes 9-13. Check some of these styles out! Sidewalk shoes are priced between $20 and $69 CASH, no exceptions and please note they are a final sale.

We also brought in two new ballet flats, a simple black and a foxy pink! Please call or email for information about our new Kathryn Shoe Boutique, offering European footwear exclusively in sizes 9-13!

You can reach us at chicago@kathrynkerrigan.com or 773.235.7150.

vive la femme is also having a sidewalk sale, and we’re making room for new late summer and early fall styles, so stop by this weekend great plus-size deals and steals.

Summer salutations, sassy sunshine! We are pleased to report a ton of new shipments came in this week for your weekend shopping pleasure. Without further ado…

vive la femme welcomes, Lotis Clothing, a new line out of Canada! Owned by two fabulous young ladies, this range of mix-and-match pieces is a spot-on mix of downtown and darling. Check out this faux wrap dress with a matching belt…oh, I LOVE this! And here is a darling sheath dress in a superfun vintagey pattern with all sorts of great colors to pop with jewelry and shoes. Finally, here is the same sheath in purple popped with a matching lace-front cardy in white. All of these pieces also come in black. These pieces are flying already so please stop by soon to check ‘em out!

We love NYDJ’s denim skirts, and so did the shoppers who snapped them up last time…so here’s a ton more! Amanda is modeling our two newest washes, a really chic antiqued blue and a weathered, more broken tone. We also have a signature deep indigo and a basic, rock-em-sock-em black denim as well. Classic is cut and really flattering on all sorts of curves, these skirts are a cornerstone of any versatile summer wardrobe!

A few more bits and bobs…a darling babydoll dress floated in this week! Lightweight and very girly, Maggie shows off this design with leggings and a silver Suzi ballet flat from our Kathryn Kerrigan Shoe Boutique! This piece also comes in white and is doing really well on gals with smaller chests and fuller booties. We also received another chiffon piece from Kiyonna, a buttondown blouse in a gorgeous jade green color. This blouse is all business! I paired with black trousers and gray suede flats from Kathryn Kerrigan, and I am getting it DONE.

Finally, we unpacked new cheap-n-chic jeans from our friends in LA! Superdark with a midrise and slight flair, these jeans make bottoms look like juicy peaches, as noted in the award we won this week from the Chicago reader http://www.chicagoreader.com/
chicago/best-place-to-buy-size-16-jeans/BestOf?oid=2016534)! Priced at $50, these are running 12-18 and are also loooooooong, so tall ladies should get their juicy peachy butts in here!

Our Kathryn Kerrigan Shoe Boutique exclusively for sizes 9-13 is open this weekend and full of gorgeous colors and comfortable shapes! Check out our range of ballet flats in colors we picked just for us, including the “kerrigan” blue and grass green! These are truly all-day shoes, as I have been running around town in them for weeks now! We also have a gorgeous range of professional kicks in rich colors and timeless shapes. The foxy blue pump is one of the styles we ordered just for our store! Come visit us all day today, Saturday, and Sunday at 2031 N Damen, or call 773.235.7150 for more information on available sizes.

New shipments are here and life is good! Check out our newest range of vive-approved looks.

Splash in rain puddles with aplomb in one of our new raincoats! The cropped color series is absolutely precious, utterly charming, and just darling. These colors are just adorable, and the a-line shape offers touches of classic trenches. And here’s a zippy jacket in a soft champagne with the sweetest polka dot lining EVAR! We have very limited sizes available, and they are running a bit full, so call or email if you want us to pull one for you.

Do creative black-tie events and dressy cocktail parties await your presence? Dazzle your adoring crowd in the newest dress from Kiyonna, this gorgeous number with a sweetheart neckline and a truly astonishing back cut-out. Shown here in the deep dusty ruby, this stunning piece also comes in sleek black. We love this piece because it timeless, unique, and, above all, COMFORTABLE. If you want to try it on, bring your shoes and jewelry and let’s put it all together and then we will ask you for your autograph.

Have a groovy day in these NAAAAASSSSTY new flares from NYDJ at vive la femme! Hot damn I luuuuuh-uuuuurves these jeans. Deep indigo rinse, lightweight denim, midrise waist, fitted through the hips, slender to the knee and then HOLY KUNG-FU FIGHTING it’s a bad ass bitchin’ flair. Like a bitchin’ Camaro, only they’re jeans. Far out. I am wearing them right now and feeling wonderfully Brady-esque.

Delicate details and a girly rosette make this new buttondown blouse at vive la femme delightfully darling. Pintucking along the front and a ruffle-edge finish add professional polish and vintage charm. Pair it with a black pencil skirt for the ultimate merger of classic daywear and a foxy bosslady who asks you to work afterhours. MA’AM YES MA’AM!

BITCHIN’ SALE! Play time is over at vive la femme. Here’s the breakdown: Three items for $100 and ten items for $250. CASH MONEY. Labels include Comfy, Pure, Kische, and Karen Kane. All sales final. From now until month’s end. Want more info? Call or email. You know I live for your love letters.

Mark your calendars! vive la femme is pleased to welcome a new line of fabulous plus-size clothing, Lotis! Designed to effortlessly translate from work to weekend, this cosmopolitan line represents the epitome of sleek, chic, and sophisticated. Please join the owners and designers of Lotis Clothing on March 18th from 6p to 8p as we celebrate their new Spring Collection 2010, arriving at vive la femme in May. Samples of the line will be available for preview and pre-order. Delightful nibblies and swanky cocktails will be served, and as usual friends and family are welcome! www.lotisclothing.com.

We are supertotallymajorly excited about the shipments that keep rollin’ in for spring 2010! Behold the goodness that is our latest round of shipments:

We received some great new “cheap-n-chic” options — check ‘em out! Crisp and girly, these tieback blouses from Missphit come in a black/white and white/back pattern with a ribbon belt. They are adorable as a standalone piece with black pants or a slim black skirt or as a fun underlay for a jacket or blazer!

And here is the world’s most English schoolgirl-esque lightweight trench in classic and classy cream and black plaid print with a pop of red. I am going to wear this with a black satchel and a black cloche hat and it will be smashing, darling! And we also had the pleasure of unpacking a fabulous swish dress in red, black, and this deep berry color that is truly an amazing deal for just $50. Bra-friendly and totally comfortable, this piece is perfect for upcoming casual weddings and garden parties!

Amanda from Redskew is whipping up a new wave of confectionary graphic skirts for spring and here is the first of many! Designed in her signature a-line silhouette, this floral pattern in shades of green and pink is all happy, all the time! Paired here with our $35 cropped cardy in loden green, it makes for a darling transitional piece with lots of style mileage well into the warmer season.

Finally, we unpacked a handful of goodies from Karen Kane including this adorable raspberry shade with a sweet beadwork placket! This shape is running a bit full and it reading well on gals with full chests and curvy hips. Pop an all-black outfit with this amazing color or mix it in with lime green or lemonade yellow for a very naughty retro-prep look! Finally, we have a stunning black silk blouse with glorious embroidery work along the neckline and sleeves. The shape of this piece is marvelous on Amanda, really fitting her curves and frame and laying wonderfully against her shoulders and torso. I think she should take it…don’t you (wink wink)?

Heads up! We are hostessing our newest spring line, Lotis, with a Designer Reception at vive la femme on Thursday March 18th from 6p to 8p. We’ve already made our spring order but we absolutely be taking pre-orders for the items you simply have to have! RSVPs are welcome, and friends and family can of course attend too. http://www.lotisclothing.com/ Please email or call if you plan to grace us with your presence!