Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/335804
he Brits have been attracting the world's eye of late with Downton Abbey and the birth of Prince George, among other headline makers, but this year their sights are set on Chicago. With Soho House paving the way this summer, Virgin Hotels and a slew of other Brit-cool brands are bringing their unique blend of smart and stylish to our city. Soho House, a n exclusive pr ivate - club a nd hotel group based in London, opens the doors to its first Chicago location in August. In the works for eight yea rs, t he project is not t he Br it ish brand's first foray into the US (New York, Miami, and West Hollywood outposts came before), but it will be the largest North American location to date. "It's got everything," enthuses Nick Jones, the group's founder and managing director. And by "everything," he means the space—a former 1900s-era leatherworking factory—will house a pr ivate members' club; a 12 ,0 0 0 - squa re -foot g ym, complete with a boxing ring; a Cowshed Spa; an intimate screening room; a variet y of food a nd beverage opt ions, including t he London imports Pizza East and Ch icken Shop; t he A llis Ba r, na med for t he fa m ily t hat owned the factory; a 40 -room hotel; and a rooftop swimming pool w it h sweeping v iews of the city, sure to have even the most jaded Chicagoans queu- ing up for membership. A nd membersh ip def initely ha s it s pr iv i- leges—if you can get it. This is not a country club where a recommendation and the willingness to plunk down some cash will gain you access. Nor will the right pedigree ensure entrée, as it does at London's storied gentlemen's clubs. For Jones, it's about creating a place for "creative souls and like-minded individuals." Although "you don't have to be determined by your job," he says, club members a re predom inately involved in t he media, fashion, the arts, and other culturally ori- ented pu rsuit s. Adds Joey Stevenson, Soho House Chicago's event programming manager, "There's something exciting happening in the Chicago creative community right now, and we wanted to be there as it took off." Chicago has long had strong business ties with t he U K , t ha nks to Willis Group, M intel, a nd numerous other British companies with major of f ices here, but t he a r r iva l of t he creat iv it y- focused Soho House indicates t hat Chicago's cultural cachet is on the rise, and the Brits are f lying the f lag. The inf lux of British brands in the Windy City "says as much about Chicago as it does about us," notes Stephen Bridges, Britain's consul general in Chicago. "It's [the UK] seeing Chicago as a serious place, that we should do business here, and we're only going to do that here if the people are going to buy the product." Fashion brands have led the brigade invest- ing in t he Windy Cit y, including A llSa int s Spitalfields, Topshop, Ted Baker, and Burberry, whose splashy five-story store with the signature plaid façade is still the buzz of the Magnificent Mile nearly two years after opening in late 2012. With the addition of the heritage brands Barbour and Church's, as well as the suiting essentials of Charles Tyrwhitt, Chicago has officially entered the British conversation, sartorially speaking. Br it ish interest in Chicago ma kes complete sense to Jessica Moazami, a Windy City – based f reela nce fa sh ion editor a nd Chicago Tribune contributor who hails from London. "Chicago consum- ers are more sophisticated a nd a re w illing to pay for qua lit y," Moa za m i says. A nd t hat— combined w it h t he r ise of U K st yle icons like K ate M iddleton, t he Duchess of Ca mbr idge; It g irl A lexa Chung; a nd t he Beck ha ms, a ll of them providing a showcase for British brands— ma kes it natura l t hat Br it culture would a lso appeal to Chicagoans. Bridges adds that while the British may not be credited with the refine- ment of the French or Italians, there is still a "sense of Br it s a s cool.… We a re cool in ou r music, cool in our theater, and cool in our fash- ion." And that coolness is infiltrating the city in many ways. For example, Anthony Freud, gen- eral director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Sir A nd rew Dav is, music director a nd pr incipa l conductor at the Lyric; and Zoë Ryan, chair and cu rator of a rch itect u re a nd desig n at t he A r t Institute of Chicago, all hail from across the pond. "We have that design, art that runs through us," says Bridges. "And as Chicago is becoming more global and has embraced it, they're okay with Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen." " Brits see kindred spirits in Chicago; British brands fit right in." —Joey StevenSon continued on page 134 t 132 michiganavemag.com