Seven days may make up a regular week, but Chicago Fashion Week® (Oct. 9-20) needs 12 days to fit in more than 50 stylish events, from presentations and programs to runway shows and galas. Also featured is the 10th Annual Rising Star Awards (Oct. 15) at the Palmer House Hilton and a chance to meet Mark Badgley and James Mischka of Badgley Mischka at Neiman Marcus (Oct. 16).
“Chicago Fashion Week will celebrate our city’s rich fashion landscape. Our mission is to bring together talent from every corner of the Chicago area to showcase the diversity of our city’s fashion –– and you’ll see that reflected in our lineup,” says John Leydon, founder of Chicago Fashion Week. All events are open to the public, but some may require registration or tickets.
Runway shows include A Celebration of Chicago Style (Oct. 9) at the Chicago Cultural Center; Asian Fashion Show Chicago (Oct. 12) at Wilson Abbey; Threaded Stories: A Runway Show of Distinctive Fashion (Oct. 13) at The Woman’s Club of Evanston; Roaring Runway, a Gilded Age Affair (Oct. 16) at Sarabande Chicago; CENTER STAGE: F/W 2024 Showcase (Oct. 16) at Teatro ZinZanni; Niczka Fashion Show (Oct. 17) at Roof on theWit; and the Gidi Fashion Show 2024 (Oct. 18) at TechNexus.
Among the fashionable festivities are the Fall Clothing Swap Preview Party (Oct. 11) at the Chicago Fair Trade Museum; Honoring House Music Legends: Chicago Fashion Week After Party (Oct. 11) at Fulton Market Kitchen; Surround Sound of Fashion 2024 (Oct. 12) at Cine City Studios; Sunflower Serenade (Oct. 13) at Glow Up Studio; Chic and Tux: A Night of Style (Oct. 13) at SuitShop; Urban Visionaries: High Octane Couture (Oct. 14) at Chicago Car Collective; A Night with the Méchant Masquerade Gala (Oct. 18) at The Promontory; and Walking the Runway of Hope (Oct. 19) at Mount Sinai Hospital.
The left oblique view of the Dior gown, 2024. CHM, ICHi-180000.
The Costume Council Golden Jubilee (Oct. 18) offers fashion fans a first look at Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective (through July 27, 2025). From a Christian Dior gown to a pair of Air Jordan 1 shoes, the Chicago History Museum exhibition showcases 70 iconic garments that reflect the last century.
Other collections can be viewed at reFashioning History Exhibition (Oct. 10-18) at the Dawes House in Evanston; College of DuPage Fashion Studies: Exhibition of Student Work (Oct. 11) at Oakbrook Shopping Center; VIRTUES: Art and Fashion Exhibition Opening Ceremony (Oct. 13 ) at salonlb.; Chicago Fashion Through a Chicago Lens (Oct. 17) at NoMi Gallery; Elements of Style: Vintage Fashion Meets Modern Art (Oct. 17) at Laughlin Gallery; and Mayan Textiles: Art, Tradition and Technique (Oct. 18) at the National Museum of Mexican Art.
In Rosemont, the site-specific installation Midnight Blue by Chicago-native artist Hebru Brantley can be seen in Fashion Outlets of Chicago thanks to its THE COLLECTION: Where Art Meets Fashion art program. “When we established THE COLLECTION, we set out to provide Fashion Outlets of Chicago shoppers with an unparalleled, yet approachable visual art experience,” explains Katie Walsh, Senior Marketing Manager at Fashion Outlets of Chicago. “With the addition of this incredible work by an artist as iconic as Hebru Brantley, we are demonstrating our commitment to providing world-class, museum-quality work to the public in an unexpected, unique setting.”