By Juliana Parisi By Juliana Parisi | August 16, 2024 | People, Lifestyle, Style & Beauty Feature, Guides,
Fashion trends come and go, but these Windy City fashion influencers are here to stay.
Fashion influencer and professional violinist Amy Anderson, known online as Stylecadenza, seamlessly integrates her violin into her distinctive style. From fashionable daily outfit inspo ideal for city life to elegant designer gowns for her performances, Anderson wears it all. Her eclectic style remains consistently Instagram-worthy, with new outfits popping up on her page nearly every day, often set against the vibrant Chicago cityscape.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Rachel Chen ∥ Visual Storyteller, Content Creator (@vintagedolls)
Rachel Chen’s life is anything but dull as she explores all seven continents, indulging in luxurious trips and sporting designer outfits. Chen has made travel, fashion and beauty into a full-time job, serving up the most luxurious content for her 3.3 million followers. Known as “Vintagedolls" on Instagram, she will motivate you to live life to the fullest while also looking good.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Saks Fifth Avenue Chicago Personal Stylist // Wale Sanni (@stylebywale)
Do you ever want to scrap your whole wardrobe and start from scratch? Wale Sanni will show you that building a fashionable and sustainable wardrobe from scratch is easier than it seems. As a personal stylist at Saks Fifth Avenue Chicago, Sanni offers style tips for everything under the sun—from adding a splash of color to an outfit and finding the most comfortable yet stylish shoes to exploring alternatives for fleeting trends and identifying luxury brand must-haves.
Starting out as a self-taught designer making t-shirts for friends in high school, Sheila Rashid now attracts A-list celebrities like Zendaya, Fucci, Chance the Rapper, Bella Hadid and Lena Waithe. By combining feminine and masculine energies, her pieces are riddled with daring patterns and silhouettes that confront gender identity and allow people the freedom to define themselves.
The Bayoud twins are Chicago’s most stylish sibling duo, taking the city by storm with their passion for fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Like most fashion influencers, these two always participate in the latest trends, but what sets them apart is their Moroccan identity, which plays a vital role in shaping their identity and style. Embracing the Arabic saying, "If you are different, you will be easily recognized," they stand out with their distinctive blend of influences and individuality.
Fashion has no age, and Brenda is proof of just that. She combines vintage and designer pieces with statement jewelry, bold patterns and unconventional silhouettes to create colorful, fun outfits that have earned her a devoted following. Brenda hosts the Instagram series “Talk is Chic,” where she uses her platform to provide a space for emerging fashion influencers of all ages and aesthetics to get their name out into the vast fashion world.
Fashion accentuates your beauty, not defines it—a principle at the heart of photographer Elizabeth De La Piedra’s work. She celebrates the female form, reminding her audience that all women are beautiful because of the love that is in them. As her career gains momentum, De La Piedra’s impactful approach has already led to a cover feature in Complex magazine with singer Camila Cabello.
If you're hunting for fresh nail ideas or the latest style tips, Vicky Logan’s Instagram has you covered. Here, she offers her followers inspiration for your next outfit, hairstyle, nail set or makeup look. As a 90s kid at heart, Logan adds a unique flare to trendy styles, elevating her looks with self-confidence and personality.
If you're a lover of statement jewelry, then you've probably checked out the Chicago boutique Khoi. Hayet Rida, the boutique’s founder and creative director—and 2023 CS Woman of Style—is a Ghanaian artist who transforms jewelry into expressive pieces of art, each item infused with deep meaning. Rida designs these accessories and wears them with style, attracting a large following with her bold and balanced outfits.
Under the Chicago Fashion Coalition, run by president Marquan Jones, the city is on its way to becoming not only a hotspot for foodies and musicians, but for fashion lovers as well. Known for his sharp, fitted looks and a deep appreciation for diverse cultural aesthetics, Jones (aka Dapper Griot) blends his passion for storytelling with fashion to boost Chicago's fashion industry. His goal is to inspire his followers to transform fashion into poetry and embrace what makes them feel uniquely themselves.
Explore high-end sewing techniques and fashion tips on Instagram from Breanna Greenlee, CEO of her fashion brand KingB Official, where you'll find expert guidance and inspiration for creating stylish pieces. Greenlee is an artist who uses fashion design as an outlet for creative expression, and she encourages others to do the same by hosting “sew dates,”—sewing classes where she teaches experienced or new sewers to spend the day with her to make swimsuits, tote bags, skirts and more. She also has sold over 250 custom prom dresses so far, with her Instagram showcasing a collection of trendy, unique garments handmade and styled by King B herself.
The notion that "not all stories are shared through written or spoken word" is brought to life by internationally-esteemed designer Alicia Perrillo, who demonstrates that each garment can have its own narrative through a variety of fabrics and silhouettes. Her playful style is crafted to spark joy and comfort, radiating a timeless beauty. With 16 collections to her name, Perrillo's work invites you to explore the concept of fashion storytelling.
Mixing contemporary trends with timeless pieces, Jamie Vear, a wardrobe and fashion stylist at LAB Artist Agency, designs sophisticated ensembles featured in prominent brands and magazines such as Coors Light, Calvin Klein, BAZAR and Pap magazine. Her portfolio features tailored silhouettes and subtle details that create chic, natural looks that any fashion fanatic can adapt to their own style.
For designer Robin Harris, confidence is key. She founded her boutique, Model Atelier, to provide confidence to “vertically blessed” women and is the first official boutique partner of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. As CEO of Model Atelier and CONFIDENCE apparel, Robin makes confidence accessible to young men and women of all shapes and sizes and donates a percentage of all sales to STEEM educational initiatives.
Photography by: Hannah Schweiss
