I have heard from multiple sources that a certain former Director of Sales at a very posh downtown hotel had quite the risqué taste in clothing. I also heard that she was smart and good at her job. But, mostly people talked about how slutty she dressed.

Moral of the story- to really get ahead in life (we’re talking in Chicago, not Hollywood) its best to show some modesty in the workplace. Thing is Poor Little Rich Girls are on a budget, so sometimes we try to be creative by throwing our “going out” clothes into our work rotation. Hey, there’s no shame in that because it saves us money. We need to be smart about it though or coworkers may not take us as seriously as we’d like. The goal at work should be to show off our talents and skills, not our goodies.

To Keep Things Work Appropriate:

Sheer, shiny or silky tops are fine for work if they are layered under or over another piece, like under a vest.

Tops with tiny straps look great under a blazer. Just make sure the front is not too low cut.

You can even wear your nighttime dresses for work, just be sure it is at least knee length and top it off with a longer jacket.

What other ways do you girls mesh your work and regular wardrobes?

One of the best movie scenes of all time comes from the classic epic Legally Blonde. As Elle Woods lays in bed, depressed and dejected since her boyfirend broke up with her, her friends come to her rescue saying “What always makes us feel better, no matter what?” The camera flashes to the front of a nail salon, where the girls are getting mani-pedis. It seems silly, but a simple thing like groomed nails can sometimes give you the confidence boost you need.

The PLRG team has two all time favorite spots to go for the hallowed mani-pedi. We’ll start with H2O Nail & Spa (865 Larrabee St.). This nail salon is fairly new, which you will notice right away. The space is clean, bright and welcoming. The price for a mani-pedi combo is $40, and you can sign up for their loyalty program which gets you a free manicure after purchasing seven (or a free pedicure after purchasing seven). After your service, the staff walks you to the dryer and give you a 3 minute shoulder massage- the icing on the cake. Really, a great bang for your buck, plus the equipment they use is made of antimicrobial material, meaning all you’ll leave with is a great set of nails, and no other fungus or crittters!

Our PR Siren, Sally, has another great nail spot she swears by. Her favorite nail tech, Vina, at Fancy Nails (22 E. Elm) gives a $32 mani-pedi to die for. Sally warns that there is some tough love involved, but the results are truly magnificent, especially for the price. Walk ins are welcome, but if you want Vina, we reccomend making an appointment in advance (you aren’t the only girls Sally has shared this secret with you know).

With school back in session and long days at work, make the time this week to pamper yourself. Sometimes something as simple as manicured nails can make it seem that all is right with the world. Even if it is only for an hour.

Ok, so we know that Whole Foods Market probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about saving money on your grocery bill. But, if you know where to look and how to shop, you can get your goods at Whole Foods (or any store for that matter) and save some serious cash!

This Thursday, July 30 from 5-6pm you can meet with Kent, Whole Foods’ Value Guru and learn the tricks he uses to eat like a king for less. He’ll be sharing all of his secrets for shopping the sales and also giving a tour of the store, showing you where to look for the best deals. This event is FREE, though registration is required, so contact Whole Foods Lincoln Park for more details and to sign up.

Savvy Shopper Hour :: Thursday, July 30, 5-6pm :: Whole Foods Lincoln Park (1550 N. Kingsbury)

(312) 587-0648

(Lacey Brenly)

TheChiGuide.com is Chicago’s newest and most complete online event guide and newsletter. They’ve got the scoop on all the local events that are worth your while, ranging from food and wine tastings to shopping nights to burlesque shows. Plus, with reviews coming from contributors of all different backgrounds (who make personal recommendations) it’s easy to find events that are of interest to you! Check out our favorite pick from TheChiGuide this week:

The Mad Hatter Tea Party @ The Drake Hotel

Be Alice in Wonderland for a Day

Recommended by Lara Takenaga

If you ever read Alice in Wonderland and wished you could be at the Mad Hatter’s tea party (like me), here’s a chance to make your childhood fantasy come true. The Palm Court at the Drake Hotel will host its first-ever Mad Hatter Tea Party this Friday, complete with the Red and White Queens, the Cheshire Cat, and, of course, the Mad Hatter. Ladies, be sure to come dressed in your finest Sunday bonnet, as prizes will be given out for the most creative hats.

Insider Info: To reserve your spot for this imaginative event, you must RSVP to Shaun Rajah at 312-932-4619 or shaun.rajah@hilton.com. Tickets are $29 each and include afternoon tea service, as well as two showcases featuring fashions from British hat designer Joy Scott Milliner. To up the elegance even more, there will be live harp performances throughout the afternoon.

Details

When
Friday, Jul 31st, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Where
The Drake Hotel
140 E. Walton Place, Gold Coast
Tel: 312-787-2200

Price
$29 RVSP

Check out TheChiGuide.com for more hot events and happenings in Chicago!

If you haven’t been to a Spandexxx party yet, next Friday, July 31 you absolutely have to get your butt over to Sonotheque! This time around, admission is FREE all night long with RSVP, and of course FREE Tito’s Vodka from 9-10pm.

Even better, for those of you who haven’t or couldn’t score a ticket to Lolla, they’ll be giving away a bunch of three day passes! If you already have your tix, but just can’t get enough of your fave Lolla artists, check out the line up for this edition of Spandexxx, the “official pre-party” for Lollapalooza:

Last, but certainly not least, we’ll be celebrating some very special birthdays at Spandexx .007. Our friends Matt DuFour, Publisher and Music Editor, and Chess Hubbard, Publisher and Creative Director, from UR Chicago will be partying hard and celebrating their special day En Prise style.

Oh, and feel free to splurge on birthday gifts for Matt and Chess with the money you save from free admission and drinks! HeHe ; )

(Lacey Brenly)

What lucky girls we are to live in a city with so may spots offering my favorite secrets to good eats- BYO, Prix Fixe and Small Plates menus. I adore few things more than food, especially a great restaurant experience, but saving myself from a $30 entree or an expensive wine list is priceless (well, maybe just worth the price of the bottle).

While most of my columns will be focused on BYO’s (in my opinion, the best way to save money while dining out), I am starting things off with a faux byo. Let me clarify- last week I found the best deal in town. For quite some time, foodies everywhere have been raving about May Street Market’s ingredient-driven dishes focusing on what is fresh and in season. However, be it the economy or perhaps just the goodness of the Chef ’s heart, he has created a $25 prix fixe on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights and has WAIVED his $20 corkage fee. VOILA- an amazing 3 course meal at a fabulous restaurant that now moonlights as a BYO for half the week.

The prix fixe menu (lesson of the day: pronounced “pre-fee” according to the waiter) was short and sweet. Don’t expect to choose from their typical bistro or market menu. There were two appetizer options, three entrees and two desserts, allowing two people to try just about everything. The menu changes frequently, but on my trip the Fried Green Tomatoes tasted fresh off the vine, the Scallops were tasty (skimpy serving though), the Gnocchi was divine, but the showstopper was…dramatic pause…THE S’MORES. The chocolate mousse is something that I will talk about for quite some time. These are not the s’mores from your girl scout days! We are talking rich, creamy, AMAZING chocolate mousse.

I would recommend res’s just in case, but it definitely was not necessary the night I was there. And there is a great organic grocer down Grand where we picked up our wine (a deep red paired well with my chocolate at the end) I left very happy, full and thrilled to walk out of May Street Market for just $50.

Review: Fab!

The PLRG Foodist Scale:

LC= Life Changing
Definition: My life will never be the same after I ate here.

Fab= Fabulous
Definition: Fabulous.

TT= They tried
Definition: The restaurant did their best but overall so so.

SI= Skip It
Definition: Don’t go.

You can find the PLRG Foodist at food spots across the city several nights a week. She does not discriminate- counting everything from the cheese cart at Tru to a single cheeseburger at McDonalds among her favorite life changing eating out experiences. Tell the PLRG Foodist (by emailing info@poorlittlerichgirls, subject Foodist) about your favorite dining out experiences or where you are dying for her to try next…

Dear Katie,

I’m looking for some help with an outside space….my balcony.

I have a glass top table with a wrought iron base and chairs with a little ivy design. A table for four on a balcony you say? It’s from the 60s and people were smaller then so the table for four will work on the balcony space just fine. To keep it simple, I’m painting it black (already looks so much better).

Do you have any fun thoughts for seat fabrics? Are you seeing any cool trends for this type of space? I’ve thought about the classic wide black and white stripes (very cabana-esque) but thinking it could be too conservative so maybe a solid vibrant color or another pattern.

My windows are floor to ceiling so the space will be visible from the inside so I am definitely taking that into consideration.

Just curious what you’re seeing in this space, if anything :) Thanks!

- Heather, Lincoln Park

Dear Heather,

How very PLRG of you to take an old table and breathe new life into it with paint! Black was a great choice. The table looks more modern and sophisticated.

Outdoor pillows will brighten the look of your balcony and will visually increase your homes livable space. Not to mention, seat cushions will allow you to sit in comfort while you enjoy an after work cocktail……or the view.

The good news is that our less than perfect weather and the economy have contributed to some fabulous sales on outdoor accessories. The bad news is cute outdoor fabrics really lag behind interior fabrics. I visited several Chicago boutiques and was totally disappointed with the lack of outdoor pillows available, and those I did find were uninspiring. I was forced to venture online.

Target has a surprisingly large stock of outdoor seating accessories. I was drawn to a combination of the white Oasi set of 4 seat pads with alternating stripped and blue medallion pillows as decorative chair backs. The fusion of the black wrought iron and white seat cushion takes into account your original idea of a black and white motif and the accent pillows add comfort and visual excitement.

The accent pillows make the space and at $24.99 for a pair are a great deal. Buy a pair of each pattern and alternate them on the chairs. The four white seat cushions are priced at $119 for a pair of four, and Target is offering 15% off orders over $125 and free shipping, so the total look is approximately $150.

Place this great candle lantern from CB2 onto your table for $39.95 (on sale, original price $59.95) to finish the look.(I know you didn’t ask about a lantern, but it just works!)

For under $200 you will have a sophisticated and polished outdoor area to enjoy for the remainder of the summer. Keep the questions coming!

Katie Rogulski is our go-to gal for all things design, from choosing a paint color to installing a light fixture. Send her all of your design questions and comments and she’ll will do her best to help you design a fabulous pad without breaking the bank! Katie@PoorLittleRichGirls.com

Hey everyone! Summer is finally here which means it’s time for the beach, barbecues and the B96 Pepsi Summer Bash, of course! Huge stars were in town for this year’s show including the Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson, Akon, Flo Rida, Asher Roth, LMFAO and Kid Cudi. I had the opportunity to speak to all of them and here’s what the ladies of the Bash had to say. Also, I asked Flo Rida (for all of you PoorLittleRichGirls out there) if $100 is a lot of money to him now given his success. Check it out!

Fergie

Q: What’s it like working with all guys?

A: “It’s horrible,” she says with a laugh. “No, no it’s good. We’re like brothers and sister. We’re like one big, crazy family. Just going, running around the world, waking up in different countries. We make sure we go out to clubs together — that’s one of our favorite past times. We have a lot of old, silly memories from going out and we’re making new ones for this run.”

Q: How’s Fergie’s man, actor Josh Duhamel?

A: “He’s good. He’s out promoting Transformers 2 right now, so we’re both in work mode, so it’s good.”

Q: Babies on the way?

A: “Not right now. Not right now.”

Kelly Clarkson

Q: On her favorite dance move:

A: “When I get drunk I generally like the booty shake. We call it the booty quake, the butt. Which kind of naturally happens when I walk because it’s kind of a big butt. I love it! I love my butt. I shake it even more. I love it.”

Q: On people talking about her weight:

A: “Seven year later, really no. I honestly just don’t think there’s a whole lot to talk about. I’m not in the tabloids for anything. I live in Texas so I’m not really in the paparazzi world, so I think people are just running dry! The well has run dry. They have nothing to talk about.”

Q: On the lesbian rumors:

A: “They’ve been saying that forever. Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you’re gay. Let’s just point that out. Not that it’s an insult, but it’s just one of those things when people ask me all the time, we’ve heard you’re a lesbian. I’m like, ‘No.’ I do get hit on by women and I think it’s cool because it makes you feel attractive obviously. But I like boys…unfortunately. Sometimes I wish I did swing the other way.”

Flo Rida

Q: Worst job he ever had:

A: “I recall living in Las Vegas where I worked at the MGM Grand. I was trying to go to school out there but the music was always just calling me. It was like a night job where there was a conveyor belt where they would throw all the trash onto it, and I would have to dig through it for silverware and things like that, so it was very nasty. I always kept my eye on the music versus what I was really doing because I felt like sometimes you have to struggle to get to where you want to go in life.”

Q: Is $100 a lot of money to you?

A: “Yea, it’s a lot of money. I know where you’re coming from but at the same time if you add up a penny that could make a million dollars…if you have $999,999.99, one penny will make a million.”

Speaking of a lot of money, Johnny Depp made headlines these past few weeks after his visit to Chicago. The superstar was in town recently for the premiere of his new film “Public Enemies” which is in theaters now. Depp had dinner at Gibson’s Steakhouse and left the waiter a $4,000 tip. Also, while at the premiere, which took place at the AMC River East theaters downtown, Johnny spent an hour signing autographs for his fans. Some had been waiting outside since the early morning. Such a nice guy! Go to my page on B96.com to see the video of what the actor said when I asked how he liked Chicago and see pictures from the event on my website.

Of course summer also means vacation time, family and friends and a lot going on in Chicago. Here’s an overview of what’s happening around the city over the next few weeks:

• Venetian Night is July 25. Monroe Harbor (100 S. Lake Shore Drive).

• Don’t forget about Lollapalooza, August 7-9, featuring Depeche Mode, The Killers and Beastie Boys. Grant Park, 300 S. Columbus Drive.

• Chicago Air and Water Show is August 15-16 (North Ave. Beach, 1600 N. Lake Shore Drive).

• If you’re a movie buff, check out the 6th Annual International Summer Screenings Program at the Chicago Cultural Center (77 E. Randolph, 2nd Floor). They are hosting free public film screenings Wednesday evenings running through September 16th. Fifteen films from around the world will be showcased. Click HERE for more info.

• If you have a chance this summer you might also want to stop by the new “Ledge” attraction at the Sears Tower. Visitors of the Skydeck can now stand on an enclosed glass ledge that juts out from the Sears’ 103rd floor. You’ll see Chicago as you’ve never seen it before, including a view 1,353 feet straight down. 

Lastly, on a sad note, the death of Michael Jackson has touched all of his fans in Chicago and around the world. Officials in his hometown of Gary, Indiana, have proposed a Jackson 5 museum be built. The King of Pop will be missed.

For more, check out www.B96.com or www.ShowbizShelly.com

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is right up there with Spanx and vodka on our list of favorite things ever. As the legend has it, back in the 1960’s Nordstrom needed a way to boost sales in the “dog days” of summer.* So, rather than mark down this seasons’ merchandise, Nordstrom did something revolutionary. Each summer they marked down their brand new Fall and Winter merchandise before the season, allowing customers to stock up on in season cold weather essentials at prices almost 50% off!

The tradition continues Friday, July 17- Monday, August 3. But, for those in the know you can also shop the Pre-Sale and guarantee your purchases (and size, color choice, etc.) prior Friday. They’ll just hold your items, run your credit card Friday morning and you can pick up your stuff after work.

If you do wait until Friday to actually shop the sale get there early. REALLY early. Women have been known to actually camp out in line and wait for the store to open. But, with such sweet deals on winter staples, do you blame them?

*The sale actually began at Best Apparel in the 1940’s. Nordstrom, which was just a shoe store at that time later acquired Best Apparel and expanded the sale. It was this aquisition that put Nordstrom on the path to it’s present day “department store” status.

(Lacey Brenly)