Author Archives: bestgaychicago
Stain Resistant Ground Breaking Fashion
It’s 2015 and the game of fashion is changing forever.
Nationally respected fashion designer, Borris Powell, who recently launched a brand new men’s line, has introduced nanotechnology to the fashion world.
“My luxury men’s and women’s lines will be stain resistant in 2015,” the designer says. “This technology is revolutionary and I’m ecstatic to be the spokesperson of it to the luxury fashion industry.”
Powell, who has partnered with ACT, the developer of the technology, drips wine on his jacket and the droplets fall right off. “The treatment of the clothing is nontoxic and environmentally safe. It sprays onto the clothing and with heat application can be ready in thirty minutes. It’s undetectable, resistant to water, oil, and dirt, breathable, and safe. You can’t even tell it’s there. The suit feels exactly the same.” It can be applied to everything and anything in Powell’s line—whether it be one of his Emmy, Oscars, or Grammy’s gowns, or his one-of-a-kind dapper suits. The only fabrics it cannot be applied to are Lycra and Spandex. “What’s worse than having a stain on your favorite blazer or vest? This isn’t a problem anymore. A gentleman always looks his best.”
“2015 is going to be so big,” he chimes in. “This is just the beginning.” The designer is known for his stunning looks and homage to the classic. His men’s line, which premiered in late 2014 and features up-and-coming Film Director Kyle Thomas as the face of the line, focuses on the gentleman. “Technology has changed the way we do everything: communicate, date, and present ourselves to the world. It’s time that technology become a part of our fashion,” Thomas states. Recently, Powell announced his role as the Creative Director of Fashion for the new series SEX + LOVE, with Thomas being the creator of the show. “Fashion is integral to how Millennials present their images to the world. People want that sense of glamour and romance,” Thomas states. Powell grins widely. “The gentleman is back and that’s what my newest campaign integrating nanotechnology shows.”
Photography by Ronald Leon Hale. Make-up by Kimberly Thomas-Schaffer. Location Odyssey Cruises in downtown Chicago.
For more information on Borris Powell,
For more information on SEX + LOVE,
Andersonville is TOP Neighborhood in Chicago
ACCORDING TO CURBED CHICAGO….If you’re looking to buy a home in Chicago this year, real estate listing and brokerage site Redfin says that Andersonville will be the neighborhood to watch.
According to the site’s latest top ten list of hottest neighborhoods in the country, Andersonville is the hottest in Chicago and the seventh hottest in the country.
The pick marks a departure from the last two years, when Redfin chose the quickly gentrifying Logan Square (2013) and Humboldt Park (2014) neighborhoods. Buyers have led this shift, according to Redfin, opting for value over “hipster havens.” – Frankly – it’s a bit late. Prices have already WENT UP over the last 10 years! A bargain would be hard to find!
Andersonville is a neighborhood in western Edgewater. At the time of the 2000 United States Census, the proportion of single-sex couples in Edgewater was 6.6% in the 60660 zip code and 8.0% in the 60640 zip code. This compares with the US national average of 1.1%.
Edgewater is home to the Gerber/Hart Library, the largest gay and lesbian library and archives in the Midwestern United States. Kathy (Osterman) Beach (named after a former alderman but historically referred to as Hollywood Beach, referencing Hollywood Ave. where it is situated) is a hugely popular hangout for a diverse community of beachgoers during the summer months. Chicago’s oldest LGBT synagogue, Congregation Or Chadash, is situated in Edgewater.
Center on Halsted & About Face Theatre
Center on Halsted & About Face Theatre
STANDING UNDERNEATH NIGHT AND DAY
Many in the LGBTQ community are or have at one point experienced loneliness or isolation because of how they identify. As a community-based organization, Center on Halsted tackles this need through providing programs, services, and space for individuals to commune and live powerfully in supportive inclusive environments.
In a new collaboration with About Face Theatre, Center on Halsted is hosting an OUT FRONT Series performance entitled STANDING UNDERNEATH NIGHT AND DAY, a narrative, theatrical work in progress about youth, seniors and the gaps in between that explores the intergenerational sense of isolation in the LGBTQ community. The piece, led by About Face Theatre Artistic Associate, Kelli Simpkins, uses a collection of 50 interviews conducted over a five month period with intergenerational members of the Chicago LGBTQIA community and those advocating for youth and seniors.
Bruce is one of the dozens interviewed for the project and weighed in on the problem of loneliness in the LGBTQ community.
“As a psychotherapist and social service professional,” he said, “I hear the lament of loneliness almost as much from today’s LGBTQ young people as I did from my own generation. In spite of all the progress we’ve made toward securing our rights, the truth is that many LGBTQ youth continue to experience rejection, ostracism, harassment and violence that is fueled by homophobia.”
Kyla, another interviewee, believes this piece is poised to be inspirational and an agent for change.
“I want this [project] to turn apathetic people outside of the community into spokespeople for what the new idea of normal really is,” she said. “To be normal is to be true to yourself. [This project has the potential to] strengthen the existing community and provide common ground for youth and elders despite differences.”
Eric, who was also interviewed, agrees and sees conversation as integral to bridging community. In his experience, “life continues on, love always has a way to find you, and community will always back you up in times of strain.”
Center on Halsted and About Face Theatre invite you to join us in community, learn from our collective experiences, and combat loneliness in OUT FRONT: STANDING UNDERNEATH NIGHT AND DAY.\
$10 suggested donation
January 24th @ 7:00 p.m. |
January 25th @3:00 p.m. |
Center on Halsted |
Reserve your seats today |
Board Certified Hair Restoration Surgeon
Minimally Invasive Hair Restoration
With (FUE) Follicular Unit Extraction And Surgical Robotic Technology
International lecturer and teacher, Dr. William Yates, M.D., Board Certified Hair Restoration Surgeon, breaks through the old stereotypes of hair loss and hair transplant and brings Chicago’s North Shore the very latest cutting edge technological advancements in the field, offering patients an array of state-of-the-art facial and hair restoration services. He is a world-renowned expert in Follicular Unit Extraction.
He is so passionate and confident the Follicular Unit Extraction technique is superior to traditional methods; he only performs this highly skilled technique for hair transplantation.
Dr. Yates specialized skills make him one of the elite surgeons to educate and train other physicians to perform this specialized technique both locally and internationally.
What is FUE?
While performed under local anesthesia, the hair or follicular units are individually harvested or punched from the back of the scalp or donor area in the hands of Dr. Yates using whatever instrument is best for his patient to obtain optimal results. He utilizes the most advanced ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System or various manual, hand-held instruments to delicately punch out each individual hair follicle.
The camera system and algorithms in place with the robot or Dr. Yates skilled eyes and hands, choose the most robust hairs to remove for transplantation. With the traditional strip method for hair transplantation, not only do you have to take all hairs (even weak hair), the patient also incurs a painful cut, stitches and scar that they have to live with and conceal the rest of their lives.
Dr. Yates utilizes state of the art biological solutions such as Hypothermosol and ATPv (adenosine triphosphate) to store, protect and ensure optimal survival of these valuable grafts while awaiting transplant into the balding areas of the scalp for both men and women.
The finishing touch is completed by Dr. Yates artistic ability to create a natural hairline and hair density in his patient’s areas of thinning throughout the scalp. He uses micro-incisions to create sites to place each individual follicular unit, which will grow into a natural, undetectable pattern over the next year.
The results – – Phenomenal, Natural, Permanent Hair that patients can style anyway they desire without a scar in the back of the scalp. It’s cutting edge methodology like this that separates Dr. Yates’ concierge practice from the cookie cutter competition, who still rely on the antiquated guesswork with a scalpel from when they started 30 years ago.
“It’s permanent and not many people can do it right,” says Dr. Yates. “This is the investment that lasts.”
WITH FUE THERE ARE NO TRANVERSE VISIBLE SCARS ACROSS THE BACK OF THE HEAD
If someone is unable to shave the back of his or her scalp for FUE, he also has an answer for this. Dr. Yates is able to creatively trim the hair so that the donor area is completely concealed and you can return to work immediately without any visible signs of a procedure.
Dr. Yates is also very skilled at restoring facial hair such as beards, mustaches, goatees and eyebrows.
He also performs recovery and repair work on patients who have had multiple, visible scars; old-fashioned and undesirable plug procedures; and creative body hair (beard, chest, back hair) harvesting for transplantation for individuals who are “tapped out” of donor hair in the back of their scalp.
State of the Art
Non-Surgical Options…
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
This therapy has been FDA approved and utilized for over 30 years for advanced wound healing. Now, we are seeing exciting results with PRP for hair growth. A patient’s blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets to a specific concentration effective for hair growth. The platelets are then activated and injected back into the scalp at the level of the hair follicles. This process stimulates the body’s own growth factors and stem cells to slow hair loss, reverse miniaturized hair to produce a strong, visible hair again, and if used at the time of a hair transplant, it encourages faster graft growth. This has been very effective for both men and women.
Stromal Vascular Fraction or Stem Cell Therapy with Fat Transfer
Adult stem cells are most concentrated in our bodies in bone marrow and even more so in fat tissue or adipose. Dr. Yates is able to harvest these fat cells and concentrate and purify them in a centrifuge system. He then combines the fat cells with PRP to inject into the scalp to stimulate hair growth and stabilize further hair loss. This process offers even more benefits than just PRP alone by replacing the lost layer of subcutaneous fat in the scalp where the hair follicle thrives.
Scalp Micro-Pigmentation (SMP)
With SMP, pigment is used on the scalp to create the appearance of real hair follicles recreating hairlines, adding the appearance of density to thinning areas and covering unsightly scars. This advanced solution for hair loss replicates real shaven hair follicles on the scalp. The appearance is so realistic that it actually looks like you have hair. We know how the hair should look when pigmented, because that’s all we do everyday – HAIR! If someone has limited donor hair and has been told they were not a good candidate for a hair transplant procedure, they now have a great option! This is perfect for those who wear a very closely cropped hairstyle!
Hair Styling for Thinning Hair
Since hair loss affects so many people and everyone’s self-esteem, Dr. Yates even offers an onsite Licensed Cosmetologist with over 17 years of experience. She studied in Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, New York, Miami and Chicago. She specializes in styling and educating patients to look their best if they suffer with hair loss.
Someone doesn’t have to be bald to feel the confidence shaking reality of hair loss. For many, it can appear as a lack of volume and expanding thinness. Slowly, their scalp becomes more apparent through the diminishing volume of their hair. Dr. Yates can stop that hair loss in its tracks and reduce the appearance of thinning hair for men and women using the most advanced treatments available in the industry.
When hair transplantation is done correctly by a proficient surgeon, the results look so natural that nobody would know you had a procedure. To achieve the best, natural, and attractive results, you need a meticulous surgeon with proven results.
The team at Yates Hair Science Group delivers the best care and quality everyday and are recognized leaders in the field.
213 N Stetson Ave, Chicago IL 60601
PHONE: 312-261-0872 or visit them online at dryateshairscience.com
Chicago’s VIRGIN Hotel
DOWNTOWN CHICAGO GETS A VIRGIN
Virgin Hotels is a brand of hotels created by the one and only Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, launched in 2010. The current Virgin Hotels company, based in New York, United States, is currently seeking hotel opportunities and is preparing its first hotels.
In October 2011 Virgin Hotels bought the 27-story Old Dearborn Bank Building in the Loop area of Chicago for $14.8 million from Urban Street Group LLC. On January 16, 2015 the first Virgin Hotel opened.
Virgin offers guests Mobile Check-in, where you can check in the day of your stay from their mobile app. You’ll receive an email titled, “Time for a quickie?” then you will go to the app, enter your details and a barcode will be sent to your email address. When you arrive at the hotel, scan the barcode at the kiosk, confirm a few details, and voila! Your room keys are printed. Not feeling tech-savvy? The check-in desk is always staffed by a real human who can do the check-in honors for you.
See more pics at Hotel Chatter and CURBED / Chicago
McTucky Fried High Tackles LGBT Issues
McTucky Fried High is the brainchild of filmmaker, illustrator and activist, Robert-Carnilius, who was named one of NewCity’s Film 50 and was a 2014 Student Academy Awards® Finalist.
It is also one of twelve projects funded by the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund from Chicago Filmmakers and the Voqal Fund.
Using comedy and a host of diverse characters, McTucky Fried High tackles subjects absent in mainstream cartoons. While foregrounding LGBTQ characters, it focuses on issues teens face. Across five episodes, the web series will explore coming out, extreme diets, being genderqueer, bullying, and sexting.
Each episode will be released bi-weekly starting January 26, 2015 on www.McTuckyFriedHigh.com where people can sign up for the Mctucky Bites newsletter for exclusive content and sneak peek privileges.
McTucky Fried High “All Food is Not Created Equal”
WATCH TRAILER
LOVE IS LOVE Valentines Gala
THE MIDWEST’S LARGEST LGBT GALA and FUNDRAISER
SUPPORTS THE WORK OF EQUALITY ILLINOIS
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Hilton Chicago Hotel, 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago
6 PM – Cocktails and Silent Auction
8 PM – Dinner and Program
10 PM – Dancing till Midnight
TICKETS
Get your ticket to join us at the Equality Illinois 2015 Gala.
TABLE COMMITMENTS
Purchase or captain a table; host a platinum, premier, or standard table of 10.
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS
Learn how your business can reach over 50,000 LGBT and LGBT-friendly households through supporting the Gala.
DONATIONS FOR LUXURY SILENT AUCTION
Travel, entertainment, sports and fitness, dining and artwork donations welcomed.
PROGRAM BOOK ADVERTISING
Seen by 1,400 gala attendees, including leading political figures.
GALA CO-CHAIRS ARE MARITERESE AND PATRICK BALTHROP
The Balthrops are major supporters of organizations such as Equality Illinois that fight for the LGBT community.
TRANSLIFE CENTER OF CHICAGO HOUSE TO BE HONORED AT GALA
The TransLife Center demonstrates remarkable vision, courage, and leadership.
Ru Pauls Top Girls In Chicago
IT’S ABOUT TO GET REAL BITCHES!
RuPaul’s Drag Race Battle of The Seasons “Condragulations” Tour in a city near YOU, featuring a night of show-stopping performances by the world’s most talented drag performers, including winners and fan favorites from Logo TV’s hit series “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Over 40 cities in the US, Canada and Europe. The largest drag tour in history!
Adore Delano, Alaska 5000, Ben Dela Crème, Bianca Del Rio, Courtney Act, Darienne Lake, Detox, Ivy Winters, Jiggly Caliente, Jinkx Monsoon, Manila Luzon, Pandora Boxx, Phi Phi O’Hara, Raja and Sharon Needles. Plus Special Guest Cary NoKey and host Michelle Visage. (Lineup varies by city and is subject to change.)
Madison WI Feb 17th, Chicago Feb 19th CHECK CITIES AND TICKETS!
Jennifer Hudson, HRC and the W Hotel
A FREE EVENT – First Come First Served – SPACE IS LIMITED!
Turn it up for Change at The W Chicago – Lakeshore
Wednesday, January 14th @ 9PM
The W Chicago – Lakeshore (644 N. Lake Shore Drive) in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign will host Turn it up for Change, a fundraising and awareness initiative in the fight for nationwide LGBT equality with special guests Grammy® and Academy Award® winner Jennifer Hudson, DJ White Shadow, Legendary Damon along with local Chicago Queens Trannika Rex, Precious Jewel and Shea Coulee.
The event is free and will begin at 9:00PM CST
and entry is available on a first come, first serve basis.
TURN IT UP FOR CHANGE launched in October 2014 and combines W’s longstanding support of the LGBT community with its ongoing passion for music. In partnership with HRC and Jennifer Hudson, W hopes to bring about real and lasting change for LGBT Americans in all 50 states. As part of the program, W Hotels around the country currently host monthly TURN IT UP FOR CHANGE music events, in which a portion of proceeds (equal the number of states that currently recognize same-sex marriage) is donated to HRC. Some events, such as this one at W Chicago – Lakeshore, also include appearances by Jennifer Hudson.
GLASS PROTEGE in Chicago
Hollywood, 1949.
A time when the movies are king and the movie stars merely pawns for the studio bosses.
A time when passion was lauded but sex was never discussed.
So when naïve young actor Patrick Glass embarks on a scandalous homosexual love affair with his famous co-star, he starts to feel the full force of the studio’s career-destroying muscle.
Forty years later, as the truths of the past are uncovered, the true consequences of this “unacceptable” romance come to light. A powerful drama about money, image, and the power-obsessed “Hollywood machine.”
Giant Cherry Productions in association with Glitterati Productions
presents the U.S. premiere of
The Glass Protégé
Written by Dylan Costello with direction by John Nasca
Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, Chicago, Ilinois 60657
Previews February 20 and 21, 2015 at 7:45 pm and February 22, 2015 at 3:00 pm
Closes March 29, 2015
Featuring: David Besky, Chazie Bly, Baird Brutscher, Christopher Carpenter, Tom Chiola, Tracey Green, Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, and Britt-Marie Sivertsen.
Playwright Dylan Costello is a passionate advocate and supporter of LGBT rights which led him to form his LGBT-focused production company Giant Cherry Productions, through which he and his team drive forward their manifesto ofproducing theatre, film and TV works which represent and feature LGBT people in a positive way.
Dylan believes it is vitally important for the gay community to see itself represented on film, stage and television.
Issues are universal, regardless of sexuality. We are all human beings who all live, love and lose just like everyone else. We have love stories; we have tragedies. Sexuality shouldn’t be an issue. So it’s always appealing to see plays, movies, TV shows where characters have the same problems as everyone else – and they just happen to be gay.
The Glass Protégé premiered for a five-week run in London, England in 2010 under its original title Secret Boulevard and was a huge hit. To this day, it still stands as the most successful production ever staged at London’s Courtyard Theatre. After its run in Chicago, the play will return to London for a new four-week run at the Park Theatre.
Dylan is proud to be a gay man, is a gay dad to a wonderful daughter and resides happily in London with his partner.
CHICAGO – WIN Season 1 of LOOKING
LOOKING Season 2
is almost here!
SUNDAY JAN 11th, 2015!
RIGHT NOW is your chance to win a copy of Season 1 on DVD!
Leave me a comment below why you love LOOKING! First 10 people get a copy of the DVD!
(Leave your email privately in the comment, and I will follow up with directions on picking up your FREE LOOKING DVD!)
HBO’s LOOKING Season 2!
There’s more out there in the all new season of the hit HBO series LOOKING starring Jonathan Groff and Frankie J. Alvarez.
LOOKING focuses on current gay life in the Bay Area and on themes that everyone, gay and straight, can relate to: falling in love, finding professional fulfillment, forging an identity in a complicated world, and searching for happiness.
Don’t miss the season premiere Sunday, January 11th at 10pm/9pm Central, only on HBO.
And now is your chance to catch up before the premiere with Season 1, available to own now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD: http://amzn.com/B00HX3ZJOY
New Years Eve in Chicago
Our top picks for New Years Eve include:
Scarlet bar. Scarlet New Years Eve 2015
4th Annual Mustaches and Bowlers Party! $5 Cover Charge
$199 Belvedere and Moet table package
Includes:Bottle of Belvedere, Bottle of MoetNo Cover For Table Guests
email party@scarletbarchicago.co
DJ Joey Luna and DJ Scotty T
Looking to ring in the New Year with some class this year? Come join ELIXIR for a night of sinful cocktails and fun! Seating is limited, so email chad@elixirchicago.com for table reservations!
HYDRATE ….Join them as they lift the veil on a slew of treats and fantasies that are sure to tempt you throughout the night. Peek inside a world where excess is the norm, where inhibitions cease to exist, where the new year brings a clean slate to sin all over again.
Intoxicate your mind with the pulsating sounds of DJ Dan De León (Los Angeles) at the turntables until 4 a.m. His unique brand of body-shaking House rhythms will deliver a crowd experience that will tear up the dance floor and will live on long after the night has ended.
Hot gogo dancers will be at hand providing sinful visual stimulation within a totally immersive black, white and red experience unlike anything Hydrate has seen before.
Dress code is not enforced, but black, white and Sin City red are highly recommended.
No cover before 11 p.m.
Limited $35 VIP Tickets available, which include NO LINE/NO WAIT privileges as well as IN/OUTs all night long.
Champagne toast and party favors at midnight.
Opening set by DJ NMF
Ring in the New Year in style at the Kit Kat Lounge!
On December 31st, we’ll be hosting a FABULOUS NYE party featuring world famous Kit Kat diva, Kinley Preston, AND amazing specials!
11:30 p.m.-2 a.m. bar package/$45 advance/$50 door: includes martinis, cocktails, wine, beer & party favors. For table reservations, please call Kit Kat at 773-525-1111.
The sexiest womens NYE is at HALSTEDS! All VIP are sold-out and now very limited General Admission remain …..$35.00
Doors Open at 9pm – General Admission
Passed Hors d’ Oeuvres
DJ’s
Champagne Toast at Midnight
Breakfast Buffet After Midnight
Black and White Party Favors
and at REPLAY, enjoy free arcade games, no cover all night, champagne toast at Midnight!
STAY IN THE HEART OF BOYSTOWN! (2 night stay required).
HAPPY NEW YEAR!~