Architecture Meets Fashion at Mies’ Birthday Celebration

A celebration of the 123rd birthday of famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, "van der vogue" will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 25, in Illinois Institute of Technology's (IIT) S. R. Crown Hall, 3360 South State Street, Chicago. The party celebrates Mies' contributions to Chicago and modern architecture, while presenting the creations of local fashion designers inspired by signature buildings.

Party attendees will enjoy cocktails while local fashion designers including Kristin Frieman of Red Shift, Lindsey Boland of Habit Chicago, Cynthia Ryba of Cynthia Ryba, Lara Miller of Lara Miller, Alice Berry of Alice Berry, Kristin Hassan of Organi K Revolution, Lidia Wachowska of Evil Kitty and Laura Lambert of Scarlet Designs present their architecturally-inspired creations. Also on hand for the celebration will be architecture firms including Goettsch Partners, Dirk Denison Architects, UrbanLab, DePree Bickford Associates and Krueck + Sexton Architects.
Mies elevated Chicago's skyline and changed the world of architecture and living. His influence reaches every skyline in the world. IIT's S. R. Crown Hall is considered one of Mies' greatest masterworks and is a National Historic Landmark. It is the centerpiece of IIT's master campus plan. The building, which was renovated in 2005, is famous for clear structural expression with its ultra-thin steel and glass façade.

The birthday celebration is sponsored by IIT's Mies van der Rohe Society, along with architecture firms Goettsch Partners and The Elements Group. The Mies van der Rohe Society is dedicated to preserving Mies' legacy, restoring his renowned IIT buildings to enhance educational programs for students, and reinforcing Chicago's international reputation for architectural distinction. This year, building on the legacy of László Moholy-Nagy and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who carried Bauhaus principles to Chicago, the Mies van der Rohe Society and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are organizing “Living Modern Chicago,” a series of exhibitions and programs that probe the presence of modernism today. Marking the 90th birthday of the Bauhaus, the program will tell the Chicago chapter in the international story of modernism, looking at modernism's continuing ideals of inter-disciplinary innovative creative work intended to make a better world, and the legacy of the modern as a way of teaching and learning in both the academy and public realm.

Tickets for the birthday party are $100 per person and include a Mies van der Rohe Society one-year membership at the Brick level. Tickets are $50 per person for current Mies Society members. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Those interested in attending the celebration must register by Monday, March 16, by contacting Kelly Hyman at 312.567.5025 or khyman@iit.edu or by visiting www.mies.iit.edu.

Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,300 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment. Visit www.iit.edu.