A BOUTIQUE LIKE NO OTHER

“We love to shop, browse, scroll, click, and thumb through magazines and catalogs,” says Stephanie Knight, co-chair with Lisa Chang and Dana Geldermann of the 44th Annual Holiday Boutique on November 16-18 at Lake Forest Recreation Center. “We wanted to bring what we see out there on social media and in magazine editorials here to Lake Forest to the Holiday Boutique. We have vendors from L.A. and New York, Connecticut and Florida whose lines have been featured all over the world. We’re excited to welcome so many new vendors to Lake Forest this year.”

The Holiday Boutique is one of two fundraisers hosted annually by the Women’s Board of Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. The Women’s Board dates back to 1946. It’s comprised of more than 100 talented and committed active, honorary, and sustaining members. They also volunteer in nearly all hospital departments and contribute more than 10,000 hours of service to Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital annually. The Women’s Board has a long history of supporting the hospital through annual gifts towards scholarships, programmatic grants, and major leadership participation in the capital campaign.

“Our boutique has such a special history on the North Shore,” Knight says. “For decades, local shoppers have been getting much of their holiday shopping done at our boutique, which is great for them and incredibly important for the hospital.” When asked which vendors are the board’s favorites, they have a hard time choosing.

“This is a tough because we are excited for all of them,” says Knight. “Hayden Lasher [whose great uncle was Henri Bendel] is bringing her exquisite Belgian bags and clutches. Glamourpuss will have her fabulous fur hats. Danrie is bringing the most beautiful children’s clothing and Buru will be here with their fabulous ruffle skirts in every color. Oh! And Netherfield charms! We are really into charm necklaces and bracelets so I’m saving up for Netherfield for sure!”

The Women’s Board is also thrilled to be offering lines from local retailers: Toffee Traditions, Forest Needle, B’s Nuts, Velvet by Bunny and Babe, and Arch Glow.

In addition to curating some of the country’s most coveted vendors— with 60% of them participating at the holiday boutique for the first time— this year’s planning committee has invested considerable time into changing up a guest’s shopping experience, as well as the marketing efforts behind the event.

“We think every year the show should have a new look and a new energy, so it’s important to mix it up,” Knight says. “We’re proud of the collection we’ve put together this year and believe there is literally something for everyone.”

Among the new things guest can expect, Lake Forest’s Elawa Farm will be providing lunch and snack service.

“We’re so excited about having Elawa—complete with salads, sandwiches, scones, cookies, coffee, and more,” adds Knight. “We’ll have tables for shoppers who want to linger with friends and to-go boxes for those who are in a rush and need to cross things off their holiday lists and race to school pick-ups. We hope having Elawa at the event will encourage our shoppers to ask friends to join them for shopping and lunch.”

The Women’s Board’s Instagram page—@holidayboutique23— has a new look, too. It’s a colorful hub for all things Holiday Boutique, featuring highlights of all of the vendors and takeovers from some of their board members and local influencers.

“We’ve tried so hard to squeeze as many new lines and returning favorites into our space this year—we are actually even spilling out into the hallway,” Knight explains. “We are promising a unique shopping experience this year: new vendors, a sit-down cafe provided by our friends at Elawa, the edits on social media that will make list-making easy, the old familiar faces that we love to welcome back every year, and fun new personalities that will make you want to stay all day.”

The Women’s Board of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital Holiday Boutique Opening Night will take place Thursday, November 16 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Boutique shopping will be Friday, November 17 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, November 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is hosted at the Lake Forest Recreation Center, located at 400 Hastings Road in Lake Forest. For more information about the Women’s Board and to purchase tickets for opening night, visit nm.org/wbboutique.