// LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
When I was 11, I made up my mind: I was going to be an actor. A fifth grader, I had just made my debut in a high school production of Oliver—delivering my single line with all the dramatic intrigue of a soliloquy—and I was totally hooked. The brilliant lights, the electric tension backstage, the hushed silence of a crowd hanging on every word, the rapturous cacophony of applause… We were just kids and the audience was mostly our parents, but to me it felt like Broadway. Ultimately I chose the page over the stage, but the experience kick-started a lifelong passion for theater that continues to this day.
Our cover star, the incredible Laura Linney, knows the rush of the stage more than most: As the acclaimed actress (who considers Chicago a second home) revealed to me in a delightful, far-ranging conversation for our cover story (page 110), she considers her training at Juilliard the most important thing that has happened in her career, and is still receiving accolades for her astonishing turn playing two roles in The Little Foxes. We’re thrilled to toast her success both on stage and screen (she’s now generating tons of buzz with Jason Bateman in the new Netflix show Ozark), not to mention her appreciation for all things Chicago.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg for our Fall Fashion 2017 issue.
The city’s new cultural season gets started with a bang, from worldclass art at EXPO Chicago to the return of the Chicago Architecture Biennial. And befitting our theme, there’s fashion at every turn, from a spotlight on globally minded local designer Anadil Johnson to a look at the must-have, made-in-chicago denim trend and a sumptuous feature on the season’s latest looks. One thing is certain: From captivating culture to cutting-edge style, fall in Chicago is always a serious rush.