Love Chicago? Wear Art: The Story Behind Alesia Chaika’s Luxury Chicago Collection
Original Hand-Drawn and Hand-Painted Chicago Art Transformed into Silk Scarves, Fashion, Gifts and Collectable Wearable Art
By Alesia Chaika, Chicago-Based Artist & Couturier
What is the perfect gift for someone who truly loves Chicago?
Perhaps it isn't simply an object with the word Chicago printed across it.
Perhaps it should tell a story.
A story about Lake Michigan. About architecture. About the extraordinary Chicago skyline. About a historic lighthouse standing at the entrance to the harbor. About pencil touching paper, paint touching canvas, and an artist spending weeks—or sometimes years—turning her love for a city into something another person can hold, wear, frame and keep.
That idea is at the heart of the Alesia C. Chicago Collection.
Created by Chicago-based artist and couturier Alesia Chaika, the collection brings together fashion statements, pure silk scarves, men's accessories, jewelry, drinkware and collectable Chicago gifts inspired by one central philosophy:
Love Chicago? Wear Art. Gift the Art of Chicago.
And behind many of these pieces is something increasingly rare:
actual original art created by hand.
Not artwork originally generated by a computer.
Not a generic skyline downloaded from an image library.
The creative process begins with a pencil, brush, paint, canvas—and the human hand.
Technology enters later, allowing a faithful reproduction of the original hand-drawn or hand-painted artwork to be translated onto pure silk and other materials.
The art comes first.
A Love Letter to Chicago That Began with a Pencil
The story of the original Alesia C. Chicago Collection began in 2012.
Alesia wanted to create something timeless for people who loved Chicago—something more meaningful than a traditional souvenir and sophisticated enough to become a lasting gift.
The idea was ambitious:
Draw Chicago by hand.
For more than a month, Alesia and her artistic team studied and sketched the city in pencil, sometimes advancing only about one inch per day.
They studied the architecture, Navy Pier, the relationship between the city and Lake Michigan, and one structure in particular that captured Alesia's imagination:
The Chicago Harbor Lighthouse.
The completed original pencil artwork ultimately measured approximately 27.5 inches (70 cm) long.
Every architectural line existed on paper before it ever appeared on silk.
And that is important.
Because when you see the skyline on an Alesia C. Chicago scarf, necktie, glass, keychain or accessory, you are looking at a reproduction of an actual original pencil artwork.
A Rare View of Chicago—from Lake Michigan Looking Toward the City
There is another reason the original 2012 artwork has become increasingly special.
It captures a particular Chicago skyline in time.
Fourteen years later, Chicago continues to evolve. Buildings rise. Architecture changes. The silhouette of the city changes with it.
But the pencil artwork preserves the skyline as Alesia interpreted it in 2012.
It is, in that sense, becoming a small historical record.
The perspective is equally important.
This is not the conventional view of Chicago from a street or observation deck.
The composition imagines Chicago from Lake Michigan—as though you were approaching or observing the city from a boat.
At the center stands the historic Chicago Harbor Lighthouse.
To the left rises Willis Tower.
To the right, the distinctive silhouette of the John Hancock Center helps frame the city.
And between them unfolds Chicago.
Architecture.
Water.
History.
A lighthouse.
A city seen from the lake that helped define it.
It is this rare composition that became the foundation for an entire world of wearable Chicago art.
From Original Pencil Drawing to Pure Mulberry Silk
Once the drawing was completed, Alesia began experimenting with something central to her artistic philosophy:
What happens when an artwork leaves the paper?
The original pencil illustration was carefully digitized—not to create the artwork, but to preserve and reproduce the artwork that had already been created by hand.
It could then be translated onto pure silk.
And suddenly, Chicago could move.
It could drape around someone's shoulders.
It could appear beneath a tuxedo jacket.
It could become a necktie.
It could travel around the world.
Or it could be opened completely and framed like the artwork from which it originated.
This idea became one of the defining philosophies of Alesia C.:
WEAR it or FRAME it™.
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse Skyline Double-Sided Silk Scarf
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse Skyline Double-Sided Silk Scarf – Long Rectangle – Navy & White
One of the signature expressions of the original artwork is a luxurious long rectangular scarf crafted from 100% Mulberry silk twill.
The scarf is double-sided, with stitched silk layers and elegant short fringes.
The original Chicago pencil illustration flows across the composition, while geometric square elements were inspired by architectural details found in the magnificent ceiling of Stanley Field Hall at the Field Museum.
It is architecture interpreted through architecture.
Chicago seen through the eyes of an artist.
The double-silk scarf collection is available in sophisticated architectural colorways including:
Black & White
Navy & White
Gray & White
Navy & Royal Blue
At approximately 64 inches long, it can be worn traditionally around the neck, layered over outerwear, draped as a statement accessory—or displayed as textile art.
Hand-Rolled Chicago Skyline Silk Scarves
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse Skyline Mulberry Silk Charmeuse Scarf
The same hand-drawn skyline takes on a lighter, more fluid character when translated onto Mulberry silk charmeuse.
Finished with luxurious hand-rolled hems, these rectangular scarves transform the architectural pencil illustration through elegant color stories such as:
Gold & Cream
Gold & Blue
Gold & Rose
Gold & Gray
Blush & Turquoise
The result is simultaneously fashion and art.
Folded, the scarf becomes an abstract composition of lines and color.
Opened completely, the Chicago skyline reveals itself.
Wear the city. Or frame the city.
When Chicago Silk Went to the White House
One of the most memorable chapters in the history of the Chicago Collection came when a women's delegation from Choose Chicago discovered Alesia's skyline scarves.
They selected the blue-and-white Chicago Harbor Lighthouse Skyline scarves, which Alesia personally delivered to their Chicago office.
Later, four women representing Chicago wore the scarves during their visit to the White House.
For Alesia, it was an emotional moment.
An artwork that had begun years earlier with pencil on paper in Chicago was now being worn in Washington, D.C., by women representing the city that inspired it.
The scarf had become something more than an accessory.
It had become a visual ambassador for Chicago.
Chicago Hidden Inside a Silk Necktie
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse Skyline Men's Silk Tie
Some of the most interesting designs do not reveal themselves immediately.
The Alesia C. Chicago men's silk necktie was designed with that philosophy.
From across a room, the tie appears refined, architectural and almost abstract.
Move closer.
What appears to be a stripe is actually Chicago.
The linear pattern contains the hand-drawn pencil interpretation of the skyline.
It is an understated way for a man to wear his connection to the city—appropriate for business, weddings, formal events, architecture lovers, Chicago executives, or as a meaningful Chicago corporate gift.
Chicago Architecture You Can Hold in Your Hand
The Chicago artwork eventually moved beyond silk.
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse Skyline Engraved Drinkware Glass – 14 oz
The original pencil skyline is reinterpreted through frost engraving on crystal-clear glass.
It becomes part of a dinner table, bar cart or celebration—a functional object carrying the lines of an artist's original drawing.
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse Skyline Pencil Illustration Metal Keychain Ring
The skyline is transformed again into a compact gold-plated accessory that can travel wherever its owner goes.
Alesia C. Chicago Harbor Lighthouse 3D Keychain Ring
Alesia C. Chicago Harbor Lighthouse 3D Keychain Ring
In this interpretation, the lighthouse moves from two dimensions into a raised sculptural form.
The landmark that occupied the center of the original drawing becomes a miniature architectural object in its own right.
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse Skyline RFID Blocking Stainless Steel Credit Card Wallet
Even an everyday card case can carry art.
The stainless steel RFID-blocking wallet combines modern functionality with Alesia's original Chicago imagery—a small example of the belief that beautiful objects need not be reserved for special occasions.
MIDNIGHT MUSE™: A Different Chicago
Chicago continued inspiring Alesia long after the original pencil collection.
In 2023, she created an entirely different artistic vision of the city.
MIDNIGHT MUSE™ Blue Mulberry Silk Pocket Square
This time, Chicago was not rendered through precise architectural pencil lines.
It became a dream.
The original artwork depicts the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan beneath an expressive blue sky, with a graceful female figure appearing to float above the city.
She is the muse.
A symbol of freedom, creativity, dreams and imagination.
Electric blues, greens and touches of warm orange bring a completely different energy to the city.
The original artwork was then reproduced on 100% Mulberry silk, including a 12" × 12" pocket square finished with hand-rolled edges.
Fold it into a blazer and you see fragments of color.
Open it and you discover the painting.
Art inspired by Chicago. Designed to be worn. Created to be collected.
Abstract Chicago Skyline: Painting the City in Blue and Gold
In 2024, Alesia returned to Chicago again.
This time with acrylic paint and gold leaf.
Abstract Chicago Skyline Pure Silk Scarf in Blue & Gold – Art-A-Porté™ Collection
The original painting interprets the Chicago skyline rising over Lake Michigan through expressive brushstrokes of blue, deep navy, black, white and metallic gold.
Rather than drawing every architectural detail literally, Alesia painted the feeling of the city.
Gold-leaf applications catch and change with the light.
Strong blue brushstrokes suggest water, sky and architecture.
The painting was then translated onto an extraordinary approximately 60" × 38" Mulberry silk charmeuse scarf, finished with hand-rolled edges.
Because of its generous dimensions, it can become a scarf, wrap, shawl or pareo.
Opened completely, it becomes a reproduction of the original artwork on silk.
This is the essence of Art-A-Porté™:
Original art → textile → fashion → wearable art.
The Art of Gifting Chicago
What makes a meaningful Chicago gift?
For Alesia, the answer is not simply placing a city name on an object.
A meaningful gift should carry a story.
Perhaps the recipient was born in Chicago.
Perhaps they studied here.
Built a business here.
Fell in love here.
Got married here.
Raised their family here.
Perhaps they moved away and still miss Lake Michigan.
Or perhaps they visited once, stood beside the water, looked toward the skyline and never forgot it.
A Chicago-inspired gift can become a connection to that memory.
This is why the collection has become part of charitable events and fundraisers throughout Chicago. The scarves, in particular, have often found new homes through fundraising raffles—bringing together art, fashion, philanthropy and love for the city.
When the World Couldn't Travel, Chicago Still Could
During the pandemic, something unexpected happened.
Travel stopped.
People couldn't easily return to favorite cities or cross borders to visit friends and family.
Yet the emotional connection to places became stronger.
During this period, Alesia C. saw significant interest in its Chicago-inspired gifts and accessories, shipping pieces to customers across the United States and around the world.
Chicago was traveling when people could not.
A scarf could arrive in another state.
A keychain could cross an ocean.
A glass could become a reminder of a favorite city.
It revealed something important:
A souvenir does not always mean:
"I visited Chicago."
Sometimes it means:
"I remember Chicago."
"I miss Chicago."
"Chicago is home."
Or simply:
"I love Chicago."
Fourteen Years of the Alesia C. Chicago Collection
In 2026, the original collection celebrates 14 years since the creation of the 2012 artwork that became one of its foundations.
And now that artwork has another dimension.
It has become a record of a particular Chicago skyline.
Cities never stand still.
Chicago's architecture continues to evolve, but the original pencil illustration preserves a view and artistic interpretation of the city from another moment in its history.
At its center remains the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse.
Still standing at the harbor entrance.
Still looking toward the city.
Still connecting Chicago to Lake Michigan.
And still reminding us why Alesia chose it as the heart of her first architectural Chicago collection.
Luxury Is More Than Material
Yes, the scarves are made from beautiful silk.
Yes, the hems are hand-rolled.
Yes, craftsmanship, presentation and materials matter.
But those things alone do not define luxury.
For Alesia:
Luxury is meaning.
It is knowing that before the silk existed, there was a drawing.
Before the print existed, there was a pencil.
Before the accessory existed, there was an artist looking at a city she loved.
It is knowing that the brushstroke you see on silk began as an actual brushstroke on canvas.
It is knowing that a scarf can be more than something you wear.
It can be a memory.
A story.
A piece of architecture.
A connection to home.
A gift.
A piece of art.
And perhaps that is the simplest way to understand the Alesia C. Chicago Collection:
A love letter to Chicago, written in pencil, painted on canvas, and carried forward in silk.
Love Chicago? Wear Art.
Gift the Art of Chicago.
WEAR it or FRAME it™.
Alesia Chaika
Chicago-Based Artist & Couturier
Founder & Creative Director, Alesia C. Fashion House
Creator of Art-A-Porté™
