Baby, let me be your furry teddy bear
Is there a fur coat sitting in the back of your closet that you never wear?
Maybe you bought one in the mid-1980s, when fur coat sales peaked? Or maybe you inherited one from a relative.
If it's no longer in style, or you have moral reservations about wearing it -- and yet you can't bring yourself to put the pricey coat in the Goodwill pile -- there is something you can do with it. You can have it made into a teddy bear.
Julie Lamarre started Highland Park-based Bella Bear Company (www.bellabearco.com) nearly two decades ago as a way to help people recycle their heirloom furs. One mink stole can be used to make one 16-inch teddy bear or two 12-inch teddy bears.
Prices for custom-made bears are $99 and up.
Donate old jeans
Bring an old pair of jeans (any brand) to an Aéropostale store and they'll give you 20 percent off a new pair of their jeans.
As part of the Teens for Jeans campaign, the store will donate your old jeans to teenagers in local shelters or charities. The campaign is being organized by Do Something, a nonprofit teen organization.
Stars Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen are among the celebrities jumping on the bandwagon.
The offer is good from now through Feb. 10.
New Web site
Shoppers and people in the fashion industry should check out the city of Chicago's new Web site, www.chicagofashionresource.com.
The goal of the site, according to the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, is to showcase the city's 250 designers and 400 independent fashion boutiques.
It's also geared to help people in -- or who want to get in -- the industry. For example, the site has resources for designers looking for contractors, tips for starting a new business and more.
For consumers, there's the latest information on boutiques, designers and events. They can also click on a neighborhood and learn more about its shopping scene.
Got a big purse?
Anyone who's dug into a big purse in search of a ringing cell phone or an emergency piece of Kleenex will appreciate the Joey Junior, which is billed as "The Ultimate Purse Organizer."
Its six pockets come in nine different colors and help everything appear within clear view. It also makes changing your purse a breeze -- just lift your pile of junk and move it to your other purse. ($19.95, http://joeyjunior.com)
Fashion calendar
• embrace boutique and bistro will have an end-of-season sale this weekend with 50 to 70 percent off clothes, jewelry, Christmas items, home goods and more. The boutique is at 29 E. First St., in Hinsdale. Check out www.embraceyourstyle.com.
-- Jamie Sotonoff