PICK OF THE WEEK
Shop till you drop
Fashionistas seeking a one-stop spring shopping fix can’t miss Shop Chicago on Saturday. Gen Art Chicago’s stylish event transforms Union Station into a fashion bazaar with more than 80 designers and boutiques selling original wares. Includes complimentary beauty treatments, beer and wine. Pony up $40 for a preview party (3-4 p.m.) featuring gift bags, chair massages, champagne and light bites. 4 p.m. Saturday. Free. 210 S. Canal St. 312-229-1701. R.S.V.P. required for party or express entry: genart.org
BEST OF THE REST
Poster children
The 17th annual International Vintage Poster Fair, billed as the largest and oldest exposition and sale of its kind, touts 10,000 rare and unique prints by artists from the 1890s through the 1980s. Highlights include works by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Leonetto Cappiello and others. Get first dibs at Friday’s preview party. 5 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. Sunday. $15; $45 to preview. Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St. 800-856-8069.
Coppola film buffs
All week, local filmmakers competed for praise — and cash prizes — from Christopher Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew and the brains behind short digital filmmaking competition PAH-FEST: Chicago 2008. See the finished flicks at a screening Sunday, where a panel of judges and viewers watching online at pahnation.com pick the winners. 7 p.m. Free. Ludington Building, Columbia College Chicago, 1104 S. Wabash Ave. 323-645-4353.
Straight to the ‘Curb’
Zanies comedy club hosts raven-haired “Curb Your Enthusiasm” funny lady Susie Essman on Sunday for a one-woman show that promises to be as foul-mouthed as her character on the HBO comedy. Expect good-natured jabs at family, relationships and more. 8:30 p.m. $35. 1548 N. Wells St. 312-337-4027.
PARTY PICKS
To a T
No matter the weather, we’re in a T-shirt state of mind. See what’s new at Bump: The Official Novem Spring 2008 Release Party. The collective of graffiti-artists-turned-designers launches its new T-shirt line Friday with help from DJs Marco Morales, Trew and MTM, break dancers The Brickheadz and rappers Skech 185. Psst: You can also score Novem wear at Shop Chicago this weekend. Arrive early for gift bags. 9 p.m. Friday. $5 after 10 p.m. Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave. 773-278-6600.
Circus act
You don’t need Rio — or a Brazilian wax — to celebrate Carnaval 2008. All you need is local theater group Collaboraction. The troupe hosts its fifth annual bash in a 120-year-old gothic church, raising the buttressed roof with live acrobatics and DJs. Includes food, beer, wine and a costume contest (first 25 entrants only). 9 p.m. Saturday. $25. Epiphany Episcopal Church, 201 S. Ashland Ave. 312-226-9633. collaboraction.org
The hour is nigh
It’s OK to get left in the dark when you’re celebrating Earth Hour. The World Wildlife Fund’s movement to raise awareness about global warming inspires local spots to switch off their lights from 8-9 p.m. Saturday. Get in on the action at Weather Mark Tavern’s candlelit party. Includes an open bar, three-course dinner and glass of champagne. 7 p.m. Saturday. $60; $15 for open bar only. 1503 S. Michigan Ave. 312-588-0230. Find more spots honoring Earth Hour at metromix.com.
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metromix@tribune.com
