Burberry boosters, please welcome to your ranks architectural critic Lynn Becker. In a new review posted to Becker's blog ArchitectureChicago PLUS, the author assails interim Tribune critic Cheryl Kent for "rechannel[ling] Blair Kamin's worst schoolmarm tendencies" in a predictable hosing of Burberry's new Michigan Ave flagship. Becker offers that the facade's "homage to the brand's distinctive Tartan check," and permeable fortress aesthetic is a "personification of high-end retail's tricky balance between snob appeal and inclusion." And he digs the juxtaposition with much larger buildings, noting that the structure signifies Chicago's participation in the world city phenomenon of brand-driven flagship architecture in elite districts. Light influences what you make of the building, but it's definitely "hyper-bling". [ArchitectureChicago PLUS, previously, photo: Kevin Dickert]
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