What a perfect excuse for a girl’s getaway in Chicago! From August 26 to September 8, 2011 Chicago’s retail, entertainment and cultural hotspot, the Magnificent Mile, will be turned into one giant shopping mall with the debut of In-Fashion, the first shopping festival of its kind in the nation.

Carson Kressley, host of the popular television show, How To Look Good Naked, and co-host of the new Your OWN Show on Oprah’s OWN Network, will kick off the shopping festivities on Friday, August 26 with an early morning outdoor media event at Pioneer Court. The festival concludes in a big way on September 8 with Chicago’s version of Fashion’s Night Out.

This two week long extravaganza for shopaholics will showcase appearances by top designers and celebrity chefs, trunk shows, street buskers and too good to be true shopping deals. Shoppers will also be able to rack up points that can be exchanged for raffle tickets for some pretty awesome prizes, one of which will be a five-day stay at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park hotel’s presidential suite, valued at a whooping $20,000. My kind of vaca!

Along with big prizes and fun activities, the festival’s biggest draw will be the ‘magnificent’ sales, many of the stores will be hosting special sales, discounts and other incentives that will give bargain hunters the chance to save big on those must have items. Time to empty that closet and head down to Chicago for some prime shopping time with the girls!