• authors,  beauty,  debut author,  fashion,  local,  madison,  vintage,  wisconsin

    Check “Cover Girl” Off the Bucket List

    BRAVA magazine chose VINTAGE as its literary salon selection for October 2014. In addition to holding an lovely vintage-themed author event at A La Crate Vintage Rentals, they interviewed me and did a photo shoot. It was a dream come true to show up and see racks of lovely vintage clothes and accessories laid out for me in my size! To read the interview on books, writing, and all things vintage, click here.

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  • beauty,  books,  fashion,  literature,  style

    On Style and Smarts

    [Image from theberry.com] Oscar Wilde had a lot of great, pithy quotes, like this one. Do you agree? I agree with the overeducated part. Just ask my grandmother, who is working her way through the Great Books in her eighties.  As for being overdressed, I have to say that it is possible, and I’ve been guilty of it once or twice. Being overdressed isn’t so much a question of what you’re wearing, though. It’s a question of whether you can pull it off.

  • beauty,  flowers,  gardens

    June Morning

    If it weren’t for having a dog, I wouldn’t get outside in the early hours of a June morning, long before the thermometer creeps past 90. I wouldn’t see the lake, calm and gray in the mist, nor the bunches of peonies at their peak, which will probably wilt as the day wears on. I wouldn’t get to watch  the progress of neighbors’ front-yard vegetable gardens, or listen to the kid crossing guards chatter at the corner. I wouldn’t get to start my day in such a pleasant way.                                

  • beauty,  budget-friendly,  style

    Mix Classic with Bold, Warm with Cold

    By Guest Blogger, Dorothy Munholland While the weather tries to make up it’s mind this season, I’ve decided to put my foot down and get serious about spring. The winter boots have officially been put away and even though snow and sleet have both been on the menu in the past few weeks, I am no longer willing to wear a hat or gloves to class. Still, the inconsistent weather makes being prepared for all temperatures a must. Too often I’ve found myself wandering campus wishing I had just one more or just one less piece of clothing to battle the elements. With that in mind, it has become necessary…

  • beauty,  budget-friendly,  fashion,  green living

    Dress Like a Celeb on a Student Budget

    Glossing Over It’s college guest blogger is back today, examining how to copy celebrity looks without a celebrity-size bank account. Welcome, Dorothy! Dress Like a Celeb on a Student Budget, by Dorothy Munholland   Anyone who has spent time wading through my closet will tell you that I have a massive collection of magazines and photo clippings, ranging from old National Geographic articles to copies of Vogue. I might’ve been classified as a hoarder if my mom hadn’t cracked down on this habit at an early age. It’s not that I have a hard time saying goodbye to the magazines themselves (by recycling, of course), it’s more like I have…

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  • beauty,  fashion,  style,  vintage

    Vintage Love at the Oscars

    I used to sit through the entire Academy Awards, from the red-carpet arrivals through the last acceptance speech. Then one year I thought, Who am I kidding? I only care about the clothes. Now, I skip the awards show itself and head straight for the press and the post-show fashion wrap-ups. There are usually a few outstanding vintage gowns on the red carpet. This year, Ann Hathaway’s ruby-colored Valentino got a lot of attention, but since it was from 2002, I’m not sure it really qualifies as vintage. She called it “archival.” Whatever it’s called, it’s gorgeous. Marisa Tomei wore true vintage, showing up in 1950’s Charles James couture. She’s…

  • beauty,  fashion,  holiday,  local,  style

    Ooh La La

    Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and the last thing on my mind is lingerie. Nothing says sexy like elastic-waist maternity pants, right? Suddenly, my clothes don’t fit like they used to… especially the bras. For those like me, who could use a little help in the world of, ahem, undergarments, Katherine Bice, owner of La Lingerie boutique in Madison, has a lot to say on the topic: Lingerie is the hardest piece of clothing to fit. ”I am 34 what?” “This C cup doesn’t fit like the other bra. What do I do now?” According to Tracy M. Pfeifer, M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City,…

  • beauty,  design,  fashion,  green living

    Runway Fashions for Rent

    Have you ever looked in your closet before a big event and concluded that you have nothing to wear? If you said no, you’re lying. Choosing clothes for holiday parties, weddings, and other special occasions can be stressful and expensive. And after you’ve gone through the trouble of finding something acceptable to wear, the sad truth is that you’ll probably only wear it once or twice–for most of the year it will hang neglected in your closet in a garment bag. I stumbled upon an ingenious solution to this problem. A website called Rent the Runway allows members to rent current styles from over 90 designers for prices ranging from…

  • art,  beauty,  design,  fashion,  nerdiness,  vintage

    Four Centuries of Fashion

    I’ve been doing a lot of research on vintage fashion for a novel I’m working on. I recently came across a treasure trove of information on the website of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Perusing the photos of garments from the 1600’s through today is like taking a walk through time–albiet in a corset and sometimes painful shoes, but always looking fantastic. Here are a few of my favorite ensembles from the Met’s archives. All photos are from the Costume Institute’s website.

  • beauty,  green living

    Natural Beauty

    My guest blog post lat week for Wisconsin Public Television’s Engage Wisconsin site was about natural personal care products. In the article, I discussed the ingredients and chemical byproducts that are the most harmful to our health and to the environment. I thought it would be fun today, as a follow-up, to share with you some of my favorite natural body products. Badger Sleep Balm. I rub this stuff on my lips just before bed each night. It helps me from getting chapped skin in the winter, but mostly I just love the calming lavender and bergamot fragrance. I’m so attached to this stuff, I bring a tin with me…