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Yard Sale Steals
I love yard sales for two reasons. First, there’s something voyeuristic about people inviting you onto their lawns or into their garages to rifle through their stuff. The second reason I love yard sales is because you just never know when you’re going to hit the junkyard jackpot. This past weekend, a friend and I went to a few sales in my neighborhood. At side-by-side houses on Williamson Street, I scored some fantastic finds. I paid less than $20, total, for this vintage American Tourister carry-on bag, silk Chanel scarf, and–the pièce de résistance–a sparkling, vintage Dior evening bag complete with the original tags. Since I don’t have many occasions…
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Get Yelled at While You’re Shopping
I generally don’t like getting yelled at while I’m shopping, but I’ll put up with it if it means I can buy 4 shirts for $15 at Maxwell Street Days, State Street’s annual sidewalk sale. Even if you have no patience to paw through racks of bargain-priced goods, at least go for the entertainment. At Urban Outfitters, for example, people shout at you with megaphones while you elbow past hipsters to find Silence+Noise tank tops for $5. My favorite moment? While I perused the housewares, a college girl in leggings screamed from her ladder, “You KNOW you’ve always wanted that pizza cutter in the shape of a saw! BUY IT.”…
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Cinched Dresses and Flippy Floppies
I am loving loose-fitting, cinched dresses for summer, either dressed up with wedges or dressed down with flip flops (popularly referred to in my circle of friends as “flippy floppies” a la The Lonely Island). These three dresses (left to right) are by Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent, Tibi, and Rag & Bone. All are available at Twigs at 1925 Monroe Street, which I can’t believe I only recently discovered. It’s like a Lincoln Park boutique dropped in the middle of Madison, only with easier parking.
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Fashion? In Wisconsin? You Betcha
Last night I attended the “Rags and Drag” Fashion Show at the High Noon Saloon. Everyone, from drag queens to models to members of the audience, stepped up their usual Madison uniforms of Chacos and t-shirts and put on their most flamboyant and fashion-forward attire. Proceeds went to the Respite Center, which is a great cause, but I would have gone even if the proceeds went to Satan. It’s rare to see so much so much creativity and all-out fashion ballsy-ness right here in Madison. Kudos to Rethreads and all of the other sponsors, as well as the fabulous bands, Screaming Cyn Cyn and the Pons, The Hemlines, and The…
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Bike to Work Without Looking Geeky
It’s Bike to Work Week. As I pedaled to the office with my pants rolled up, I realized that, although I love a morning ride, the biker look is really cramping my style. Is there any way to look moderately cute on my short commute without having to change once I get to the office? Rumor has it there’s a shower/locker room in the basement of our building, so technically I could just get ready there, but I try not to get naked in the building where I work, as a general rule. So I hunted online for a bike-friendly, fashion-friendly outfit with two requirements: (1) no spandex and (2)…
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Rags and Drag
One of the many reasons it is good to have a dog is that it forces me to take a lot of walks around my neighborhood, during which I always keep an eye out for promo posters on fluorescent copy paper. It keeps me apprised of goings-on, and just the sight of those round kiosks plastered with colored concert flyers makes me happy. If you’ve ever lived in Madison, you know what I’m talking about. On my rainy day dog walk this morning, I spotted a poster for a Rags and Drag Fashion Show being put on by one of my favorite stores, ReThreads, on June 16 at 9:00 PM…
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Jenny & Jackie: My Fashion Heroes
Jenny and Jackie. One’s a rock star, the other’s American royalty. But both are my fashion heroes. Maybe I should try to combine their looks into one. I’d call it “rich girl rock.” JENNY If you’re not familiar with her solo debut, Acid Tongue, or her many albums with the band Rilo Kiley, you may remember Jenny Lewis from the 1989 movie “Troop Beverly Hills.” This indie princess and one-time child star can can rock pretty much anything, from a leotard to haute couture. JACKIE And then, of course, there is (always) Jackie O. My favorite photos of her are not the ones in which she is all dolled up…
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Garden Couture
Double peonies are in bloom! The single peonies started unfurling about two weeks ago, but they pale in comparison with their later-blooming and better-looking sisters, the doubles. There is no flower quite so feminine and showy as the double peony. They remind me of 1950’s ball gowns and wedding dresses:
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Candy Colors to Beat the Spring Blahs
When the dreaded “May Gray” sets in, a girl’s gotta turn to her wardrobe for some artificial sunshine. I am loving these candy-colored picks from local Etsy seller WorkingGirlVintage:
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Fashion Highs and Lows
I thought that by unsubscribing from sample sale websites like Gilt Groupe and RueLaLa, I could remove all fashion temptations from my inbox. But, alas, there is just too much designer love out there, and not all of it requires a second mortgage (not that you could get one, anyway, in this lending environment). Zac Posen and Jean Paul Gaultier currently have lines at Target. Macy’s carries Rachel Roy’s more affordable line, Rachel. Charlotte Ronson has a line at JC Penney (yes, that other anchor store at your local mall). Her line is called I Heart Ronson. And I am loving the clean and classic jewelry in Dana Buchman’s line…
a blog on fiction, fashion, food + family