Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Brooke Shoemaker has a surefire strategy for never appearing in public wearing the same outfit as some other woman: Dress so quirky, so creatively, so out there that there’s no way to duplicate the getup or the xpressions made by passersby as she strolls around, clad in a vintage floral dress, jelly bracelets, fake pearls, way oversize sunglasses and her trusty Van sneakers.
Two frightened Dalmatian puppies and a beaming baby almost stole the show on the runway Thursday night at the second annual Red Hot Chicago event. But knockout designs by the likes of Tiffani Kim, Jane Hamill and Reginalds made sure that the well-heeled crowd of 900 at Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom got much more than a dog and pony show.
The pillar of any good relationship, aside from love and all that other jazz, is a willingness to share. Share your feelings, your fears … your clothes?
Anthony Potenzo has one thing to say to about how the men dress on “The Sopranos”: “It’s about time!” A big-time “Sopranos” fan, Potenzo hosts weekly Sunday night parties. In his Gold Coast apartment festooned with photos of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, Potenzo cooks up a pot of homemade soup or pasta, serves wine to his nattily dressed crew and tunes the TV to HBO’s hit mob series, which just began its third season.
All eyes may not be on George W. Bush at Saturday’s inauguration–not with his photogenic daughters, Barbara and Jenna, sharing the spotlight. The 19-year-old twins have enlisted Texas-born designer Lela Rose to create their outfits for their dad’s big day.
“My mother came over to the United States from China in 1947,” said art dealer Elaine Kwan. “She brought a big steamer trunk full of dresses. But when she went to college in Minnesota, she didn’t have any use for them and just kind of forgot about them. I never really had the opportunity to get real, tailored Chinese dresses made, so when I came across this trunk, I couldn’t believe my luck. I fit perfectly into them.
Back in the late 1940s, Wayne F. Miller was quietly documenting the South Side Bronzeville neighborhood with his expressive photographs. He didn’t play favorites. He shot–with equal enthusiasm–the city’s stockyards, steel mills, churches, nightclubs, celebrities and street scenes.
Whether it’s delicate houndstooth or bold tartan, plaid is back and it’s making a high-fashion statement. Forget the image of Steve Martin in a mismatched plaid, polyester suit on “Saturday Night Live.” Today’s plaid is showing up in shoes and handbags, as well as skirts and tops.
Each generation of college students has its own variation on back-to-school necessities.
There were no gasps of shock when Jennifer Lopez walked on stage during the Latin Grammy Awards on Wednesday night in Los Angeles. She didn’t wear anything remotely resembling that dress that generated more talk than many of the winners at February’s Grammy Awards.