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Home - Lifestyle
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Survival of the Pinkest - |
When it comes to cancer, the ‘breast’ defense is a good attitude
by Sarah Wengert
Runway models are icons of beauty and grace. These otherworldly creatures offer a stunning fantasy, but in reality the depth of a woman’s beauty is best revealed by her resolve to survive when presented with, shall we say, a bump in the runway.
A group of local breast cancer survivors, having faced the ultimate lump in the road, will take the runway for Couture, a fashion show to promote awareness, raise money for cancer victim Susan G. Komen of Nebraska and display the fierce beauty of their matchless mindsets.
Meeting with the Couture models one afternoon I was immediately struck by their lively attitudes. In their bright smiles, bold humor and sincere laughter it is clear they are on top of the world — all because they’re still in it. |
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Shop Talk - |
After a busy weekend out of town, my feet are sore — and I can only imagine my friend Marta’s feet are even more so after all the museums, shopping, eating and airplane-hopping.
Marta brought an array of high and low heels — and a few stray flats — for our sojourn to Austin, Texas; I, a sort-of-seasoned traveler, opted for flats and my pair of trusty slip-on (if a little passé, along with Mischa Barton) Keds. Still, I think our most comfortable moments were in our hotel room, where Marta switched to slippers and I went barefoot.
What is the stylish girl-on-the-go to do? Sure, you can take a ballet flat or sandal or two on the road this summer, but I still can’t shake the idea that the stylish, streamlined, flat-like sneaker is the best way to preserve your pretty toes for the party shoes you can break out come nightfall. |
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Spring On Board - |
Reader style columnist picks the season’s best
by Lindsey Baker
Faithful readers, for the last month or so, I have been Shoptalking spring, sifting through looks and trends, trying to pick the hottest fashions and most realistic ways to wear them.
This week, I’m making final cuts: These are my absolute must-haves for spring — and I’m happy to say I think you stylish gals will be able to rock them all summer long. |
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Shop Talk - |
I am happy to confirm a rumor I introduced last week: Omaha is, in fact, going to see the addition of an aerie store to its retail scene. The loungewear and underthings branch of American Eagle will open in May at Oakview Mall, an AE spokesperson said.
The coming of that sister store follows a lot of sister-store development — it seems some of mainstream shopping’s biggest names are spawning more specialized counterparts. Let’s take a look at them.
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Home Grown - |
Omaha’s 2008 Designer Showhouse features the latest — and greenest — in interior design
by Lindsey Baker
It may not have taken an entire village to come about, but Omaha’s 2008 Designer Showhouse was undeniably a community effort.
Sponsored this year by Camp Fire USA, the Junior League of Omaha and Omaha Performing Arts: The Presenters, it was the product of a partnership between the Nebraska/Iowa chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers and metroMagazine. The Designer Showhouse features the handiwork of 67 local designers in 21 spaces. While each of the three-story home’s spaces has a slightly different flavor, all designers worked with a single color palette to create the cohesive-yet-innovative interior that’s become the hallmark of Omaha’s traditional showhouses — albeit with a modern twist.
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Shoptalk - |
For all those who’ve been asking me, I tried. I really tried this week to pin down an opening date for Omaha’s coming American Apparel, but the folks in L.A. are keeping mum — they aren’t even answering their phones (but thanks to the friendly operators, anyway). I promise, as soon as I hear back, you faithful readers will be the first to know.
Similarly, regarding the rumor Papillion’s Shadow Lake Towne Center would be receiving an aerie store, American Eagle’s loungewear and underthings branch, well, I can’t confirm that, either. At press time, AE representatives had not returned phone calls from The Reader.
What I can say is we’ll all just have to tide ourselves over with (at last) the availability of Kiehl’s (and a smorgasbord of other) beauty products once the shiny new Sephora opens in June at Village Pointe. I, at least, will be in line for Lip Balm #1.
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Animal Love - |
Fashion doesn’t take the coats off vegans’ backs
by Lindsey Baker
Mention the word “vegan” and people might conjure the hippie image — tiered paisley skirts, thrift-store T-shirts, weird granola sandals — of someone fit for a tofu-and-bean dinner at Omaha’s McFoster’s Natural Kind Café.
Surely, these people can’t be fashionable, can they?
Of course they can. In an age of increasing awareness in the benefits of conservation and organic manufacturing (whether at grocery stores or trendy boutiques), stylish options for those who’ve decided to ditch leather, fur, wool and silk are increasing.
In the spirit of Earth Day 2008, let’s take a moment to examine the vegan lifestyle — and how to dress the part.
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ShopTalk - |
The votes have been tallied, and the winner of Scout: Dry Goods and Trade’s first bag design contest is Dave Nelson of Omaha’s Secret Penguin graphic design studio (sandwiched between Film Streams and BBB Ltd. in NoDo). More than 100 Scout customers voted on about a dozen designs selected from about 40 entries.
Nelson’s swirly, teal-and-white design, featuring Scout’s name and his own company’s penguin logo, will be printed on 500 reusable bags to debut Saturday, April 19 at Earth Day Omaha in Elmwood Park. The bags are $5; pick one up at Earth Day or visit Scout, 5019 Underwood Ave., and receive a bag free with a $60 purchase. For more information call 402.964.2270 or visit myspace.com/scoutdrygoods. |
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No Style - |
Omaha fashion experts kick overplayed trends to the curb
by Lindsey Baker
Every few years, it seems even the strongest of the fashion trends start to feel tired. Maybe that’s why the past few seasons’ wide-leg pants seem such a fresh, breezy alternative to the now-staple skinny jean.
Some things just don’t hold up. Uber-pointy-toed stiletto boots, for example, have become dated. The new trimmed-down, slim cross-body handbags have thankfully replaced the thin, sack-like hippie hobos of the early 2000s. Gaucho pants have reverted to yoga-wear.
Surely, we all have some trendy items with which we can’t part. After all, won’t they come back? Maybe — but then again, maybe not. In the spirit of spring cleaning and good dressing, Omaha’s boutiques have chimed in with their picks for wardrobe non-essentials that just can’t be saved in the back of the closet.
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ShopTalk - |
If The Reader has inspired a little spring cleaning this week, those trimming business attire from their wardrobes can put that excess to good use.
Omaha’s YWCA accepts donations of clean, ready-to-wear clothing and accessories, as well as old cell phones to be reprogrammed as emergency phones, all year long. From April 14-16, it holds a semiannual Business Clothing Extravaganza at 29th and Farnam.
The clothing drive offers women a way to prepare for interviews or just expand their career wardrobe; gently used and new items — including suits, dresses, jackets, pants, blouses and accessories — were donated by businesses such as CJ Banks and Union Pacific and patrons of local shops, including Deniz Shoes and Acessories.
The Extravaganza runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; for more information, call 402.345.6555 or visit ywcaomaha.org.
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Inside Out - |
Innovative mind-body exercise program hits Omaha
by Kate Oelke Turner
Omaha just got a little hipper.
The benefits of yoga and hypnosis have long been recognized, but until recently, the two had not combined. Located downtown in the Passageway Gallery’s Omaha Yoga School, Hyp-Yoga classes offer a never-before-taught blend of powerful hypnosis and traditional yoga poses.
CEO and Hyp-Yoga instructor Carly Cummings says student feedback has been incredible. Whether they want a good physical workout or to tap their subconscious through hypnosis, they leave with an experience that, for some, is truly powerful. |
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ShopTalk - |
WhoWhatWearDaily.com posts trend and accessory updates, videos on how to wear said trends and accessories, hot new lines, and well-dressed models and (most addicting) celebs. And sometimes, the nature of the site’s posts combines all elements into a power-punch of style. To wit: WWWD’s recent interview with style icons Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen on the spring line of their gorge Elizabeth & James label.
But as much as I loved finding out the tiny twins’ favorite items from their new collection — and as much as I wanted almost every piece — I couldn’t help but cringe at the hefty price tags. So, for those who might peep the site and love the twins’ picks, too, I thought I’d offer up affordable alternatives to the E&J must-haves from American Apparel — a favorite of the Olsens’ and soon to grace Omaha.
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Go, Speed Dater! - |
Newly single gal gets brisk re-introduction to dating
by Sarah Wengert
Love is effortless once you find the right person. But finding a decent date in this town is an altogether different proposition.
In hopes of finding a few good men, I recently attended a Cupid.com pre-dating event in the reserved bar at The Melting Pot. Coordinator Sharon Rowan warmly greeted me and I was ushered to the bar, which was segregated like the dance floor at a junior high prom. There was one seat left at the bar, right in the cusp between sexes. I took my place there, ordered a martini from bartender Sarah, and began sizing up the crowd. That none of the men and women were mixing seemed strange at first, but I think since everyone knows they will soon meet, they wait. This may be speed dating, but we don’t want to rush things. |
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ShopTalk - |
Fashion trends can be pesky things to follow. They’re so fleeting, after all; only a few trends ever surpass “trend” status to “staple” territory — who’d have thought, for example, so-called skinny jeans would become the norm?
So, this week in Shoptalk, I thought I’d highlight some of the more questionable trends for spring with a few ways to help you fashion mavens stay on point and work them into your existing wardrobe — and maybe end up with an item or two in your style arsenal that’ll last more than a few seasons.
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Gunk Rocker - |
Omaha DIY designer Shamina Weik brings ’80s style to the 21st century
by Lindsey Baker
During the week, getting dressed for 24-year-old Omaha clothing designer Shamina Wiek is kind of a drag.
Weik’s day job at the Proactiv kiosk in Westroads Mall requires her to wear the same thing every day: black pants and a white shirt. Most of the time she throws on a black cardigan and, per a recently updated dress-code policy, a pair of colored shoes.
Weik makes up for it, though, come Friday night. |
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ShopTalk - |
As the days get longer and the spring light wanes into the 8 p.m. hour, shoppers get a little extra time to exercise their credit cards.
Trocadero, 1208 1/2 Howard St. in the Old Market, is now open Monday (though still closed Tuesday). New hours are Monday and Wednesday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Sunday, 12-5 p.m. For more information call 402.934.8389 or visit shoptrocadero.com.
Scout: Dry Goods and Trade, 5019 Underwood Ave. in Dundee, has extended its hours and is open now Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m. For more information, call 402.964.2270 or visit myspace.com/scoutdrygoods.
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Guinness Record - |
Mark St. Patrick’s Dayat home or around the Metro
by Lindsey Baker
No, it isn’t just an excuse to get hammered during the workweek.
St. Patrick’s Day, on Monday this year, actually began as an Irish religious holiday celebrating St. Patrick, one of the patron saints of Ireland. While an official holiday still in Ireland (meaning the bank is closed), the “unofficial” celebration of St. Patrick’s Day has certainly taken secular, green-colored roots worldwide.
This March 17, then, The Reader offers those in the Heartland, of Irish and non-Irish heritage alike, a few ways to celebrate this favorite spring holiday in style — whether it be authentically Irish or a more personalized interpretation. We do encourage all merriment be tempered with caution; remember, don’t drink and drive after all that traditional Irish stout. |
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ShopTalk - |
*This week, we’re starting Shoptalk with a cool contest announcement from Omaha’s Scout: Dry Goods and Trade, a recycled clothing boutique at 5019 Underwood Ave.
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Get Your Skate On - |
BBB brings street culture to Saddle Creek complex
by Lindsey Baker
Skater gear might not be the first thing you’d expect to find in downtown Omaha’s boutique scene. A skater clothing shop might seem like some kind of oxymoron. (And, technically, skateboarding is illegal in downtown Omaha.)
But BBB Ltd. makes perfect sense in its north downtown home two doors down from Film Streams in the Saddle Creek complex near 14th and Webster. The newest shop to open downtown features a cache of hoodies, T-shirts, hats and skate shoes. |
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ShopTalk - |
While visiting a friend in Lincoln, I had a momentary existential crisis. Watching a crowd file into Box Awesome for a dance party-slash-fashion event, I couldn’t help but compare my modest black skinny jeans, ankle boots and neon T-shirt to the parade of polyester hot shorts and bright footless fishnets coming through the door. Have I become a style square, I wondered? Am I actually out of touch?
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