CoMo Fashion - The COMO Collective

Get your ugly sweater here!

December 1, 2012 By Susan McCullough Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year: the time for ugly sweater parties, ugly sweater dances, and even ugly sweater hikes. I’m all set with my new BowWowBeauty, modeled by Kate C. below. What’s on the back of my doggie sweater? The dogs’ rear ends poking out of little dog houses.

Locally, you can find a sweater at any of the thrift stores. Mine came from Leo’s Old Clothes, where I rooted through an awesome collection until I found the clear winner. Maude’s Vintage currently has a collection of dozens. The local options are far superior to the online options that I have viewed, so try the local stores first.

Kate D. modeling the MittenPocketStunner from the Walnut Street Salvation Army shop.

Bottom photo courtesy of Jonathan Asher Photography.

Filed Under: CoMo Fashion, Misc CoMo Tagged With: slider

CoMo Art: Artrageous Friday

April 24, 2012 By Susan McCullough Leave a Comment

House of Vansickle Spring Art Fashion Fusion

The studio of PJ Allen-Thomas at Orr Street Studios.

The studio of Chris Frederick at Orr Street Studios.

Gorrilla art created by Smithton Middle School students.

Original art was on display everywhere, even on feet.

Grand opening reception at Grindstone Lithography Workshop.

Grindstone Lithography Workshop.

Ben Chlapek custom coloring prints at Perlow-Stevens Gallery.

Busker Ian Meyer with his Mike Sleadd temporary art tattoo at PS Gallery.

Colleen R. with her Mike Sleadd temporary art tattoo at PS Gallery.

Filed Under: CoMo Arts and Music, CoMo Events, CoMo Fashion, Misc CoMo Tagged With: art, events, slider

CoMo Weekend: 4/20-22

April 20, 2012 By Zac Early 1 Comment

I bet you thought we forgot about you, didn’t you? We could never quit you, CoMo. Let’s do something this weekend, just the two of us. What do you say?

Friday the 20th

House of Vansickle Spring Show at The Catacombs in the North Village Arts District; 7:00 PM (Free) – This imaginative fashion show featuring the designs of Suzanne VanSickle will include performance art and fiber installations. Come out and see Vansickles’ spring line. You can check out her work at the House of VanSickle website or her Etsy page. The aforementioned fiber installation is by Easily Distracted. Modeling and performance art by Moon Belly. For more information call us at 573-442-1859 or email at houseofvansickle@gmail.com.

Artrageous Friday; 6pm-9pm (Free) – Wander downtown and through the North Village Arts District for this quarterly event. This edition features something a little different: “In an effort to liven and beautify the space between our Artrageous Members/Venues, Artrageous Fridays will coordinate and promote the budding concept of ‘guerrilla art’. These spontaneous, organic, creative & temporary art installations will enhance the excitement and appeal of Artragoeus Fridays allowing community members to display their works in parking lots & alleyways, on buildings & sidewalks, and even places in between.” Be on the lookout for these installations and performances as you enjoy the nice weather. More information can be found at Artrageous Friday’s website.

Saturday the 21st

Cursive at Mojo’s; doors 8PM, show 9PM ($14) – Cursive has been around so long, that they were pre-emo and post-emo before Conor Oberst had a driver’s license. Still, they sound as fresh and as energetic as they did rapping on the 2001 EP Burst and Bloom. Plus, Tim Kasher has never sounded more tortured than he did on 2000′s Domestica. The Omaha natives make yet another pit stop in CoMo this weekend to present new material from yet another concept album, I Am Gemini. The excellent Cymbals Eat Guitar and fellow Omahaians Conduits open. Check Mojo’s for more details.

80′s New Wave Dance Party at the Blue Note… Check Susan’s write-up.

Adventures in Graduate Education in Jesse Hall; 10AM-2PM (Free) The popular Mizzou event for families is back! Explore roughly 30 different activities in science, art, music, engineering, computers, and animals. There’s something for everyone, especially elementary-age kids. http://gradschool.missouri.edu/adventures

CoMO Derby Dames vs. Mid-Iowa Rollers at Sk8 Zone in Jefferson City; doors 4:30, bout 5:00 (children <10 free, $10 at the door; advance tickets are available for $8 at Maude Vintage) – Drive on down to Jeff City to see our CoMo Derby Dames take down the Mid-Iowa (Isn’t all of Iowa Mid-Iowa?) Rollers this Saturday. It’s violent lady fun for the whole family. Check the Dames’ website for further details.

Sunday the 22nd

Columbia Earth Day is held throughout downtown; noon-7PM (Free) – Music, food, booths, and generally Earthly goodness happens all afternoon in beautiful downtown Columbia. Celebrate our global home by meandering through the many exhibits, enjoying the good weather. More details are available here, including a rain date just in case.

Mid-MO Pridefest is downtown; noon-??? (Free) - Pridefest will be selling one inch wide silicone wristbands, courtesy of 360Bandz.com. All proceeds will help support the costs that go into putting together Pridefest and help keep the event free. Additionally, Pridefest hopes to raise money for their August celebration. See Mid-Missouri Pridefest for more details.

Dubb Nubb at Sparky’s; 8PM (Free) – Actually, Nicholas Naioti, Henry Daggs, Seth Moore (“Three sweet ass dudes from TN”) and Soul Mama (Justin Hickersquashed) are also playing Sparky’s, but it’s CoMo’s own Dubb Nubb you’re coming to see. Check it.

Lunafest at the Blue Note; 4PM ($20, $15 w/student ID) – If it rains or you need a break from all the patchouli downtown, head over to the Note for a fundraiser featuring an assortment of short films made by women. There’s plenty more to know about Lunafest at their website.

Filed Under: CoMo Arts and Music, CoMo Events, CoMo Family, CoMo Fashion, CoMo Weekend, CoMusic, Kids Activities, What's Going On in CoMo Tagged With: artrageous friday, CoMo Derby Dames, Dubb Nubb, Earth Day, Mid-MO Pridefest, Mizzou, Mojo's, Vansickle

Vintage Clothing Shopping

April 13, 2012 By Susan McCullough 2 Comments

During spring break I headed downtown with one purpose: To find a dress for the Museum of Art and Archaelogy’s Paintbrush Ball. My friend Karyn came along to zip and unzip.

We started at Absolute Vintage, located at 923 E. Broadway, the smallest of the three shops that we would visit. It’s all vintage, just as the sign states. It’s a small shop, so we were able to look through everything. We found some interesting dresses, including weird see-through and even weirder apron ones. Those must have been short fads.

At Absolute Vintage, everything is displayed nicely and easy to browse through, with all the full-length frocks hung way up high. There was one that I liked, but it looked a little big. There were no sizes to be seen, so we were guessing from the ground below. We moved on without trying anything on.

Our second stop was Maude Vintage at 818 E. Broadway. This shop has items for sale and items for rent. I had intended to buy, but decided that renting would be a good option also. I wanted something unusual, and there are only so many occasions to wear an odd full-length dress in Columbia.

There is a lot more inventory at Maude, but the shopping was a little easier. Once again, the fancy stuff was up high, but at this shop they were all marked with sizes and/or waist measurements. No need to try on the simple black ballgown because the waist was two inches too small for me. After choosing a couple, the owner took us downstairs and showed us some rentals that she thought would work. She was spot-on for size; I think that she’s been doing this for a while.

I tried on four dresses, from a giant red ballgown to a little brown velvet dress. The velvet was my favorite, but a little too short for my super-long arms. Knowing that it would have to be altered, we left it at the store, keeping it as a last resort. Maude’s Vintage has a ton of inventory, but the help was excellent and it was easy to find what we were looking for. Karyn bought a couple of rings and we moved on.

Our final stop was Leo’s Old Clothes, located at 9 N. 9th Street, above Dryer’s Shoes. It was a little dark up there, and more than a little dusty, but we didn’t care because we had found a bounty. There were racks and racks of evening gowns of all types. Nothing was organized by size, but the clerk was working on that while we were shopping. It’s not an easy job because sizing has changed over the years; give Leo’s some time to get everything organized nicely.

A few scarves at Leo's.

Karyn and I found at least a dozen dresses that were possibilities. Like we found in the other stores, the clerk was extremely nice and helpful. Since our shopping trip, I have heard some negative comments on Leo’s which I’ll address: Yes, it’s dusty, but both Karyn and I have actual dust allergies, and we were fine. No, it doesn’t smell like cat poop at all, although I did see a cat. No, the clothes do not smell musty.

The winner, a superstar dress.

The winning dress turned out to be a rental, so for twenty dollars, I’ll look fabulous at the ball. The fit is perfect, even long enough to cover comfortable dancing shoes. The runner-up was hard to pass up though. Someone sewed a bunch of peacock feathers on a blue dress and called it a day.

And the runner-up, Miss Peacock.

We enjoyed shopping at all the stores, but Leo’s was our favorite. The prices are great and the selection is amazing. I have plans to check out the more casual clothing when I pick up my fabulous rental for the ball.

Filed Under: CoMo Fashion, Misc CoMo, shopping

CoMo Stylebook: CoMo Cycle Chic

September 12, 2011 By Jenny Leave a Comment

Meet Ginger. Ginger is the adorably fashionable cyclist you may see on early mornings downtown. She writes CoMo Cycle Chic, a daily style blog about how to dress for a commute to work. Here’s what she has to say:

I would describe my style as thrifty and practical. I try to stay on-trend without spending too much money or buying things that are hard to wear. I’m inspired by the bloggers in my blogroll, particularly The Julie Blog.

The weather forecast plays a big role in how I choose my daily outfit. If it’s going to be hot I wear a swingy skirt and tank top to stay cool and throw on a cardi when I get to the office. Most of my clothes are easy to bike in — slim pants that won’t get chain grease on them and skirts that aren’t too restrictive to pedal in are two things I look for when shopping. Cycling in heels is easy for me, I just keep the pedal on the ball of my foot and go. Platform shoes interfere with my stroke so I tend to avoid biking in those.

I’m a huge wimp when it comes to cold weather so I haven’t cycled during past winters, but I’m hoping my blog will motivate me to stay on the bike all year. Right now I plan to keep commuting by bike through the winter. I won’t do it in the rain, though.

Filed Under: CoMo Fashion, CoMo StyleBook, Misc CoMo Tagged With: como style, CoMo Stylebook, fashion, ginger stringer, slider

CoMo Stylebook: 80s Run

August 22, 2011 By Jenny Leave a Comment

This year Off Track Events brought back the totally awesome 80s Run. A combination 3 mile run and dance party, CoMo folks went all out. Check out these totally tubular fashions, dude. Don’t let anyone tell you the Midwest lacks fashion sense. Clearly this is the best of the best when it comes to the fashionable elite of CoMo.

The entire cast of Ghostbusters!

Costume contest winners!

The incredible Mike D, mastermind and MC of the event.

Rad.

Dance. Party.

Filed Under: CoMo Fashion, CoMo StyleBook, Misc CoMo Tagged With: 80's Run, CoMo Stylebook, OffTrack events, slider

CoMo Stylebook: Allyson

August 11, 2011 By Jenny 3 Comments

“My style… um. The easiest “decent” I can throw together. Comfortable. Solids. Layers. Pockets. And the occasional mock turtleneck.”

Allyson is just about the cutest wine pouring, pizza slinging, music loving, expatriating, CoMo import you’ll ever meet. She also happens to be my cousin (uncanny resemblance, eh?) But I swear I’m not biased. Find her at: www.allysoncraven.wordpress.com

Oh hi. Remember CoMo Stylebook? We’re back. Do you think you have style? Find me at @jennydills or jenniferdills [at] gmail [dot] com and maybe, just maybe, we’ll feature you. Maybe.

Filed Under: CoMo Fashion, CoMo StyleBook, Misc CoMo

CoMo StyleBook: Lynn

May 1, 2011 By Jenny Leave a Comment

“My style? Colorful and eclectic. No, say ‘funky.’” -Lynn

Filed Under: CoMo Fashion, CoMo StyleBook

The Purple Dress Project

April 28, 2011 By Ashley Hasty Leave a Comment

Photograph by Lollipop Photography

{My story with Crohn’s Disease}
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in January of 2010, just a little over a year ago. I had been experiencing abdominal pain for years prior to my diagnoses but I ignored the signs for as long as I could. After a very rough battle with Crohn’s Disease for 6 months (including partial blockages, abscesses, draining procedures, colonoscopies, CT scans, barium tests, and more) I finally had surgery and had part of my colon removed. It took several months to regain energy and get my life back on track, but once I did I knew right away I had to make the most of this awful situation. Soon after, The Purple Dress Project was born.

{The Purple Dress Project}
I started the Purple Dress Project after hearing about Amy Seiffert’s Gray Dress Project raising awareness about human trafficking. I had finally found a way to combine my two passions, fashion and blogging, to support this dreadful and unglamorous disease that had become a part of my life a little over a year ago. I had a good friend and a graduate of Stephens College Fashion Design Program, Janna Merciel, design a custom purple dress for the project. I wore the dress every day for the month of April posting pictures of how I accessorize and change the look each day along with information about Crohn’s Disease. This is my way of raising awareness about Crohn’s Disease and money for much need research to hopefully find a cure soon!

{Community Support}
I was overwhelmed by the support of the community with this project. The Purple Dress Project was featured on KOMU, KMIZ, and KRCG. It was written about on blogs at the Columbia Tribune and HER Magazine in Jefferson City. Mizzou magazine wrote a feature about the project in their online magazine and posted about it Facebook. Countless community members donated money in support of research for Crohn’s Disease and others donated items for giveaways to help encourage spreading the word about this disease and encourage donations to CCFA.

For more information about The Purple Dress Project, visit us on…

Facebook

Our Blog

Or…Donate to CCFA and help us find a cure for Crohn’s Disease!