NEW! Madison Mannequin: Geometry Class

Guest blogger Alexandra Graves is an intern here at Madison Magazine and my eye on the streets for all things chic, eccentric or otherwise inspirational. So check back weekly for the latest “Madison Mannequin,” posted every Tuesday from now on. Lex will be conducting all interviews and providing commentary for this special weekly segment.

Ciera McKissick, twenty-one, is at the top of the fashion class. I spotted McKissick at the Best of Madison party on June 12th not only because she’s a classmate of mine at UW–Madison’s journalism school, but because I liked her season-hopping knit dress that married soft fabric with hard angles.

“I like to combine elements of masculine and feminine,” McKissick says of her style. She did just that, finishing off her geometric look with black maryjane pumps, trapezoidal earrings and a killer coif.

McKissick, a web editorial intern, was working the crowd with gold winner Madison Verve, voted one of Madison’s favorite Web sites. Even among a sea of award winners and fabulous cocktail dresses (not to mention some stylin’ suits—nice work, gentlemen!), McKissick stood out, and for that, I give her an A+.
— Alexandra Graves

Best of Madison: What We Wore

I live for party attire. Sometimes I wish I had a job that I could wear a cocktail dress to every day—but alas, I do not. And I’d probably get tired of that eventually anyway, so for now, special occasions are all the more special!

The Best of Madison party is just one of those times when our city’s finest get to dress up and celebrate one another’s success. Restaurants, salons, stores, auto dealerships, jewelers, movie theaters, florists, arts and entertainment groups and much more came out to socialize at the Madison Club and the Hilton last Friday night and everyone had a great time.

I wanted to share with you some cool photos: the first is of Madison Magazine’s very own edit staff—left to right is myself, Katie Vaughn, Neil Heinen and Brennan Nardi. Katie is wearing a J. Crew dress and beautiful chunky, bejeweled necklace (that I want myself!). Neil chose his comfy uniform of a T-shirt and blazer (he asked me ahead of time if his outfit choice was appropriate to wear to the Best of Madison—of course I said yes). Brennan is wearing a cool blue jersey dress by Jones New York that’s very Marilyn Monroe-esque. Too bad we didn’t catch her shoes in the photo! They were sassy patent cream and gold stunners.

I sported a Juicy Couture black silk cocktail dress with feathers at the hem from bop. Because I can never wear all black (seriously—too boring for me!) I had to add a pop of color with these Nina red peep-toe heels from DSW. If they look familiar, you might have noticed them in our June Luxe for Less issue—look in the lower right-hand corner!

To check out pics from our party, go to: www.madisonmagazine.com/scenes/

Fashion-Forward Femme

Jennifer LaMore is one of those women that when you see her you automatically compliment her on what she’s wearing—although it’s probably not a question where she got it. Friends, she probably got it from her store, J LaMore, named after—naturally—herself. LaMore’s been sharing her trademark style with our city for ten years. Her mix of west coast, easy-breezy chic (tie-dye, bright sundresses, embellished tops), upscale, more conservative work attire (wool pencil skirts, blouses, trousers) and dash of sex appeal thrown in (sheer blouses, sassy cocktail dresses, sky-high heels) easily captures the many facets of a Madison woman’s life—from work to play.
As a multiple-year Best of Madison winner, I asked LaMore a few questions about her store’s success.

How many times have you won Best of Madison?
I think it’s seven times!

Why do you think you’ve done so well in the Best of Madison?
I think that people that shop here know how much we love what we do. They get such a positive vibe when they come in—and find product in here that they don’t see everywhere else. It’s such a friendly, easygoing place; there’s no pressure. We go to the east and west coasts to make sure we have the trends featured in magazines but interpreted to what people can wear here in Madison.
We try to participate in as many fashion shows and fundraisers as we can. It’s really about being relentless, and working at it, and doing everything we can to stay in front of the customers.

You said you interpret the trends from the coasts to the Midwest buyer. How do you do that?
On the west coast they tend to be on the trendier side. There are things that I see that I might love, but I’m not really certain that everyone’s going to “get it.”
Being in business now for ten years and knowing the customers as well as I do, it’s such a natural that I can’t even really explain it.

What’s your personal style?
My style is kind of definitely trend-driven in everything I choose to wear. It’s kind of free and a bit eclectic. I’m loving all of the maxidresses; I probably own five. They’re so comfortable and look cute—every time I wear them I get tons of compliments!

What trends should we look for this summer?
I don’t know if this has to do with the economy, but people are buying things that they can get more use out of—like dressier tops paired with jeans.
I’m seeing lots of plaid cotton shirts, and color in dresses and tops. Look for bright pink, orange and tie-dye.
And of course maxidresses!

Photos above courtesy of J LaMore.

J LaMore, 2701 Monroe St. 238-2119. jlamore.com

Look for LaMore at the Encore: Madison's Premiere Fashion Show at the Orpheum Theater Friday, June 26 at 8 p.m. (See event listings, below for more info). Want more Best of Madison? I’ll write more about more winners next week! In the meantime read the July story here!

What Do I Do All Day?

What does it mean to be a Best of Madison winner? To me, it means that your shoppers have rated your customer service, merchandise selection and overall store look and concept as top-notch. As we know, local retailers don’t have as many resources (i.e. money, staff) as big-box retailers like Target, or department stores like Macy’s, to launch huge, fancy marketing campaigns, weather a downturn in the economy or quickly replace employees that quit or are fired. I have heard various stories from local retailers on the struggles and rewards of being a boutique owner.

In a smaller city like Madison, local retailers have to differentiate themselves from other local shops and offer something different. Shops that offer (for example) unusual clothing lines, kitchen products, furniture or handmade jewelry are going to be the ones that will do better than those who deal in the same-old, same-old. Gold winner for men’s clothing Jazzman does just that: offers lines that can’t be found anywhere else, with staffers that are friendly and approachable. Gents can find everything from casual wear to dapper suits to fit every occasion. Prices are affordable as well. Silver winner Woldenberg’s and bronze winner Context each offers its own merits of why customers of all ages like these shops, too.

Or take J. LaMore, gold winner in the women’s clothing category. Jennifer LaMore’s savvy eye for what women like surely resonated with voters. Cute shoes, jewelry, cocktail dresses and premium denim round out her shop’s selection. Of course silver winner Woldenberg’s and bronze winner Terese Zache Designs deserve props too for their genuine employees, well-crafted clothing and attractive interiors.

What about stores that didn’t win (but deserve to)? Simply put, it’s a reader’s poll and editorially, we don’t have control over what our readers say, we just report the findings. I received an email from a reader the other day lamenting Madison Magazine readers’ choice of Macy’s for the gold winner in men’s and women’s clothing (chain). He thought that Macy’s “single handedly wiped the regional department store off the face of the earth,” pointing out that Marshall Field’s was a much better department store in its day. In fact, there’s a group (fieldsfanschicago.com) that is pining to bring Field’s back! He and I had a spirited exchange about how the reader’s poll operates and how I choose the shops I highlight in the magazine.

So, how do I choose the shops I highlight? A couple of different criteria go into my choices. One, is the shop new? Is it a local retailer? Those are the two first things I look at. If the store isn’t new, why is it worthy of being covered (I only get to write twelve columns a year!)? What is the owner’s background, and are they offering something unique to the market? Is the merchandise selection quality and reflective of what the Madison market will buy? Finally, is the store interior attractive and inviting? (I have been in stores where this is NOT the case; I have chosen not to write about those places).

So, that’s what your trusty style editor does in her day-to-day doings. Now you know! And more importantly you know that Madison Magazine has high standards for every topic we cover, whether it’s retail or restaurants.

And so do our readers.

Jazzman, 340 State St. 256-2062.
Woldenberg's, 702 N. Midvale Blvd. 233-4300. woldenbergs.com
Context, 113 King St. 250-0113. contextclothing.com
J LaMore, 2701 Monroe St. 238-2119. jlamore.com
Terese Zache Designs, 702 N. Midvale Blvd. 310-4100. teresezache.com

Party Pics

Did you know that Madison Magazine is now posting "Party Pics" on the website? That's right, partygoers can now check out fun times and purchase pics. Check out pics from our Best of Madison party! I also posted two here from my own camera to show off the beautiful dress I wore. Constructed of white silk dupioni and made by local designer Jess Newman, I got compliments on her handiwork all night!

The first picture is with the (incognito) folks that own Weary Traveler, Natt Spil and Magnus, Prentice and Chris Berge.

The second photo is with myself, Angela Richardson and Mad Mag's editor, Brennan Nardi.