Doug Clark is a sport, to say the least. He actually accepted my pitch and wrote a column about my More magazine contest in the Spokesman-Review newspaper. It's a great piece, not surprisingly, because he's a great, funny writer. I knew his perspective would be interesting!

Check out the story here or go to

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=16568

This is the photo Chris Anderson of the Spokesman-Review took for the article in the hard copy version:




If you haven't voted, well all I can say is



If you have voted, THANK YOU! You can vote every day, but only until midnight of the 14th, so the clock is ticking. Here (or if you prefer, http://www.more.com/lifestyle/forums/reinventing-the-f-word-contest/) is the link to the contest, and you can find my entry among the 25 semifinalists.

...Now on Flickr:

...so long as it's vintage of course!

Please have a look at my newest theme, then visit denisebrain for vintage plaids and tartans all month long...There will be everything from a plaid metal lunch box to real kilts, and at least a half a dozen Pendleton 49er jackets!

The theme is here: Mad for Plaid or use the address
http://www.materialgirlbags.com/denisebraintrends.htm

A few examples of items listed now, and soon to be listed:

Thanks to legions of union garment workers, we had a thriving and great clothing industry in the United States, now essentially off-shored.

The delivery may be outdated in this 1978 ad, but the message sounds right on now:

Look for the union label
When you are buying a coat, dress or blouse.
Remember somewhere our union's sewing
our wages going to feed the kids and run the house,
We work hard but who's complaining.
Thanks to the I.L.G. we're paying our way.
So, always look for the union label,
it says we're able
to make it in the U.S.A.




You can still look for the union label, in vintage clothing!
Just a few of the choices at denisebrain this week:

A cute pink 1960s rainjacket


1970s Alfred Shaheen


and coming this week, a Mod 60s Pauline Trigère

If you are someone who would be willing, I'd be grateful if you would vote for me as one of 25 semifinalists for the More magazine contest I mentioned a few blogs ago, here. Apparently, in a complete change of the original rules, they are trying to narrow the top vote gatherers down to 5 before further consideration.

Here is the new link: Vote for denisebrain! You may vote daily in this phase of the process...would you be so kind?

You may wonder if there's something worthy about my candidacy, and if so I applaud you for your skeptical, perhaps even cynical nature! We all need to vote for things that we can truly believe in.

Here are my arguments for your vote:

1. A vote for me is a vote for vintage. I'm advocating, as always, for vintage clothing with my words and picture. More has major readership, and my winning will truly make women over 40 think about vintage for the joy it is to me and is--or could be--for them.

2. I am already a tither and have already pledged to put 10% of the proceeds if I win to a good cause. You have my word.

3. With the rest of the proceeds I hope to help pay for the $1200 repair we had to do to my car recently.

4. You will guarantee I keep my smile for at least a half a year on such a wonderful success!

Thank you!

This will take just a moment, I promise! I found a site that formats surveys without collecting any personal data, and I would like to test it out...

Click Here to take denisebrain's quickie survey

The US women's basketball team did it again, winning the gold medal for the fourth straight time at the Olympics!



I think my grandmother (2nd from right, ca. 1905) would jump for joy!

For years now, The Secretary seems to be making fashion statements. No, I don't mean a modern office manager, I mean the "girl" from the steno pool, the one we all think we saw in an old movie, or that our aunt used to be.

And each new fashion season she keeps hitting the return...I guess we need her to take a letter?

Of course, The Secretary has to have a bow blouse, and this fall I was taken by the size of her bow:



I have a 1970s blouse with an XL bow listed on eBay:



Love this big bow appliqué from Etsy seller theVintageZoo:



Is that a touch of tromp l'oeil? She's in good historical company, thinking of Schiaparelli's trompe l'oeil bow sweaters of the 1920s:



But who is this with her own big bow?



Why it's Schiaparelli herself! I wonder if she knew shorthand?

When I opened the Fall 2008 issue of Fashion Rocks I was stunned. Who is this man?



He's George Harrison, obviously--but no, he's Dhani Harrison, George Harrison's son (with Sasha Pivovarova playing the role of Patti Boyd) as shot by the masterful Steven Meisel. You MUST see the rest of the photos from this shoot, because the clothes, the styling...everything is just beautiful.

One high def set of these images is here

If you're bored and feel charitable, would you swing on by More.com's current photo contest, and vote for yours truly? The contest is Reinventing the F-word...no not that one! Women over 40 (get it? F-word?) are eligible to submit photos and a 30-word or less description of their own favorite F word.

I am going with Finery, as that is what I get to work with every day--Lucky me!! I have already asked a number of people I know to "recommend" my photos, but for anyone left out there that I missed, would you please?

I should say that 1/3 the judging for the first round is based on viewers recommending photos. Over each photo is a Recommend to click on...I think that's the magic button.

If you are over 40, and female, you should show your own Fabulousness, Fashion, Ferociousness, Fitness, Funkiness and Freakin' Incredibility! I'll vote for you!

An excerpt from the page. If you want to vote, you need to go to the page through the link above. (Thank you!!)