How to wear animal prints

March 12, 2009

Want to dress like an animal? Your timing is absolutely purrfect.

Recent columns

• Mom's snooping uncovers daughter's pot use; now what?

  March 8, 2009

  My teenage daughter has been acting secretive and withdrawn lately. I thought perhaps it was the usual angst of growing up. That's the background for why I was snooping in her e-mail. She left it open on my computer—and I learned that her best friend sneaks marijuana from her parents' stash and shares it with my kid (she's 15). According to the purloined e-mail, my daughter has only smoked it a couple of times and didn't really like it.

• Little Italy shopping

  March 5, 2009

  This is not your normal neighborhood shopping tour. For starters, it covers a fair amount of territory, so wear comfortable shoes.

• No such thing as too many thank-you notes

  March 1, 2009

  Two people with the same predicament:

• Back in the saddle again

  February 26, 2009

  Most of us have been hibernating in our homes and offices for months. But the hard-to-believe truth is that spring is getting closer every day. Hooray!

• Life by Ellen Warren

  February 22, 2009

  A bunch of us got together to buy a gift for an older friend who has everything she "needs" and always insists she doesn't want any presents. Our solution was to pay a local florist to send our pal an arrangement monthly for a year. The agreement was that our friend would phone an employee at the shop to discuss the flowers and delivery.

• Answer Angel talks sweaters, boots

  February 19, 2009

  Dear Answer Angel: I have a cashmere sweater that I love that has a moth hole right in front. I was wondering if you might be able to recommend a good weaver. I'm reluctant to take it to just anyone.

• Road-testing tights

  February 12, 2009

  Getting a little sick of winter? Gee, do ya think?

• Valentine's Day done different

  February 5, 2009

  It's great to have a sweetheart. And never better than on Valentine's Day, when love is in the air, hearts are afire and pink-and-red is everywhere.

• Silence, please. Silence, please. Silence, please.

  February 1, 2009

  Problem: Actually two problems, both related to wedding guests who don't behave.

• What's in your bag? The bargain edition

  January 29, 2009

  Now more than ever, shoppers are bagging bargains—and bragging about it.

• 5 things to know about Ikram

  January 27, 2009

  The highest of Chicago's high-end boutiques is Ikram (pronounced EEK-ram), one of the few shops in the country where you can find the fashions you see in the fantasy photo layouts in magazines such as Vogue. The gilded Gold Coast store and its passion-for-fashion owner Ikram Goldman are drowning in attention these days because of one famous customer: Michelle Obama. Goldman's know-how and contacts in the world of the cutting edge are said to have helped the first lady hone her fashion image.

• Ms. Buttinsky needs a swift kick

  January 25, 2009

  Problem: Eight months ago my husband and I moved to a new town, but along with a new house came an intrusive neighbor.

• Return of the Answer Angel

  January 22, 2009

  You asked so … I'm back! Just a couple weeks ago, I hung up my halo. Answer Angel was heading for some R&R; in a warm place with a lengthy happy hour.

• Serve the undiluted truth

  January 18, 2009

  Problem: Some friends recently invited me to dinner in their home and afterward poured me some Grand Marnier (they don't drink it). One sip and I could tell it had been greatly watered down. Their teenage son looked me straight in the eye and communicated a message clear as day: "Yes, I drank my folks' liquor and filled the bottle with water so they wouldn't know. Please don't rat me out." I said nothing. Was I right or wrong?

• Free cosmetics in stores Tuesday

  January 17, 2009

  History will be made Tuesday, and it's not what you're thinking. Yeah, there's that Obama inaugural thing. But perhaps you didn't know that also on Tuesday, many major department stores across the country will give you $25 worth of classy cosmetics for free.

• Thrifty shopping

  January 15, 2009

  Who isn't looking for a pick-me-up these days? But how to feed that urge without the splurge?

• Vegetarian wants minimal fuss

  January 11, 2009

  Problem: I'm a vegetarian. When I'm invited to someone's home for dinner, I never know whether to tell them in advance that I don't eat meat, fowl or fish. If I do, but add that I don't want them to fix anything special and that I'm perfectly happy to eat the salad, veggies, rolls, whatever (and that's the truth, I am), they invariably take it as meaning they have to fix some sort of special dish or casserole just for me. But if I don't mention it and just show up and decline the main course, they're insulted and say, "Oh, you should have told us." Is there some way around this that won't add work for them or meat for me?

• So bad it's good: A few favorites

  January 8, 2009

  What follows is a tour of our favorite spots around Chicago that, charitably, could be called so ridiculous they're kind of fun. Indeed, a few have been around so long that the line between authenticity and cheesiness melted off long ago.

• All day I dream about shoes (that fit)

  January 8, 2009

  As long as I've known Sallie Gaines, she's been talking trash about her feet.

• Answer Angel talks to the animals

  January 1, 2009

  Lobsters? Elephants and Squirrels? Answer Angel is hovering in a regular zoological wonderland this week, her own little Animal Kingdom. Stir in a little inaugural ball shopping and you've got the recipe for some solutions to your vexing questions.

• Give only so much latitude for ingratitude

  December 28, 2008

  Problem: This sounds like whining—and I guess it is—but what is with the kids these days? My nieces do not acknowledge—by e-mail, phone or card—the birthday or holiday gifts or gift cards I send to them. The girls are 19, 20 and 23. Some of my friends say people just are not into the old-fashioned habit of thank-yous, but I say an e-mail is so easy to pull off. What's up? Is this the new culture or what?

• Keeping kids busy

  December 25, 2008

  The holidays don't always bring out the best in us. Even Answer Angel pleads guilty to a little Grinchitude—induced by demanding kids and celebratory calories. Angel can't offer free baby sitting or a kid-free island vacation. And fat-busting miracles are above my pay grade. But for some down-to-earth solutions, read on.

• Negative reaction to double exposures

  December 21, 2008

  Problem: Actually, two similar problems. The gym you go to isn't fancy and not the kind of place that singles go to meet each other. But, lately, a woman has shown up wearing clothing more suitable for a strip club or a pole-dancing class. Sure, she's fit and attractive, but she is showing way more flesh than you want to look at while sweating on the treadmill. Should you tell her?

• no_title

  December 18, 2008

  Some of us are just plain naughty. Others are angelically nice (I think you know where the Answer Angel comes in). But all of us are frugal this holiday season, trying to do the best we can with less. Halo there! You've come to the right place. Here are some suggestions for gifts that are good, green, helpful and won't cost you too dearly. But why stop there? You've got questions, I've got answers. No problem is too small, no question too silly. For instance, are you wondering what to wear to a pajama party? Read on.

• Laid off? Seize the networking opportunity

  December 14, 2008

  Problem: I got fired. So, now—like hundreds of thousands of downsized Americans—I need a job. Preferably yesterday. I'm invited to a bunch of holiday parties and I so need to network, to tell people I'm searching for a job. But I don't want to look like a desperate loser. What's the smart strategy?

• Angels love presents of all shapes and sizes

  December 11, 2008

  Wacky presents. Sneaky relatives. Sticky money issues. And there are still two weeks to go 'til Christmas. Is your stress level soaring? Your patience frayed? Are your preparations going from ho-ho to uh-oh? The Answer Angel can't do your shopping or find you a different, nicer family. But I can work hard to come up with common-sense solutions to help take your holidays from hellish to heavenly.

• Scarf suggestions, cheap suits for teen boys, clothes shopping for women

  December 4, 2008

  Dear Answer Angel:

• Cutting off Ms. Too Much Information

  November 30, 2008

  Problem: Your co-worker just doesn't get it. At best she's just a necessary acquaintance, yet she feels compelled to over share personally intimate details that give you the creeps. She talks about her sex life and asks about yours. She grills you on stuff that is clearly none of her business, like whether your daughter uses birth control and do you have hemorrhoids. On top of that, she's a close talker—getting right up in your face while she rattles on … and on. How to handle this intrusive personality?

• Angel's got your back

  November 27, 2008

  Can madly flapping wings leave skid marks? What with all the firings and layoffs, I'm toiling around the clock to keep my job—as the primo place to go for your holiday predicaments.

• Trim the spin on buying tires

  October 30, 2008

  The guy at the gas station getting my car ready for winter told me I needed new tires and that they'd cost maybe $500 and he'd be happy to go ahead and do the job. I kind of freaked out.

• How to sell your stuff

  June 19, 2008

  So your house is full of junk and you want to get rid of the clutter and make some cash? I hear you.

• DIY style

  November 10, 2005

  As usual, I was being cheap. I mean frugal.