The evening before I sat to write this essay on indulgence, I indulged.

My sister and I shared a bottle - OK, maybe two - of bourbon-infused red wine. She served the full-bodied red blend, brimming with vanilla, caramel and blackberry notes, with blue cheese and fig jam on sesame and sea salt crackers. We laughed into the night, listening to ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Political observers can discuss the many ways Oakland native U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris is breaking ground as the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, but an unexpected discussion centers on her practical choice of footwear during campaign stops.

Harris is ditching the heels usually donned by women ...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: As my office "fashion plate" (it doesn't take much), I had the dilemma this morning of deciding how to accessorize my face mask. Does it need to match my tie? My suit? Does it really matter? I went with the (blue) tie.

- David G.

Dear David: No, the color/pattern of your face mask doesn't really matter. It ...Read more

PITTSBURGH - The perfect pandemic panacea just might be glamorous camping, better known as glamping.

That's what Anna Baird thought when she created Hideaway Co, a mobile hospitality concept that allows guests to enjoy Mother Nature's cathartic embrace without the hassle. Glamping is popular in the West, but you don't see many high-end campers ...Read more

PITTSBURGH - Matteo Ferrer's background in environmental sustainability and work for the city of Pittsburgh led him down an unexpected career path to becoming COO of his own clothing company.

Those twists and turns have more in common, though, than meets the eye.

"In that journey, I began wearing more dress shirts in and out of work,"...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: My husband and I are in the health care field and on our feet all day long. I've got shoes that work for me, but those comfort shoes are UGLY. In a pandemic I understand that this is not the most important question, but I feel like looking good top to bottom is a kindness to our patients and respect for ourselves. Any ...Read more

Restaurants in cities and towns across the nation are reopening their dining rooms, and many people are venturing back in.

Even with tables spaced 6 feet apart, you need to take precautions to limit your exposure to the coronavirus. One of those is wearing your face mask. But how do you do that and still eat?

BEFORE YOU GO

The first thing you...Read more

BALTIMORE - You know the old story. Shell out a bunch of money for a big, gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Take it home and the clock starts ticking. You have a few days. Maybe longer, if you can slice the stems right and remember to stir in the mysterious packet of plant food.

Fortunately for the cost-conscious consumer, low-maintenance, longer ...Read more

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Antonio Davis, like so many teens, spent the early weeks of the pandemic unsure of what to do with himself. Then he switched off the television and started a business.

Laurise Johnson did the math. As an education specialist at an East Side after-school program, she's all about the math.

Binge-watching 16 seasons of "Grey...Read more

Wondering what Amazon might be tackling next? The online retailer on Tuesday (Sept. 15) announced the launch of its "Luxury Stores" with Oscar de la Renta as its first designer brand.

Luxury Stores is launching with some exclusivity, which has always been a characteristic of upscale branding. Eligible Prime members in the U.S. are the...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I find myself spending more and more time in warm climates to avoid the cold winters. I find that I no longer want to share space in my closet with my heavy-duty cold winter wardrobe. I'd like to pare down to just a list of 10 essentials.

If you were to pare down to a "capsule" a cold-weather wardrobe, what ...Read more

BALTIMORE - The biography page on Alexis Streets' website describes her as a "celebrity dessert stylist." The description covers only part of what the Savage resident does at her business, Basket Treats by Alexis Streets.

She provides ornate displays of what she calls Bougie Balloons, operates a mobile dessert truck called The Dessert...Read more

PHILADELPHIA - Once Alexandria Maurizzio and her fiance got engaged last November, they wanted to be married within a year. Even if a pandemic got in the way.

So this November, Maurizzio, 28, and Philip Thomas, 25, plan to go forth with their outdoor wedding in Bucks County, where they hope to see at least 150 of the 200 guests they invited.

&...Read more

PITTSBURGH - Labor Day has more to do with fashion than the old-school rule that it's the last time to wear white until next year.

In fact, the industry owes much of its evolution - particularly in the 20th century - to the social, economic and creative accomplishments of labor unions and their members, a legacy that lives on today through ...Read more

DETROIT - Hair styling products, lip gloss, lashes and other beauty supplies can all be found in a new vending machine in Detroit.

Called the Lavish Box, the vending machine was created during the pandemic to make hair care and other products mostly used by people of color accessible to those who are Black, brown and anyone in between. The ...Read more

CHICAGO - Since we've been at home for almost six months, we're probably not wearing as much makeup as we were before, and some of us have ditched makeup all together now that half of our faces are occupied by masks.

But when you want to add a pop of color to your lips, or a simmer of your face for meeting up with friends for a socially ...Read more

PITTSBURGH - Home sewing got kicked to the curb sometime in the 1980s or '90s.

Once, every schoolgirl learned to cook and sew, with rows of sewing machines filling "home ec" classrooms. But teens are no longer required to learn to sew in school, "fast fashion" made home-sewn clothing more expensive than store-bought apparel,...Read more

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I notice an increasing number of models wearing basic white athletic shoes with all kinds of clothes, casual and dressy. Is this a thing now? I like the look, plus the comfort factor. What brands/styles do you recommend?

- Latisha N.

Dear Latisha: White sneakers are back for (almost all) events and outfits. Yes, you ...Read more

We didn't know it when he was with us, but there was something magical about the late Chadwick Boseman.

We probably sensed it in Boseman's eerily true-to-life big-screen portrayals of American icons like the first Black Major League Baseball player, Jackie Robinson, or the first Black Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall.

We watched the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA - While businesses across the United States are reeling from the recession sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, one family-owned linens business is thriving.

American Blossom Linens, the consumer-facing brand of the nearly 90-year-old Wyncote-based distribution company ATD-American, has seen its revenue jump by 400% since April. The ...Read more