chicagotribune.com - Tribune senior correspondent

How to freshen up a fall look with a minimal investment

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Our shortcuts to style won't shortchange your look

Alternatives to the burden of an estate sale

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Dear Answer Angel: My mother died, and it's time to sell the family home and its contents. My siblings want to have an estate sale, but I dread it. Should I bite the bullet and go along with a sale or just give our family history away or try to sell it on the Internet?

Sinatra-to-Royko letter appraised at $15,000 will go on auction block

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

A rollicking newspaper feud 37 years ago between two legends -- Frank Sinatra and Chicago's Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Mike Royko -- could turn into an unlikely windfall for an 84-year-old great-grandmother in Rockford.

Pros offer tips on creating that undead zombie look

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

What the pros know Stage-blood substitute: Mix a few drops of blue food coloring into Hershey's strawberry syrup for a tastes-good option. Make blood capsules using syrup in sandwich bags, tie shut, cut off excess plastic, prick with a pin, place in mouth, bite down.

How to zombie-fy clothes for the Chicago Loser look

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Step 1 Distress clothes by cutting hem, neckline and sleeves unevenly.

How to create zombie costume

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Here's how to get that undead look and become the creature of the moment

Feeling a little undead, are you? Getting hungry for a hunk of human flesh? That wicked zombie lifestyle is a favorite for Halloween this year, brought on in part by an infatuation with the gory horror-comedy hit film "Zombieland."

Steps to creating the Chicago Loser zombie look

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I enlisted a trio of ghoul experts to help me create a step-by-step guide for your own Chicago Loser. Costume pro Kate Murphy and model Carl Yukawa create freaks every day through Nov. 1 at the Chronicles of the Cursed, a haunted house at 560 W. Grand Ave. sponsored by Tribune Co., owner of this newspaper. Makeup artist Sienna Macedon works and teaches at Northbrook Theatre for Young Audiences. All makeup is Ben Nye brand from Grand Stage Co., 630 W. Lake St., grandstage.com.

Sales of men's underwear climb while designs put the squeeze on men's middles

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

When it comes to underwear, men are the new women.

Ellen Warren offers tips for buying the right towel at the right price

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

"How'd you like the towel?" I asked a guy in my household.

Chris Rock: Forever in a hard place

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Chris Rock, one of the most successful comedians on the planet, is pretty much in constant pursuit of peace of mind.