Last night I saw the first episode of LA Frock Stars, reality show about a vintage clothing store on the Smithsonian Channel. Here are ten important “take-aways.” 1. I don’t get the Smithsonian Channel. 2. It costs an extra $9.00 a month on Time Warner as a premium channel, but you need HDTV, and I don’t have HDTV, so that wasn’t an option. 3. You can go onto iTunes and download episodes for free. 4. Fashion is...

In my novel, ASTOR PLACE VINTAGE, the story hinges on a journal that is found sewn inside the lining of a fur muff. So it seems only right to present some background about fur muff fashion. Muffs were mentioned in text from the 1400s, and one of the earliest images of one is in an engraving from 1588. In the 1600s both men and women used muffs. Since fur was not as easily attainable, they were more typically made out of silk or satin and might...