Fashion update

from Illinois Valley Woman Magazine - November 2020

Schaefbauer steps up

Denna Leifheit folds a pair of popular camouflage jeans at her store, Peaces of Fashion in La Salle. Camouflage continues to be a sought-after style. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

Illinois Valley shoppers ‘crave’ jeans

Distressed, skinny, pull-up and ‘mom’ jeans among popular styles

By Ali Braboy

Fashion shifted toward more comfortable clothing – sweatpants, leggings, etc. – when people found themselves working remotely and staying home more often during the pandemic.

But jeans continue to be a very popular item, says Andrea Sugg, owner of Bold and Curvy Boutique in La Salle. In fact, she’s been selling more jeans than leggings.

“I think after quarantine, people craved that normalcy of wearing a jean,” she said.

Even though people aren’t going out as much as before the pandemic, they’re still buying jeans whether for work or going to the store, she said.

The seasons are changing toward colder temperatures, as well, which is having an effect on those buying jeans.

Skinny jeans continue to be a popular style and many people like the distressed look, which means ripped and frayed.

A trend she has seen come back is the flare jean, which she said looks like a bell bottom with the skinnier leg and wide flare at the bottom.

“You can never have enough jeans.” Christine Pellegrini - owner, Amia Boutique

Bold and Curvy sells new jeans in sizes 14-24 (XL to 3X).

The consignment section takes up the entire downstairs of the boutique where she sells a huge rack of denim with lots of brands to choose from, with sizes ranging from 14-32 (XL to 6X).

One trending and popular style at Amia Boutique is the “mom” jeans.

“People either love them or hate them,” said Amia Boutique owner Christine Pellegrini about the fashionable item.

Mom jeans were popular in the 1980s and 1990s and have come back as fashionable once again. They are lightweight and high waisted with a slightly more relaxed fit around the thighs. The jeans taper at the ankle.

The jean brands KanCan and Eunina are the most popular ones at the boutique, which has locations in La Salle and Spring Valley.

Distressed and nondistressed skinny jeans are what she sells the most of in the KanCan and Eunina brands.

The boutique offers a huge variety of styles and serves women of all ages. KanCan and Eunina have sizes in 0-15 available, and KanCan also has sizes in 1X-3X.

“You can never have enough jeans,” Pellegrini said, which her customers agree with too because the boutique sells jeans like crazy.

The boutique gets new styles in almost daily.

Trends in jeans are all over the place, said Denna Leifheit, owner of Peaces of Fashion in La Salle.

But comfort and style remain very high on desires when it comes to jeans, she said; and her inventory meets both those marks.

Another priority customers have when it comes to jeans is that they stretch with you but aren’t baggy, she said. Her jeans also provide good flexibility.

The store sells jeans in sizes 4-14.

Pull-on pants also are very popular. Peaces of Fashion sells the brand Slimsation. The pants don’t have buttons or zippers, and pull on leaving you with a smooth, slim figure. Left: These buttonfly KanCan jeans can be purchased at Amia Boutique in La Salle and Spring Valley.

Above: Slimsation is a popular brand at Peaces of Fashion in La Salle. The pants don’t have buttons or zippers, and pull on leaving you with a smooth, slim figure.

Below: Skinny jeans continue to be a popular style and many people like the distressed look, which is ripped and frayed, said Andrea Sugg, owner of Bold and Curvy Boutique in La Salle. A trend she has also seen come back is the flare jean, which looks like a bell bottom with the skinnier leg and wide flare at the bottom. Bold and Curvy is a plus-size women’s boutique featuring new and consignment clothing.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

Being a school nurse has been a challenge during the pandemic. Julee Corcoran, Oglesby’s Lincoln School nurse, poses outside the school for a photo. PHOTO BY SCOTT ANDERSON

SCHOOL NURSES: A tough job made tougher by COVID-19

One sees a lot working in an emergency room or intensive care unit. Julee Corcoran has done both and had good reason to think being a school nurse would be less taxing.

Maybe in another year, but not in 2020.

Corcoran is in her first year with the Oglesby Elementary School District and COVID-19 has made this “the biggest challenge” of her 17-year nursing career, and that has included trauma care.

“Learning this new job during a normal school year would be chal-

By Tom Collins

lenging,” Corcoran said. “I feel like all of the staff and students are all new this year because the pandemic is something that hopefully we will only have to deal with once in a lifetime.”

If you’re a battle-tested health professional looking for excitement, chances are there’s a school in need of your services. School districts have always needed on-site nurses to take temperatures and probe scalps for head lice and have found takers among semi-retired nurses searching for banker’s hours after midnights at the hospital.

But that was before the novel coronavirus. Now, schools are ground zero for heading off COVID-19 infections and nurses are experiencing stress not usually endured on campus.

“This has been a brand new challenge that I have never experienced,” said Shannon Matteson, a certified school nurse with 20 years in pediatrics who splits her time between the Wallace and Waltham school districts.

“COVID-19 symptoms are very difficult to manage,” Matteson said. “There are many symptoms on the list that also are on the list for the common cold, stomach flu, and influenza. So, truly, this is about looking at the

whole picture and using your best nursing judgment.”

Corcoran said the toughest part of their job is trying to follow the “constantly changing” guidelines put in place by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control.

It’s a cumbersome drill keeping everyone safe. Kids are admitted into the building only after at-home screening, done with parental input via Teacherease. For those kids not screened at home, staff do temperature checks and look for symptoms before children get on the bus.

Once the kids are inside, the faculty watches hawk-like for symptoms. Children who show symptoms are removed from the classroom and placed in a separate room. They also send any siblings home if COVID is suspected.

“Every situation is different but we follow the same guidelines for each student,” Corcoran said. “The challenge this year is trying to keep everyone calm and informed. The other challenge for me is having to tell parents that they will have to leave work to care for their child.”

Michelle Mershon can relate to that and she’s not a nurse or health professional.

Mershon is principal at St. Bede Academy which has not had a nurse in more than two decades. Both the administration and faculty at St. Bede share duties in trying to inhibit the spread of COVID-19. To that end, four administrators, faculty and staff members complete the temperature checks each morning before 8 a.m.

“This a difficult time for everyone,” Mershon said. “We are working very hard to keep our students safe and healthy in school. The school can only do so much: maintain social distance, wear a mask, wash hands and use hand sanitizer. What students do outside the school is as important if not more important to keeping the school open.”

It’s a big job for all educators and it’s about to get harder. Corcoran pointed out we’re approaching cold and flu season and that will complicate the screening process.

“It is going to be extremely difficult to differentiate between COVID and influenza and they are both spread similarly. I hope this ends soon but I have a feeling this “New Way” is going to be here for quite some time. The only way to get through this is to work together.”

Surprisingly, one of the challenges hasn’t been compliance. Kids could be reasonably expected to bristle at masks, hand sanitizer and standing 6 feet apart. True, the little ones need gentle reminders to wear their masks appropriately, Corcoran said, but overall she’s been “shocked” at the spirit of cooperation.

“I thought it was going to be a battle,” she admitted. “The students have been unbelievably wonderful about social distancing and wearing the proper PPE. These kids are adaptable and change their routine much better than adults.”

Mershon said social distancing offers a “unique challenge” during in-person instruction, but overall students have done an excellent job wearing a mask at all times in the building.

“The students have been amazing,” Matteson agreed. “Kids are truly resilient and love to learn.”

Matteson said parents can help by practicing what they preach. Children learn by example and will note when their parents practice infection controls and tune in to COVID-19 alerts and state guidelines.

“I feel that it is important to teach the same standards at home that are taught at school. Encourage and model proper hand washing,” she said. “Encourage and model mask wearing when you are inside places other than your own home and outside when not socially distanced.

“Do not encourage or partake in social gatherings that do not adhere to our COVID19 state guidelines and that in turn will keep our students safer at school.”

“I would like to tell the parents, ‘Thank You,’” Corcoran said. “You are all doing a wonderful job during this crazy, complex, scary, and frustrating time. We are all doing the best we can.”

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With some simple steps, indoor plants don’t have to suffer during winter

By Stephanie Jaquins

As the dreary winter months loom, our homes will see fewer hours of sunlight and the air will be drier.

Some houseplants that thrived during summer months with sunlight and humidity may now start to struggle without some help. There are a few ways you can help your plants through the coming months.

“If you’re a person who has a lot of tropical plants, I would recommend humidifiers to create a more humid environment or add some more moisture around the plant,” said Peyton Lamps, owner of Petals By Peyton, 552 1st St., La Salle.

She said this is especially helpful for plants of the pothos variety, calatheas, palms and ferns.

Lamps also recommends bringing your plants into the bathroom when you shower.

“I always tell people that. That actually helps a lot, because that will help create some humidity for the plant,” she said.

If you have tropical or desert plants that need a lot of light, Lamps also recommends grow lights for added sunlight.

Nikki Tonioni, owner of The Flower Bar, 906 Shooting Park Road, Peru, said moving plants away from heat vents, when possible, can help.

“The heat in the house will take the water out of the soil,” she said. “Make sure you’re fertilizing them properly and they’re getting the proper sunlight they need.”

Tonioni said she thinks any plant can survive indoors during the winter months with proper care, which includes the right amount of water, light and humidity.

Many people have trouble getting succulents to thrive

Above: Peyton Lamps, owner of Petals by Peyton in downtown La Salle, poses with her dog Tank and a Bird’s Nest fern.

Left: ZZ plants have waxy, smooth leaves that can tolerate lower light.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

due to overwatering, Tonioni said.

She said it’s important to make sure they’re dry not just on the surface, but on the bottom as well.

“You want to make sure they’re dry, dry, before you water them again,” Tonioni said.

During winter months, succulents only need to be watered about once a month.

If you’re looking for hardy houseplants that do well during Illinois Valley winters, Lamps recommends the following:

SNAKE PLANT

These spiky beauties come in many different varieties.

“I always tell people snake plants are wonderful. They’re very low maintenance, you only have to water them once a month.

“They can tolerate pretty much any light condition, which is especially nice because I know in Illinois we struggle with having a bright spot to keep our plants, especially in the winter months.

They’re great air purifiers as well,” Lamps said.

BIRD’S NEST FERN

A Bird’s Nest Fern is known for its crinkly, lasagna-looking leaves.

“They’re really cool. Those ones tolerate medium to low light. What’s nice about them is they’ll droop when they need water. The leaves will start to look kind of droopy and then as soon as you water it they’ll bounce right back up,” Lamps said.

The Bird’s Nest Fern also is a good air purifier.

ZZ PLANT

ZZ plants have waxy, smooth leaves that can tolerate lower light.

“You only have to water about every two to three weeks, so those would do well indoors during the winter months,” Lamps said.

BROMELIAD

Bromeliad can bring springtime to your home during the bleak winter months with its bright colors.

“Bromeliads are awesome if you’re looking for something that has some color. When I get them in, they’re always blooming. The blooms come in a ton of different colors,” Lamps said.

They’ll take bright indirect light and need to be watered about once a week.

“They’re pretty tough plants,” Lamps added.