Growing up, Kieck sometimes struggled to find fashionable clothing that fit her well. “Plus-sized women weren’t well-represented, and plus-sized ‘style’ was about hiding your body,” she says. “I don’t want little girls to feel the way I did.”
About five years ago, Kieck started blogging to spotlight some of her favorite outfits and share styling tips and tricks. Eventually, she gained enough of a following to turn her blog into her main source of income. In the process, she’s become a tireless advocate of local fashion designers and brands. “Milwaukee is such an up-and-coming city,” she says. “For a while, if I saw a trend online, I’d expect to see it here a year later. But that’s not true anymore. There are lots of avenues to find inspiration now.”
1.
Shopping Local
Kieck visits Tosa-based boutique Hyde Park MKE – which stocks women’s apparel, accessories and gifts and also offers tailoring services – when she needs a little retail therapy. “They always have such on-trend pieces.”
2.
Alexander McQueen
Often called “the hooligan of English fashion,” Alexander McQueen brought irreverence and a punk rock sensibility to haute couture. Kieck considers the late McQueen, who created David Bowie’s iconic Union Jack coat, her favorite designer.
3.
Views and Brews
The Outsider at the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel is Kieck’s cocktail bar of choice. “There’s nothing else like it. It makes me feel like I’m in a bigger city.”
4.
Big Boats
“I love Milwaukee River cruises. They’re so much fun for a girls’ day, and the views are amazing.”
5.
Netflix and Chill
“I binge all of the ‘Housewives’ – I’m a Bravo fan,” Kieck readily admits. And when she wants a break from reality television, she rewatches episodes of classic sitcoms like “Friends.”
6.
Cream City Couture
Kieck acknowledges that Milwaukee isn’t known for its style sensibilities. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any designers in the city. “Silversärk is amazing,” Kieck says of Stephanie Schultz’s historically inspired fashion line. “Her pieces are like wearable works of art.”
7.
Iris Apfel
Everything about the nonagenarian interior designer’s sense of style – which has been the subject of a 2005 exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and 2014 documentary Iris that premiered at the New York Film Festival – is big and bold, right down to the gigantic glasses she typically wears. “I love how over the top she is,” Kieck says.
This story is part of Milwaukee Magazine‘s December issue.
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