Claire Muza
Claire Muza, the curator and owner of 'The Palace' is a Milwaukee native with a lifelong passion for all things vintage. Starting as a kid in awe of her mother’s collection of 1940’s dresses and 70’s shoes, Claire learned to appreciate the colors, fabrics, and resilience of vintage fashion. A small collection of soft vintage tee shirts quickly grew into a vast accumulation of 60’s cotton summer dresses, 70’s worn out blue jeans, and leather jackets.
Claire eventually turned her collection into a full time job on Etsy where she works today from a studio in her home. In an industry of ever-changing biases and mood swings, The Palace finds comfort in the stability of old classics. The cyclical nature of fashion allows vintage clothes to be constantly applicable, but with a magical touch you can't get anywhere else!
Rachel Muza
Coming from an exceptionally large family, my mom schlepped my siblings and I to thrift stores our whole lives. What seemed like a method of torture back then turned into a valuable life lesson. Being a conscious consumer in an increasingly throw away/ fast fashion society is a skill that has proved itself invaluable in my adult life.
Over the years Blue Jean Baby has evolved from a fun way to clean out my closet to a weekend project to a full time online business. I love the entire process of selling vintage. It truly never gets old. Getting to travel around and hunt down pieces to style, photograph and send back into the world is a daily adventure I'm so glad I get to have.
Ella Dwyer
Ella Dwyer is an artist and owner of Thief Island Vintage based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her collection of vintage apparel, artwork, and hand-embroidered clothing has been featured in publications such as Nylon magazine and the French fashion Piczine "Old Love." Her love for vintage clothing is rooted in early childhood memories of thrifting with her mother and playing in the racks of costume clothing in her father’s vibrant art studio.
The humanness of vintage clothing and its rich histories and delicate handwork continue to be an ongoing inspiration to Ella’s life and work. Her eclectic and ever-evolving collection spans from the early 1900’s to 1990’s. She loves mohair, silk, cashmere, polka dots, leopard print, monogrammed fur coats, distressed leather and holey t-shirts, raver chunky platform shoes, blown out jean jackets and denim, anything ochre, cherry red, bubblegum pink, or hunter’s blaze orange. She is humbled and excited to be hosting favorites from her collection at the Plume boutique in Milwaukee alongside such a talented group of co-conspirators.