VERVE’s style team gets Laura Collins ready to head back to school.

by Mick Kelly . photos by Matt Rose

There’s nothing fancy about Laura Collins’ everyday look. Nor should there be. She spent nearly 20 years in the ministry, 16 of those as a Presbyterian minister. Now, the 47-year-old freelance writer and editor can basically spend most days in her pajamas. “It’s embarrassing, but it’s true,” she says.

This spring, though, Collins decided she needed a change. She signed up for an unusual graduate degree, a masters from UNC-Asheville in liberal arts with a concentration in Climate Change and Society. She wanted to sharpen up her writing skills. But it was really an effort to “sharpen my intellectual edges a little,” says Collins, a single mom with an 11-year-old son.

In June, VERVE’s style team set about helping Collins spruce up her look. Amanda Seta Lawton at Asheville’s Wildflower Studio styled her hair up in a playful, summery do. Makeup artist Mendy Hoffman gave Collins a glamorous makeup job with smoky eye color and bright lipstick. Orlando and Tiffany Hernandez at Union boutique in downtown Asheville outfitted Collins in their most fashion-forward, back-to-school garb. Angie Heidenreich and Tammie Sullivan at Lulu’s consignment boutique in Fletcher picked out shoes, bags and other back-to-school accessories. No doubt about it: When Collins heads back to classes in August, she’ll be by far the coolest kid on campus.

Hair by Amanda Seta Lawton at Wildflower Studio in Asheville. www.wildflowerstudioasheville.com

Makeup by Mendy Hoffman at Makeup at the Grove Arcade in Asheville. www.makeupatga.com

Shoes and accessories from Lulu’s Consignment Boutique in Fletcher. www.ilovelulus.net

Clothing by Union boutique in downtown Asheville. www.unionasheville.com