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Show DAILY HERALD Wednesday, September 29, 2004 B3 TTK BEAUTY, HOME AND FASHION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS YM. The catalog that was Martha rnir c A? f.'K)' Jura Koncius THE i vj.. WASHINGTON POST Here's a scary thought for Martha devotees: The wickedly inventive Halloween accessories from the Martha Stewart Catalogue for Living are about to disappear! No more n pretzel fingers kits (dried rosemary for knuckle hair). No more menacing ravens, a catalog exclusive handmade with real bird feathers. No more strawberry-flavore- d Gummy fangs or kits to make s'mores. Martha, a perfectionist" at everything from growing roses to ironing, outdid herself at Halloween, showing mere mortals how to carve artful pumpkins and spin chocolate spider webs for the tackiest holiday of the year, Giving it her all, she once posed as a witch in ghoulish black-widomakeup and creepy veil on the cover of a Martha Stewart Holiday issue. As Stewart prepares to report to prison on Oct. 8, the company she founded is mak ing some changes. Martha Stewart Living announced in August that the company's direct commerce business, which inr cludes the catalog as well as the online version (through www.marthastew-art.com)- , is being discontinued at the end of 2004. The catalog launched in 1997 under the name Martha By Mail; in 2002 the name was changed to Martha Stewart: The Catalogue for Living. The venture was never profitable, according to Elizabeth Estroff, a spokeswoman for Martha Stewart Living Omni-medi- lis make-your-ow- TV A bat-shap- Swarovski Crystals can either be used subtly or or a bold effect. ' rvstai Dower ; Nada Swarovski gives glitz to fashion mail-orde- I Samantha Critchell THE ASSOCIATED PRESS fashionista to shine, but few were born the same kind of sparkle as Nadja Swarovski. She is the of Daniel Swarovski, the man who in 1891 began crysworking on a brilliant-cu-t tal stone fashioned after a diamond. The company he founded is trie basis for the modern Swarovski crystal company that provides thousands of Stones in different colors and shapes' to jewelers, artists, chandelier-makers- , home decorators and fashion designers. - Nadja Swarovski is in charge of international communications and she serves as the liaison to the fashion community. Runway Rocks, a catwalk show held during New York Fashion Week that features crystal creations loyiop jewelers and designers including Erickson Beamon, Peter Som and Proenza Schouler, and Swarjarski's sponsorship of the Courtdl of Fashion Designers of America awards are two of her pet projects. fl'tn the first female (in the family) obsessed with fashion, thaf g probably why until me herd was not as much empha-Isl- s, 0 ihe fashion of our honest" she explains. ; ?I lye the magic of stones, JeSliime since I started bracelets when I was a Ifttlf gjrl," says Swarovski, interviewed at the Swarovski Creative Service Center on Manhattan's 57th Street, one of New York's most fashionable shopping streets. The center is set up like a penny-cand- y shop that encourages designers to sample stones that could embell- -' iSh fhiejr clothes. It was hard to convince designers to work with crystals at first. They didn't know how to use them. But crystals can be sewed on, used for crystal mesh or as a chain," Swarovsjti says. (Swarovski invented the crystal-mesh fabric in 1993.) The tide turned following a collaboration with Alexander Every a. Nadja Swarovski is But in many ways, the Catalogue for Living was the retailer of Martha Stewart's domestic dreams. It offered her most devoted followers a guide to life as Martha, a way they could buy into the Martha mystique for their own kitchens and cutting gardens. "Everyone always wants to know where Martha gets her garden clogs," read one catalog offering the $39 versions in pink, sage and four other Martha-approve- d colors. There was her favorite a crystal fan. McQueen in the late 1990s. "He used crystals in such fantastic ways," she gushes. "I like when designers push our creativity, and our products push their creativity." Swarovski says she admires how each designer can make the crystals fit with their image: Dolce & Gabbana uses the stones to create super-sex-y pieces; Giorgio Armani uses them in "ah incredibly elegant" way; Oscar de la Renta uses them with his trademark craftsZac manship; and Posen had an entirely new take, gluing the crystals onto fabric. But while there was an absence of crystals on garments during the last part of the 20th century, Swarovski does, in fact, have a long history working with couturiers. In the 1920s and '30s when flappers wore sparkry dresses o and jewelers jazzed up their clean lines with shine, both looked to crystals which were a lot less expensive than diamonds, Swarovski says. And since up until 20 years ago all the other major producers of crystals were housed behind the Iron Curtain, Swarovski basically had a monopoly on the market. Hollywood also has always loved glitz, and Swarovski . play-ingiri- th forged-stee- leather-trimme- it- - iSvi - couture gown makes a statement with its Swarovski-crysta- l adornment. r This Chanel fragrance-free- , helped make tiaras for Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, the "ruby" slippers that Dorothy wore in "The Wizard of Oz," " and the sexy gown that Marilyn Monroe wore to sing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to President Kennedy in 1962. "People want to sparkle and shine, our product is a happy association for a lot of people," says Swarovski Of course, crystals don't make for subtle fashioa "Most 'fashion' isn't to go unnoticed," Swarovski says. "Any adornment is decoration. The volume is your choice." She adds, "We do try to get away from that Iiberace glittery-piano image." But while she is a fan of the fashion that the company helps turn out, Swarovski who art-dec- seems to prefer chic, understated clothes for herself, says she's more proud of the company's heritage. One hundred years ago, Daniel Swarovski had patented his crystal-cuttin- g machine that made it possible to turn out stones quickly, without flaws and with a brilliance that came with a greater refractive index. The machine remains the strength of the company today, with the f iftlhgeneration stone cutters who work at the company's headquarters in Wattens, Austria, equally as valuable, Swarovski says. Those workers share her appreciation with perfection, she adds. ' "If your last name is the name of the company, you want to be sure the quality is . Heme's Carson! Perhaps it's the need to re- - turn to pur roots. Maybe it's a 5: Si si. quest for the unpretentious and earthy. Credit may go to the fashion comeback of the Western look or the appreciation of personal style that celebrates the quirky mix of accessories. In any event, the soft beaded moccasin is on a rerun trafl. Nordstrom expects to have the Minnetonka moccasin in stores within the next couple of weeks, and other styles are readily available. Also, eBay s, had 123 listings for the including numerous styles for children, last week. 1 In a'world filled with adver-ttsm- g (mages of stiletto-heeleshoes and rich ; machete-pointe-d v furi the native, footwear has fresh appeal. ' ; Paula Begoun r : es. I'm one of those people who made it through my teens without developing acne, and I was well into adulthood before bothersome blemishes started appearing. My "adult acne" became worse after I stopped using oral contraceptives. I tried product after product, and would see some initial improvement, but it never lasted. Shortly after a new product or routine showed promise, it would disappoint. I have been following your advice now for about three months, and your regimen is the only one that has consistently come through for me. As you suggested, I began using a gentle, water-solubl- e cleanser, a benzoyl peroxide o self-hel- h . p . ; ': . : -- , : ; - lift ill WQ filled with aromatic dried chamomile, lavender and catnip, modeled by none other than Martha's own cats. There were even her favorite light bulbs. The latest, and last, catalog includes a pack of "dreadfully realistic" rats and Steiff mohair spiders, though none of them is touted as one of Martha's own Good Things. On the Web site, if you click on Tag Sale, the creepy Hal- loween vultures, which can be mounted on mantels and chandeliers, are already on sale at $28. A spokeswoman confirms that the Web site (www.marthastewart.com) will continue to offer recipes and TV program guides. And it will also link to Kmart, which continues to sell Martha Stewart Everyday products, as well as to manufacturers such as Bernhardt and Sherwin-which sell Martha Stewart Signature furniture and paint through national retailers. The floral business, www.marthasflowers.com, will continue as well. Several more seasonal Catalogues for Living will mail through the end of the year and the remaining products will be sold into 2005 through the Web site or through additional mailings until the inventory is depleted. But you may never again find a black milk-glas- s cake stand for your Halloween cupcakes. It's a bad thing. Williams, product, and an effective salicylic acid (BHA) product. Jackie, San Diego, Calif. Dear Jackie, What a wonderful thank you letter! I'm thrilled to hear you found a routine that works for you. Though frustrating, it takes experimenting to find the right blend of products that work for your skjn type, which is why I recommend many options and combinations for the treatment of breakouts because it can be such a stubborn condition. If anyone suggests there is only one best option for treating acne, they are not telling you everything you need to know. . Chap-lainesq- . SERVICE Dear Paula, I'm writing to thank you for the improvement in my skin after following your pointers for battling blemish- Fashion-consciou- . moc-casin- down-to-eart- Of aU the overnight celebrities to emerge from reality television, Carson Kressley may be one of the more endearing. He is the blond, boyish, witty men's fash-- . ion expert on Bravo's "Queer Ee for the Straight Guy" v He has a ' comic manner that sets him far apart from the stereotypical '; men's clothing expert who gets pedantic when he lectures on proper tie width and pocket . squares (should they match?). ; It's no surprise then that how-thas a book, Kressley "Off the Cuff: The Essential 4 Style Guide for Men and the Women Who Love Them," td be published later this month. It joins a high stack of fashion books, so many that it's amazing we are not the best- - d KNIGHT RIDDERTRIBUNE NEWS good." dressed country in the universe. Looking ahead In fact, we're nowhere near. s veterwomen Kressley, a seven-yea- r have been in the extreme femian of Ralph Lauren menswear, nine mode for an extended run. sees a nation of athletic jerseys Can you find a place to put yet and polyester pants and concludes his mission is to help mis- another ruffle? And when things go so far in guided straight men. It wasn't always so bad. Men one direction, they inevitably . back. So you can probaonce had uniforms, he says. ' swing bly guess that out there on the' They had to wear a suit and tie horizon is the beginning of a on work days. But along came the Internet and cell phones, ; mantailored phase. , , The SeptemberVogue touted, and society became mobile. AS of all things, baggy rules broke down. Think of me as your very pants already on Euown fashion fairy godstylist." v ropean runways for falL What's most noteworthy is ; ' : Is Annie Hall returning to that Kressley gets down to ba- - ; haunt us? Women, it may not be too soon to rent the movie or sics and pulls no punches. Nev- -; start checking out your hus-er, he says, wear pleated khakis, overalls, trucker hats, V , band's closet. , polyester shirts, pastel suits, ' Jackie Whlta novelty ties or. a large belt buckle. And he is right. Knight fidder Newspaper egg-shape- f? Finding a skin regimen that works for you . . d d soaps in the pale blues and greens of her beloved Arau-can- a chickens. And there were herringbone twill cat beds STYLE NOTES Walk softly wood-handle- l, trowel and linen luggage designed to her specifications. There was the same type of polished copper serving tray Martha commissioned back in her catering days, in heart shapes and large rectangles. There were French-mille- .Jit """"""TfrT . Paula Begoun is the author of "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me (6th edition)" (Beginning Press, $27.95). Write to her at 13075 Gateway Drive, Suite 160, Seattle, WA 98168 or check out her Web site: www.cosmeticscop.com |