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Show DAILY HERALD Wednesday. April 2, 2008 rranr in D3 Go for fit HD "i i H' I i instead of JL BEAUTY, HOME AND FASHION. AT YOUR FINGERTIPS numbers Investing the Sleeveless look i Emili Vesilind . ' LOS ANGELES TIMES Wasson knows a thing two about how to make Erin sty look cool She's been list for the past two shows from Alex ander Wang, a young New York designer making his mark with smart, moody sportswear. For the fall show, Wasson threw a longer, unbuttoned vest over a (teamed with skinny gy white leather pants) and paired tight, vests with a black miniskirt and raggedy cutoff jeans. For spring, she teamed a boxy gray vest black with a pair of bloomer-esqu- e shorts. In both shows, the structured in that Kate pieces look effortless MossCharlotte Gainsbourg "Who, me?" way. Wasson is also a big name in the modeling world and has walked the runways for Proenza Schouler, Ralph Lauren, Balenciaga and appeared in campaigns for biggies such as Victoria's Secret and Maybelline. And she's a in LA. she also lives in New York "and frequently pulls cute vests out of her own closets to hit the scene. "I always thought of vests as a version of the cardigan," she says, "another way to layer up your look." vest Wasson favors a fuller-cu- t but doesn't dismiss the mini-ve(one that looks two sizes too small and sometimes doesn't button) sweeping Hollywood. Either way, the bottom of the vest should just about meet the waistline of a skirt or pant or dip below it. (The days of wearing a shrunken vest over a long, untucked a la Hilary Duff, are over.) "I think a vest looks better when Wasson you wear it with a says, "It shows off your collarbone and your cleavage, if you have it which I don't." ; And forget about overpriced designer tees. Wasson is a fan of the Hanes you buy in a three-pac- k to wear underneath (tuck them in if the vest is shorter). Roll up the sleeves and it looks a little undone, like you're not trying too hard. Or just wear the vest alone. "I love the look of a vest with nothing on underneath. The parts of the body a vest shows off are things that women should be really stoked on." Wasson likes the contrast of a suit vest with street basics. "A classic button-dow- n underneath gets a little too preppy for me," she says. "It seems a little too contrived. And I'm not a fan of the tie. A great scarf is much cooler and a little less done-uI don't think everything should be a total look. Try to find something a little quirky. If it's too much of a uniform, change it up. Take the pants you're wearing off and throw on jeans, or throw a denim jacket on over the vest. Take the unexpected and throw it on." Wasson favors chunky, vintage costume jewelry such as oversized rings, thick bracelets and'qiurky, metal pieces. "I've organic-lookin- g been inspired by tribal, aralways mor, organic and Deco designs, but if I wear a necklace, I keep it to just Best of the Vests Melissa Magsaysay :. LOS ANGELES TIMES Vests were all over the spring runways - which means you can find them on the racks in every stripe, print, fabric and cut. From Stevie Nicks Bohemian to Marlene Dietrich glamorous, here are some of the best: 'mm V;. I i " J 9 ) -- f w ; , iyi : v I m mass-mark- it Club Monaco: Sporty seersucker with a racer back J , : I) I Jovovich Hawk for Target: Bohemian denim with tiny pleats I Matthew Williamson: Summery white with a pop of blue Photos by KIRK McKOYLos Angeles Times Layered vests from Alexander Wang's Fall 2008 collection. Alexander Wang offers a more feminine take on the vest trend. pinstripe, but I'm even down with an d Aztec print." But if you're going loud on top, keep it quiet on the bottom (and underneath), with basic, pieces. Layering a patterned vest under things is another way to go. "I think the trick to making that work Indian-inspire- solid-colore- d is when only a bit of the print pops out, just enough to add contrast." Pencil-skirt- s and long, voluminous (even hippie) skirts are two favorite pairings. "Just make sure you don't wear a short skirt, or you'll look like Britney Spears like you have on a naughty schoolgirl costume." Lux: Black menswear style with tuxedo lapels I Airbrush makeup: Not just for stars anymore Kathryn Wexler tional makeup is too viscous for the gun, and airbrush makeup with a lightweight, milky consistency, often made is usually more expensive, of silicone at $25 an ounce or even twice that. But some love the technique. They say airbrushed makeup lasts up to 12 hours, defying humidity, tears and sweat, while conventional makeup fades within four hours. "It's great for Florida's climate because it doesn't get shiny," said Amy Palma, owner of South Beach Makeup mostly to professionals. Cleaning the makeup canister requires complex disassembly. Pigments come in a rainbow of colors and must be mixed to achieve us! Stars: They're just like skin tone. No, they're really not. But manufacturers, taking note of are we least at But in one regard consumer interest, are starting growing becoming more like them: Airbrushed market airguns for home use. : to of secret actors, long the makeup "Airbrushes are a little bit overpriced is filtering models and newscasters and complex," said Michael Benjamin, consumers. down to regular president of Temptu, which this year exThe technique involves applying spe-pects to introduce a simplified airbrush dally formulated liquid makeup through costing less than $200. "When our conan air gun, a process makeup artists say sumer airbrush comes out, it'll be very Studio. results in smoother, lighter and longer-lastin- g can airbrush an a With easy to use." hand, steady color than traditional makeup. is that Dinair, which pioneered the makeup flawless create the complexion Brides especially are opting fot red carpet walkers. And airbrush, recently restyled its $295 startof hallmark the simwith people makeup, along er kits to look less industrial "There are makeup artists generally dont charge events. ply headed to splashy 13 colors, including leopard and zebra," AL DIAZMiaml Herald consumers much more than an addimarried who got Gretchen Fonseca, said Julie Tobias, head of sales at Dinair. 10 or $20 for the process. $ tional Lisa hair and artist stylist Makeup in Miami Beach, Fla., in November, "We never marketed it before, but now all "Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez Merritt Lee fright owner of Alluring knew "Hollywood celebs" had their we're making them available to everyand those airbrushed, to get airbrush people if she makeup Faces, applies faces airbrushed and wondered s one." in brides , upper-clasit's requested by model Valerie Trueba at her studio on couldn't, too. She found North Miami The technique is not limited to facial Danielle Fonseca, a said Manhattan," 29 in Miami online Feb. Palma Beach makeup artist Amy New York makeup artist who is no rela- applications. Airbrushes with larger and was so pleased with the results, motors have been used in tanning sation to pretchen Fonseca. "I think the own airgun. Fonseca wants to buy her it lons for years. Makeup airbrushes (or is won't that in next the trend natural." looks year totally glossy? This "I'd probably do it on weekends," airbrushes affixed with tiny inaccessible to the middle class so be not use the do Most artists Fla., Lauderdale, makeup said Fonseca, a Fort are nozzles) consumer." initial good for a more selective an can "You require technique, which computer software consultant. on the body, experts said. airbrushes still appeal For application Conven now, $C00. than more of investment muM iw HOW NEWSPAPERS r full-bod- knOW OOVerup SPRINGS, COLO.) COLORADO SPRINGS, Brook Mark doesnt Colo. care about numbers. Give her a 4, 6 or 8. Her closet has them alL For most women, lower is better when talking about clothes. But Mark knows not to let a numbers game fool her. She's fully aware that the true size of her clothing largely depends on the brand. "I try to buy the same misses sizes, and I can't do that anymore," says Mark, a master gardener who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. Women's fashion has always had its own rules, and the rule when it comes to sizing clothes is this: Things aren't always as they seem. One" brand's 12 might be the same size as another brand's 8. It's called "vanity sizing" putting smaller numbers on bigger clothes. As American waistlines have grown, companies have realized women will spend more money for a smaller number, leading to the sizing rule of thumb: the more you spend, the smaller number you'll wear. But even mainstream brands have taken hold of the concept and started peddling the idea to the average mall shopper. Which is why Mark doesn t wear just one size anymore. "I don't care about the number, I care about how it fits," Mark says. "But the standard numbers that I used are no 1! It l -""e --rrname as the Why? Well, cisco. "I think it has to do with feeling feeling beautiful magically transformed by what you're wearing," Locke says. To amp up that feeling, some brands have even revamped their entire sizing system such as Chico s, which did away with the traditional 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 concept from the start in lieu of one that sizes clothing from 0 to 3. The thought being: Smaller is always better. "They know they can hook p. MCCLATCHY GAZETTE women, and marketing firms have caught on, says Cheryl Locke, fashion journalism coordinator for the School of Fashion at the Academy of Art University in San Fran- . Wasson found one of her favorite a men's black waistcoat vests covered in metal studs at a Los Angeles thrift store and likes vests of all stripes. "I like a proper men's THE (COLORADO vanity. Shopping is implies an emotional experience for st one." Melissa Cassutt smnt-'iuiic- 1 that woman because that woman knows they're a I," says Shelley Laur, owner of Swish, a secondhand clothing store in Colorado Springs, Colo. "I don't know if the media has done that, or if we just buy into that because a smaller number is a smaller size and it just kind of sticks that way in your brain." She continues, "I know a lot of women won't even try if I know on (bigger sizes) a woman is a 10, they refuse to try on a 10. They keep trying on 8s." Companies know they can hook a customer with a smaller size, which is why the fashion industry has lagged to return to standard sizing, Laur says.Sizing used to be standardized in the '50s, when more women began buying t clothes instead of making them, says Laur, who specializes in retro and vintage clothing. But vanity sizing soon started to play a role largely in the '60s and 70s resulting in the Department of Commerce officially withdrawing commercial sizing standards in 1983. Now only pattern companies use these measurements, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Museum Web site. "Before, they used to size things by bust," Laur says. To see vanity sizing in action, just take a look back at the sizing of yore. Marilyn Monroe, whose voluptuous body required a Size 16 in the '50s, was actually more of a 68 by today's standards, Laur says. Generally speaking, clothing sized in the 1950s can be cut in half for an idea of today's main: ' stream sizing. In an attempt to get back to more standardized sizing, the Textile Clothing Technology Corp. Invented a bdy scanner to collect measurements that could heir devise a uniform scale. "Size USA " a 2003 study conducted by the company, scanned 6,310 American women and found that the average waist size varied between 32.6 and 37.4 inches, depending on age and jrace. I |