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Show Wednesday, December 19, 2007 , DAILY D3 HERALD Tomas Maier's JL 111 beauty, home and fashion at your fingertips UJD I I I J J I I J , I I (cJocfewise rom top left): Alexis Bittar Lucite ring, lI in Washington; Rebecca Taylor 1 2 II miss the mark, but clothing is undoubtedly one of the trickiest gifts. Here are a few suggestions I J rJ C H I II T''A jr , f VI ' 1 f v shopemily grace. com; and Kage leather clutch, $364, from Winfe in Washington. Photos I . u V A 1 J, W A ,'' by JULIA EWAN vl 1 TjZ v MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS Tomas Maier MIAMI wasn't born Tomas Maier, He was Thomas Maier. It wasn't until after he'd . ' Washington Post, top from Rebecca Taylor .: "snw ' 11 $189, I J tl1 Less about labels, more about cachet . "i Kathryn Wexler 1 at www. 1 i 1 11 SI sensibility I Any present can 'I1 2 fashion fJ left behind Pforzheim, Germany, for Paris at 19 and was ready to put his name on a fashion label that he found the "h" so bothersome. There it stood, messing up the symmetry of his name. So he killed it. After six years as creative director of Bottega Veneta, the international high-enfashion line of accessories and clothing, Maier still edits out the extraneous. Other fashion houses may want their logos conspicuously displayed, but this Italian company puts its labels exclusively "inside" its handbags. As l, Maier is head Mr. of one of the most successful labels in the world. "People wear logos for Anti-Labe- reassuring themselves," Maier says, sitting at a white table in a long gallery, at his stunning Miami Beach, Fla., boutique, full of photos of airplanes by Jeffrey Milstein. "There's people who aspire to that, people who buy knock-of- f s. Fine, fine," he says in his clipped German accent. "Everybody needs to be happy." The Tomas Maier shop on West Avenue is not in the trendy area of South Beach but onthe industrial blocks by Publix. Maier doesn't do trendy. He is wearing a Clothes as presents: Naughty or nice? Suzanne D'Amato "e invest so much energy (not to mention money) in finding per fect presents this time of year, but do our efforts pay off? Judging by the number of gifts that get returned, some shoppers may do better to squire away their pennies: Thirty-si- x percent of people returned at least one of the holiday gifts they received in 2006, according to the National Retail Federation. And while any present can miss the mark, clothing is undoubtedly one of the trickiest gifts. (Just ask my mom, who gave up on buying me sweaters a couple of decades ago.) How could one go wrong with a warm, snuggly cardigan, you might ask? Let me count the ways: There are people who prefer buttons over zippers, crew necks to Shetland wool vs. merino. Just speaking hypothetical, of course. Clothing "is a very personal thing," says Jen Carroll, owner of the Tickled Pink boutiques. "It's nice that someone tries to go to the effort. But nine out of 10 times..., " She pauses, laughing. Then there's the issue of size; not simply buying the right size, but also whafrthe size you buy says about how you perceive your giftee. It's something W any medium-fram- e his polo shirt. What is it? We really should ask. But asking Tomas Maier what labels he's wearing would be tantamount to spit- ting onto his white table. quires more of a style commitment. If it turns out that your giftee prefers large, strappy purses, she can relegate the clutch to evening wear or use it as a makeup bag. So, what to avoid? If you can make it through the holidays without putting any of the following items in a big, shiny box, you and yours are likely Washington. These caveats aside, there's a reason people to be much happier for it. And if you've already keep giving sweaters and the like as gifts: Clothing bought any of them, cross your fingers and get and accessories are personal in a way a gift card ready to blame Santa. to Target never will be. (Thanks for trying, Mom.) Jeans. Boot cut, straight leg, skinny, wide, flared: Denim has more cuts than a Texas long-horIf you want to take the purchasing plunge, here Then there's the dozens of different washes are a few items that tend to go over well. and the way pocket placement can work wonders Jewelry can make a good gift because many women don't buy it for themselves. Things to (or horrors) on one's backside all reasons jeans must be tried on before buying. consider before you hit the stores: Does the giftee Shoes. Yes, typically people wear one size, but prefer gold or silver? How hefty does she like her baubles shoes can run big or small just like clothes. Even chunky bangle bracelets or delicate pendants? (If you don't know, one rule of thumb is when they technically fit, they can still pinch an to choose larger pieces for a taller woman, smaller awful lot; feet have all manner of mysterious bony ones for a more petite type.) outcroppings. If you truly feel that shoes are the Fashion-wisa top is always tops because the fit way to go, consider a gift card to a chic cobbler in is less precise than a dress or slacks. Stacy Soler, lieu of a pair of heels. A swimsuit. Seems obvious, right? Well, for owner of the boutique Emily Grace in Rockville, Md., suggests one of Rebecca Taylor's delicately every person who shudders at the notion of giftdetailed blouses. Taylor's ing the item that gave women everywhere cause g but not tight fit that to loathe the dressing room, there's another who ($ 189) has a monokini would be just would flatter many figures. thinks a rainbow-stripe- d A clutch bag is a better gift than a workaday the thing for his girlfriend. It isn't. Again, just satchel, which is inevitably more expensive and re speaking hypothetically. e end of a twin set can appreciate. Paying attention to body type always helps, but it's not a guarantee. "Someonewill come in and say, 'She's really busty.' Well, does she want to show that off, or does she want to hide it?" says Jessica Baca, store manager and buyeF at Wink in size-larg- WASHINGTON POST THE black jacket, dark jeans and sneakers. There's a logo on gal who's been on the receiving n. e, Then smearing the gob around with one's finger. "I think it's very important to have a very realistic idea of what is worthwhile," Maier continues. "It's in the quality and the rarity." Maier, 50, had designed for Hermes and had his own fashion line when Tom Ford chose him in 2001 to lead Gu- cci Group's new acquisition. The move proved a great fit. Maier reinvigorated the line with his reliance on workmanship and refinement, and today the brand is the group's lucra- second-mo- st tive, after Gucci. "I'm just proposing some- thing, suggesting something, that I find in my sensibility is right, seems nice," Maier says. This boutique has been open since 2004 in a 1930s house Maier restored to its original charm and filled with eclectic merchandise. Most notably, it houses Maier's line of cocktail dresses, impossibly soft cashmere separates and luxurious undergarments. There are mother-of-peacharms on red threads for rl A tiara brings a princess moment to an everywoman such as a charity ball. I created a mental picture of myself complete with a strapless, champagne-colore- d gown in this really pretty tiara and its 83 carats of diamonds. Harry Winston's Korb doesn't need she'll put one on such a fancy outfit after hours at work. ' "I spend a lot of time in the stores and, as in any retailer, it's not always as glamorous as the front of the house ' might suggest," she says. "Many a late night has been improved by donning a tiara. They're very fun to wear and .. make you feel a little It's the jewelry equivalent of adult fairy Samantha Critchell THE ASSOCIATED PRESS It's hard not to smile NEW YORK when you're wearing a tiara. Susy Korb, creative director and vice president at Harry Winston, insisted to me that if I was going to write a story about tiaras, I needed to try on one. She was right: With a $325,000 tiara on my head, I felt giddy, not at all silly like I had thought I would. I rather enjoyed it and, even when talking to others, I'd catch myself taking a quick glance in the mirror that was behind them. However, the act of putting on the tiara is strange and uncomfortable. I sat in a small salon room of the Winston Fifth Avenue flagship store not knowing exactly how to put it on. Should it rest on the forehead? Higher up on the crown? And how does one keep this rather heavy easily 6 pounds and holding more than 300 individual diamonds from sliding off? My solution was to sit up perfectly straight and exercise care not to shake my head. Apparently, though, most g women ask their hairdressers to build a secure hair style around their headgear. Stacy London of TLC's "What Not To Wear" and "Fashionably Late With Stacy London" suggests a more tiara-wearin- . lighter-hearted.- wings." The more frivolity you wear with a tiara the better, says celebrity stylist Robert Verdi. "The dos and don'ts are really simple: They're great for a party. They're bad if you're taking yourself V too seriously." TINA FINEBEROAssociated Press He's become a fan of the brand Associated Press reporter Samantha Critchell tries on a tiara selling for Virgins Saints & Angels, which sells sort of rock 'n' roll tiaras with fairies, $325,000 at Harry Winston in New York. hearts, stars or even serpents on them. "Tiaras fall from the idea of looking can be next." relaxed look instead of a tight bun or royal, but they have turned into a play- OK, so I'm not headed for Hollywood ful tool and a playful accessory," Verdi updo, which, she says, can look like a caricature of a royal anytime soon but with the tiara still says. "Royals can wear them and be on my head I tried to envision where serious and they wouldn't look odd at "I think there is a real modern way else to wear it. Of course it will draw an event. Cut to Paris Hilton wearing to wear a tiara,'' London says. "Pins attention, but it actually didn't seem too one at a party and it's playful and and brooches have been worn as hair jewelry on the red carpet. I think tiaras showy for other black-ti- e occasions, - ' , f 1 li if- t $90 and $650 Manolo Blahnik heels special ordered to fit Maier's specifications. There are books by photographer Karl Blossfeld, DVDs of Rita Hayworth in "Gilda" and CDs by Etta James. There's tea by Mar-iag- e Freres, Steiff teddy bears, Meissen porcelain and that say, "All Maier's Roads End at Key West." Europeans and other flock to the boutique, even more than the locals. "I'd like to see more Mi- -' amians," says Maier, who just opened a second shop in Palm Beach not far from his home. There seems to be much more Maier here in these rooms with walnut floors and open space than in the dark panels and sleek glass displays of Botte-ga'- s corporate shops. In fact, when Maier isn't traveling, he can often be found at the boutique, ensuring every hue is in its rightful place. "It's not for nothing that there's a printed dress next to these airplane photos," he says. "You get it, or you don't. I don't care about that." That could be the motto for Bottega, as in "I don't care if you don't recognize this bag." sun-flood- |