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Show DAILY HERALD BEAUTY, HOME AND FASHION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Lace:A fashion chameleon a Designers are using the decoration on underwear, evening wear and everything in between KARL FERRON/The Baltimore Sun Simon, owner and jewelry designer of Marley Fine Jewelry,in Pikesville, Md., poses wearinga Philip Stein Teslar watch. More men are finding jewelry SAMANTHA CRITCHELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS masculine With the fashion world in such.a romantic mood lately; lace has moved from bedroom to boardroom. A lacecollar or cuff on a blouse,or evena lacetrimmed camisole, instantly feminizes a menswear-style suit — another big trend for women these days. You'll also see more than traces oflace onlingerie, of course, as well as sportswear and evening wear. “It’s definitely lace for evening this spring,” says Michael Fink,seniorfashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue. “Saks loves lace in faded pastel colors used in cocktail and evening gowns, all in a long and lean silhouette — nopoufs.” On the spring runways, Monique Lhuillier, a lace vetera)’ becauseofherbridal collection, showed jadelace sleeveless Tanika White THE BALTIMORE SUN First he raided your grooming products. Then he usurped your aesthetician. Andnow,ladies, not even yourjewelry boxis safe. Menarebuying themselvesbracelets, rings and pendantnecklaces with increasing frequency, and wearingtheir bling with a confidence andflair heretofore unseenin the Western world, according to fashion experts and industry observers. “From an industry perspective, men’s jewelry has been oneofthereal stars of the last couple years,” says Brian Nohe,president and COOvf Spectore Corp., a fine jew- pleated bodice sheath. Tracy Reese featured slim white jacquard pants withlaceinsets. MarcJacobs previewed a pair of shimmeringsilver “pajamas” with lace at the hem. And Vera Wang embraced lace’slingerie legacy with a black lace “bed jacket.” Jill Stuart's collection was filled with delicate lace pieces thatlooked like they were rediscovered treasures from a trunk in the attic. Stuart says she paid attention to the specific patterns on the lace because they convey a mood or message, and sometimes she'll combineseveral laces ontoa single garment. “The pattern may havea floral, Victorian or any number of handicraft qualities that greatly enhance your design and bring it to life,” Stuart said. Valerie Steele, director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute in says thatlace always has beenassociated with luxury. In the 16th and 17th century,the lace trim often would be the most expensive part of adress, she says, and men would wear lace cuffs and collars to show off their wealth. Lace would be taken off old garmentsand reused on new ones, That changed during the mid-1800s when most lace began to be manufactured by machines instead of by hand. “Lace has gone in and out(of fashion)since the beginning of elry manufacturer. “Men are spending more time groom- ing themselves.That carries overinto the men’s jewelry market.” So muchsothatinsidersestimatethe industry has seen a 20 percent growth in men's jewelry in the past few years. Designers such as David Yurman withexisting pieces of men's jewelry have started expandingtheir collections, and manymanufacturers, mostof whom have focused solely on women,have launched newlines aimed at menforthefirst time. 1.B. Goodman. Konstantino. Nikos.Triton. FiboSteel. JILL STUART /Associated Press Lace can be part of any outfit, any time of day and for any occasion. Jill Stuart's spring collection featureslace to give a vintage-inspired look. . “In 2005, there must have beenatleast 20 new brands added in men’sjewelry,” says Jeff Prine, executive editor of Modern Jeweler magazine. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is the latest — and possiblyoneof the biggest the 20th century,” Steele says. “It’s still extensively used in lingerie and evening wear, and we're in the middleof a highly decorative period. Clothes have become moredivided between really expensive and really cheap. When you're getting really luxurious and expensive clothes, you want something specialandlacegives a craftlike detail.” Lacealso sends a mixed signal — sexy becauseofits peekaboo quality, yet still a symbol of sweetness and innocence, which further enhances its position as a fashion chameleon. “Today's womanlikes to havea hintoflace showing under a white blouse or have the top of a lacy camisole show.It's modern, sexy and accepted,” says Barbara Lipton,vice present and general managerfor fashion brands at Warnaco. Brands she oversees include J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez, Lejaby and Speedo underwear. The shift to “everyday”lace versus “special occasion” lace — thekind reserved for one’s wedding dress or bridal trousseau — happened as women decided they wanted to feel beautiful and feminine each and every day, Lipton says, and lace has that effect. Looking ahead,Lipton predicts the crocheted look will be popular. “When you're choosing a lace, think aboutthe subtle message.It’s not about an age, it's about a mind-set.” names — to join the fray, launching the SimmonsJewelry Co. Men's Collectionin December. Thecollection of bracelets chains, pendants, rings and diamondearrings has an edgy, urbanfeel; pieces are madeofalternative materials such as rubber andsteel, andaccented with hip-hop images, such as microphones anddice. “It's really affordable and it’s really cool and fun,”says Simmons, who is chairman of Simmons Jewelry Co., adding Fashion flash: Designersput wearable clotheson the runway sheared mink hemlines. Luella Bartley: Londoner Bartleyoffered something for the woman who likes the look of both country crooners and punk rocker, but still dresses up in a dress with a pearlcollar and bow around her waist for tea with her grandmother. Shrunkenjackets, one in textured leather with studs and another decorat- SAMANTHA CRITCHELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Working womenrejoice: You'll actu“ally have stylish-yet-appropriate clothes to wearnext fall. Even better,there also will be clothes for you to wear to dinner, parties and play dates — with or withoutthe kids, The collections previewed on the 1 1 runwaysin the opening days of New 1 York Fashion Week were mostly wearable. But there were some misses,too, especially the short bubble skirts and knickers that have graced more than one catwalk. Designer showscontinue through Friday with Chanel and Fendi designer Karl Lagerfeld making his runway j debut in New York with his new Karl Lagerfeld/Lagerfeld Collection as the finale. i Carolina Herrera: Shirtdresses return ‘ to the wardrobe — even as gowns. Her| rera turned bright red silk into a bas+ ketweave shirtgown, jazzing ituptobe past invited guests for a last look at the conclusion of the Fall/ Models Wintercollection of Diane von Furstenberg. { She also sent several suits down the + runway Monday morning. The skirt } suits, in a rust plaid, werefitted and to + the knee, the pants had wide cuffed legs. Herrera matched coats with cocktail + { dresses to create a complete outfit, and + the chocolate broadtail coat with a tur+ quoise swirl printlining with a pleated {strapless dress in the same fabric was a ' standout. Diane von Furstenberg: Von Furst4 enberg on Sunday brought back the ‘ 4 "80s pow er suit, down to the slim pencil 4 skirts with high waists, puffy sleeves and oversized lumberjack-check and houndstooth prints. But von Furstenberg modernized the look by slimming the silhouette and adding feminine details. The newest incarnation of her wrap dress, which she first put on the runway in 1975, hada fuller skirt and was made cotton and suede instead of a the classic jersey. Mischka: It was a subtle shift, but to marktheir return to Fashion Weekafter sitting out a few seasons, { black-tie worthy with a beaded belt. ed with pearls, looked hip with tailored LOUIS LANZANO /Associated Press: Soe au aos evening wear designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka decided to court the funkier Grammy crowdinsteadof the morestaid Oscar-goers. Several styles featured accordianstyle vertical pleats. The best were a ight yoow strapless cocktail dress underthe bust, and a printed witha silk satin and chiffon gownin plum, black and white. ‘The duo also offered a cool daytime look — at least a daytime look for celebrities: sheared mink skirts with un- trousers or super skinnyjeans.A light ink patent leather trenchcoat was a hthearted version of a practicalitem. Tuleh: Tuleh’s socialite customer will haveto go evenlighter on their low-fat fareto get into Bryan Bradley's new long, skinny skirts, but it’s all in the name ofa super-polished look. Most of the skirts had high waists and hit below the knee, and were worn with booties with wooden, stacked heels. DKNY: Donna Karan’s DKNY line is aimed at her younger customers and has more of New York's street style than her signaturecollection. But with this fall's offerings, anyone could wear the outfits, Easy,chic dresses hadloose t and skirts with gathered high waists to show off the best parts of a woman's shape There were some schoolgirlinspired looks, too, but they had a sophisticated edgethat kept them from being cartoonish. Satin mini bubble skirts, paired with georgette T-shirts and cardigan sweaters, looked cute on the runway, butthe tissuesilk skirts thathit just below the knee would be mucheasier to wear. thattheline is a natural counterpart to his wife Kimora Lee's line of glamorous jewelry for women. “It reallyfits mymasculine, male image.” Alreadythe brandis a favorite amongthecelebrity set. Sean “Diddy” Combs wearsone of Simmons’ rub| Adrien Brody wore one to the “King Kong” premiere. Simmonssays he knewthe line — sold at Ma mentstores for an average price of about $400 — would take off. All the men he knows,he says, are big fans of jewelry “I'm in the fashion business. That's myjob,” says Simmons, a collector offine watches, “I hang out with a bunchof rappers and kids.” But male-oriented jewelryisn’t strictly for the diamonds-in-both-ears hiphoppersor the fashion-ex- perimental young. From the ball court to the boardroom, menofall ages, lifestyles and incomelevels are finding themselves more inclined to throw on little something shiny, “There aredifferent segmentations of men (buying jewelry). Some men are more of the Ralph Laurenset, pennyloafers and blue blazers,” says Nohe, whose companyis behind the new and popular Edward Mirell brand of men's jewelry, “Then you have the Wall Street business types. It has really taken hold in all segmentsof the market.” |