Cashmere

Wang Zi Cashmere Products, an apparel company that had planned to eventually employ as many as 200 for a manufacturing and distribution operation in Elkridge, is reconsidering whether to create many of those jobs."

Just in time for the cold weather comes this lush, textured cashmere blanket of a dry red wine. A masterful blend of syrah, zinfandel and merlot, it hits all the right notes of roundness, complexity and length. It offers full-bodied blackberry fruit seasoned with herbs, black pepper, coffee and chocolate. It's ready to drink but should have up to five years of staying power. At $14, it's an insanely fine value — worth buying by the case. Wine Find: 2008 Apothic Red "Winemakers Blend" From: California Price: $14 Serve with: Hearty roasts, stew, game

Soft, plush and oh-so-warm, cashmere has long been a classic choice for fashion designers and fashion lovers alike. This season, however, calling cashmere a mere favorite is a serious understatement. On the runways and in stores, cashmere has worked its way into almost every designer's fall collection. From high end to low end, cashmere is everywhere -- and no longer just in the traditional gray twin set or camel pullover sweater form. Modern-day designers have taken cashmere and made it more versatile and more wearable than ever.

The fashion magazines have a considerable amount of heft to them this month. The children are off to school, and the fashionistas are flocking north to New York City for Fashion Week. The fall fashion season is officially here. Local fashion insiders have put their wish lists together for the hottest items this autumn. We asked them to share their must-have items this season. Here are their responses: Justin Head, designer for j.Robert, based in Upper Marlboro "Make sure you have a pair of dark-colored-frame sunglasses.

This may not be such a good time for the rich and powerful. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was punished for her drive, money and influence with a third-place finish in Iowa. Even Republicans turned up their noses at the wealthy, well-groomed Mitt Romney and chose a populist from Arkansas. Last week a former Goldman Sachs banker was sentenced to prison for several years for insider trading. On TV Cashmere Mafia's pilot repeats at 10:01 p.m. tomorrow on WMAR, Channel 2

They are the hot demographic of the moment; a young, fresh-faced set very much on the minds of better fashion and cosmetics houses.They command the finest cashmere sweaters, hip togs like silk shantung capri pants, and skin care lotions available only in the best department stores. And to hold their many accessories, there's even a designer bag -- by Prada, natch.But they haven't commented on all of the attention. Most of them haven't even learned how to talk yet.Products for babies and toddlers -- Generation Z, if you will -- have gone noticeably upscale, with retailers offering everything from $168 leather jackets to $250 cashmere blankets to high-end balms made just for their delicate little forms.

Crazy for cashmereWondering what on earth to wear these days? Should you dress for a chilly day? A warm one? And is it going to rain?Cashmere, that wonderfully soft and notably expensive fabric spun from goat wool, is being touted these days as a good answer to the spring fashion conundrum.Aficionados these days toss around terms for cashmere with the aplomb of oenophiles describing a Bordeaux. There's pashmina, a cashmere that's hand-woven with silk. And eight ply, a thicker knit. For spring, however, just say: single ply, the thinnest knit.

An Elkridge-based clothing manufacturer has been forced into involuntary bankruptcy proceedings by creditors who say Wang Zi Cashmere Products Inc. owes them more than $150,000 from its expansion into the factory outlet store business.The creditors' filing, made last week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Baltimore, said the cashmere company did not pay a contractor, a display shelf fabricator and architects who worked on some or all of the company's eight factory outlets, scattered from Massachusetts to California.

Just in time for the cold weather comes this lush, textured cashmere blanket of a dry red wine. A masterful blend of syrah, zinfandel and merlot, it hits all the right notes of roundness, complexity and length. It offers full-bodied blackberry fruit seasoned with herbs, black pepper, coffee and chocolate. It's ready to drink but should have up to five years of staying power. At $14, it's an insanely fine value — worth buying by the case. Wine Find: 2008 Apothic Red "Winemakers Blend" From: California Price: $14 Serve with: Hearty roasts, stew, game

DALLAS Chances are you wouldn't find designer Robert Comstock on the papparazzi page air-kissing a socialite at a model's birthday party.You'd have better luck finding him white-water canoeing down the Amazon, skiing across Greenland's polar icecap, or tagging endangered falcons in South America. Robert Comstock lives and works from his 150-acre ranch in Boise, Idaho. He says, "I never planned on becoming a fashion designer. I don't even believe in fashion statements."What Comstock does believe in is the great outdoors, its exploration, and its preservation.

This may not be such a good time for the rich and powerful. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was punished for her drive, money and influence with a third-place finish in Iowa. Even Republicans turned up their noses at the wealthy, well-groomed Mitt Romney and chose a populist from Arkansas. Last week a former Goldman Sachs banker was sentenced to prison for several years for insider trading. On TV Cashmere Mafia's pilot repeats at 10:01 p.m. tomorrow on WMAR, Channel 2

They're at the top of the stretch ... On the outside, Efficiency. Here comes Town Cheer! ... Yankee Cashmere is trying to sweep from ninth ... Yankee Cashmere comes from last to take the stretch lead! A magnificent drive to ... win the Cadillac Breeders Crown! Twelve years later, the thrill isn't gone. "Fortunately, there have been many good races. This is one of them," says Chaz Keller on an early-November morning as he watches a video replay of Yankee Cashmere's 1994 miracle finish.

Say what you will about chain stores. They're boxy, impersonal. And each one is the same as the next one. But it has come down to the final shopping day before Christmas, and now, sorry to tell you, it's over for originality. Your procrastination has put the kibosh on kitsch. Today is Saturday, Dec. 24. Christmas Eve, folks. And for all those hard-to-please holdouts on your list, well-known stores may be the best way to go. The good news is, you don't have to settle for a boring sweater or the same ole tie. In most malls, there's something up-to-date and within your budget for everyone you know.

Soft, plush and oh-so-warm, cashmere has long been a classic choice for fashion designers and fashion lovers alike. This season, however, calling cashmere a mere favorite is a serious understatement. On the runways and in stores, cashmere has worked its way into almost every designer's fall collection. From high end to low end, cashmere is everywhere -- and no longer just in the traditional gray twin set or camel pullover sweater form. Modern-day designers have taken cashmere and made it more versatile and more wearable than ever.

Some people are just harder to buy for than others. So you wait for inspiration. And you wait. And wait.Then before you know it, it's six days before Christmas and you've got zero, zilch, zip.Don't fret. Here are some last-minute gifts for the hard- to-buy-for people on your list.Who: NeighborThe problem: Always buys you a gift ... and you have no idea what to buy herThe gift: ULTA vanilla-scented candle and picture frame, $10, ULTA (order by calling 888-609-ULTA)Why: Good gift, great cause.

Jewelry, decorative art, furniture, textiles, paintings and miniatures, folk art, glassware, and political memorabilia are just some of the items that will be offered by nearly three dozen dealers at this year's Maryland Historical Society Antiques Show this coming weekend.With the theme of "A Certain Elegance," the show begins with a gala preview party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, and features a lecture and luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday with costume jewelry designer Kenneth Jay Lane (whose clients have included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Audrey Hepburn and Wallis Warfield Simpson, the Baltimore-bred Duchess of Windsor)

ELKRIDGE -- Wang Jian Guo doesn't speak a whit of English, but the Chinese businessman's dreams are quintessentially American: Big.Today, Mr. Wang (pronounced Wong) will open a cashmere sweater manufacturing and distribution plant here that he predicts will eventually produce 50,000 sweaters annually and boost his company's U.S. sales from $2.7 million to about $4 million within a year. Worldwide sales for the company should be boosted by the plant to about $10 million from $7.5 million, he predicts.

Some people are just harder to buy for than others. So you wait for inspiration. And you wait. And wait.Then before you know it, it's six days before Christmas and you've got zero, zilch, zip.Don't fret. Here are some last-minute gifts for the hard- to-buy-for people on your list.Who: NeighborThe problem: Always buys you a gift ... and you have no idea what to buy herThe gift: ULTA vanilla-scented candle and picture frame, $10, ULTA (order by calling 888-609-ULTA)Why: Good gift, great cause.

They are the hot demographic of the moment; a young, fresh-faced set very much on the minds of better fashion and cosmetics houses.They command the finest cashmere sweaters, hip togs like silk shantung capri pants, and skin care lotions available only in the best department stores. And to hold their many accessories, there's even a designer bag -- by Prada, natch.But they haven't commented on all of the attention. Most of them haven't even learned how to talk yet.Products for babies and toddlers -- Generation Z, if you will -- have gone noticeably upscale, with retailers offering everything from $168 leather jackets to $250 cashmere blankets to high-end balms made just for their delicate little forms.

Put on your woolly slippers and snuggle down: 1999 may be the most comfortable year of the century.At least that's the prediction of the trend watchers, futurists, magazine editors, consultants and book authors we questioned to see what was in store for us as the 20th century ends - not with a bang or a whimper, say our experts, but with a soft "aaahh."We'll eat comfort foods like mashed potatoes. We'll wrap up in cashmere sweaters. We'll buy recliners that do everything but walk the dog. If we get any more relaxed, we may not be awake to welcome in 2000.