Denim

Just when women had shaken off the last vestiges of anxiety over the skinny jean, the sado-fashionistic denim masterminds came up with the jegging — a creation so skin-tight, so utterly form-fitting, it makes the skinny jean look almost baggy in comparison. The jegging: part jeans, part legging. Entirely responsible for any recent runs on Weight Watchers. Though denim leggings appeared at fashion-forward shops last fall, it's only this spring that they slipped into the mainstream, available in upscale boutiques for upward of $200, mall stores such as J Crew, and in discount department stores for less than $20. Young Hollywood celebrities, including Blake Lively, Lauren Conrad, Paris Hilton and Jessica Alba, have all been spotted and photographed in jeggings.

WHILE the business of fashion continues to work six months in advance a parade of fall fashion just concluded in Europe, and New York shows are in full bloom we on the receiving end are trying to walk through the maze of spring clothing now in stores.We've been understandably distracted by the Persian Gulf War and the economic recession. Our thoughts have been on things other than hemlines and neckties. But even world events are spawning new styles flags have popped up on clothing for both sexes and there's been an explosion of stars-and-stripes jewelry.

NEW YORK -- Ask women to name their favorite fashion designer and you'll hear a litany of names from Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein to Donna Karan and Bill Blass.Ask women which designer label dominates their closet and many will tell you it's Liz Claiborne. They love the "big names," but they come with equally big price tags.Claiborne, on the other hand, is more affordable and often more applicable to their lives.Although the company's founder, Ms. Claiborne, retired three years ago, the design team she trained has continued her oft-repeated philosophy of clothes the "working woman" can afford.

The outfit is familiar: pre-washed denim, rugby stripes, Oxford shirting, cable knit and flannel. But this particular ensemble is being worn by a plump, slightly rumpled sofa, not your accountant on his day off.Apparel fabric used as upholstery is the single hottest trend at this fall's International Home Furnishings Market, where it's sometimes hard to tell where the sitter ends and the settee begins.Alex Bernhardt, whose company introduced a unique home furnishings-clothing boutique concept last spring, told a press gathering on the first day of market that "People like to sit on what they wear."

What's the point? -- It's tough to find a pair of jeans that fit just right. People's waists, hips, thighs and heights vary so much, plus you add in personal preference, and how can you ever find the right pair without trying on 50? That's where zafu.com comes in. You fill out a questionnaire about how jeans tend to fit (including a couple of questions about the dreaded waist gappage), what you look for in a pair of jeans, height, weight and a little bit more. Then the site runs all the information through its database and comes up with options that should fit well.

A man who brandished a sawed-off shotgun in attempting to rob an Ellicott City gas station ended up losing money in the incident.After pumping $5 worth of gas into his car about 2: 55 a.m. Tuesday, the man entered the St. Johns Amoco gas station in the 9100 block of U.S. 40 and gave the attendant a $10 bill.After the would-be robber gave the clerk his $10, he pointed a shotgun at her and demanded money from the cash register, police said.The clerk immediately fled into a back room and called 911, police said, prompting the man with the gun to run away -- before he got his $5 change.

Struggling, young Seattle grunge bands went unkempt because they were dressing out of thrift shops and crashing where they could. Their clothes were lived-in, broken-down and easy to wear. Their audiences shared that dressed-down attitude, and a style was born.Some of those grunge bands have stopped struggling and have made it to the top of the record charts. And their way with clothes has climbed out of cellar clubs and into department stores.Donna Karan, who has a knack for understanding clothes that make people comfortable, was among the first to borrow fashion elements from the young and the rumpled.

State troopers were searching last night for two teen-age boys who escaped earlier in the day from the Charles H. Hickey School for juvenile offenders. The boys, one a 16-year-old from Baltimore and the other age 15 from northern Harford County, escaped from an unfenced area of the school in Cub Hill at 5:15 p.m. yesterday, said Trooper Chuck Hill. The boys were walking in a line with other juveniles as they returned to their building from a dining hall when they ran across the school grounds and a horse farm toward Cub Hill Road, Hill said.

Let's get one thing straight: If you're spending $200 on a pair of jeans, it's not for durability. Long before stonewashing and distressing and spandex, basic Levi's were the clothing of choice of coal miners. These days, the most rigorous job called upon the average blue jeans is a spin on the dance floor. As denim has morphed from staple into style statement, the prices have climbed to jaw-dropping proportions. And they show no sign of stopping. Earl Jeans, once exclusive at $120, seem almost affordable compared with some styles by Diesel that now top $200.

Stretching a fashion point They're fun, they're funky, and they're darn close to free. They're "Wordstretch" bands and perhaps best described as one of those "why didn't I think of that?" products. Really just brightly colored rubber bands printed with cute sayings -- like "princess," "love rules," and "snap out of it" -- they're showing up all over as hip bracelets, rings, headbands and packaging gimmicks. "They're sweet little sentiments that are less permanent than a tattoo and cheaper than a card," says their creator, former actress Ave (pronounced ah-vay)