Earrings

Sometimes kids are just not ready to try something new, such as an overnight at a friend's house, learning to swim or starting school. Rosemary Wells has written a threesome that reminds children and their parents that things take longer for some than for others: "Edward Unready for a Sleep Over," "Edward Unready for Swimming" and "Edward Unready for School."Being unready is not limited to the preschool set, nor is it confined to the reluctant child. Judith Viorst's "Earrings!" shows the frustrations a child can feel when she thinks she is ready (to have her ears pierced)

"Now there's a way a pet owner can really show their pet how much they love them," said Patricia Henderson.Hmmm. Let's guess what that could be. Allowing the dog to sleep with her head next to yours on the pillow?No, the answer is pet earrings."I was designing jewelry and I sold an ear cuff," explains Henderson, of Chicago, and the store owner "calls me and says, 'Mrs. Henderson, we just love them, but do you mind if I sell them to men?' I said, 'I don't care if you sell them to dogs.' Then it hit me -- that there is no dog jewelry!"

Last fall, when the "World Famous Pearl Gown" first came to the International Gem & Jewelry Show in Baltimore, it was displayed near the front entrance, a glamorous and poignant lure for visitors anxious to feel the sympathetic magic of the dress' former owner, Princess Diana, who had died three months earlier.Yesterday, the show returned, as did the pleated, beaded winter-white gown, purchased last summer at a Christie's charity auction in New York. This time, it was relegated to the convention center's most remote corner.

INDIANAPOLIS -- How big a fan of North Carolina was Miles Simon?Big enough that when he got his rejection letter from Dean Smith four years ago, it immediately became a prized possession."

Carbonated drinks were served in drugstores before they were bottled and sold at grocery stores. The drinks originally were promoted as medicinal, but by 1900, they were marketed as delicious.Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Hires, Moxie and a few other brands were popular in the early 1900s. Each company advertised with calendars, tin trays, mugs, dispensers and small paper giveaways.Collectors now search for old and new carbonated-drink advertising pieces.This year, an old Hires syrup dispenser set a record when it sold for $106,700.

They are best friends. They share the same beliefs and feelings, the same sense of style, the same color preferences. And between them, there's 50 year's worth of fashion sense and sensibility.But 25-year-old identical twins Rebecca and Jennifer Cormeny have their own closets and basically their own wardrobes. That doesn't mean that Jennifer won't take a trip down the hallway to peer into her sister's closet. Often, she's stymied by the sheer number of shoes she encounters. For it is Rebecca who tends to accumulate the most footwear, earrings and fashion sundries.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Susan Green calls the Williamsburg Inn a "unique jewel." But it was her own gems - a pair of quarter-size earrings - that stood out as the vice president of Colonial Williamsburg's hotel division paid tribute to the five-star hotel on its 60th anniversary recently.If Green swept floors or mowed the grass, she could lose her job for wearing earrings bigger than a dime.Big jewelry, long beards and false eyelashes are among the casualties of the Colonial Williamsburg's latest effort to polish the image of its hotels.

Baltimore County police have released a sketch by a forensic artist of a teen-ager whose remains were found last year in woods off Falls Road north of Mount Carmel Road.The remains of the female -- who police believe was black and between ages 17 and 19 when she died six years ago -- was found by a tree-trimming crew March 5, 1996.She was wearing a leather or vinyl zip-up jacket, a light-colored pinstriped blouse with pearl-colored buttons, size 7 pants with ankle zippers, MIA-brand high-top tennis shoes and gold hoop pierced earrings with a small gold ball at the bottom of the loop.

With Centennial no longer lumped in its region, the Parkville boys expected to win the team title at yesterday's Class 3A East regional championships.And they did.Parkville's girls, on the other hand, did not expect to leave the Fifth Regiment Armory yesterday gripping a regional championship plaque, but they were.Senior Joe Smith helped make the sweep possible by winning the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Parkville's boys captured their second consecutive region crown in a decisive fashion, outscoring runner-up Woodlawn, 157-78.

As every husband knows, nothing produces the same head-pounding, gut-churning stress as buying a birthday present for your wife.When I was young (and therefore, even more stupid than today), I would buy my wife birthday presents based on such criteria as: what made her happy, what kinds of things did she like, blah, blah, blah.(I know, I know ... what was I thinking?)Now the main criterion I use is: Can this item be returned?Because no matter what I buy her, she's going to return it.Over the years, she's returned about 10 sweaters I've bought her. She's returned earrings, blazers, boots, perfume, watches and a fire-engine red negligee that she claimed looked like something off a Miss Valvoline calendar.

Dina Klicos is always well-dressed in her style, which is "conservative with a flair." It doesn't matter whether it's for work, as director of major gifts for the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, or at play - say, when she goes to shows by Fire in the Hole, a popular local band in which her son Michael plays lead guitar. "I like simple. It's more classic. Simple is better. I like a cleaner look," says the 49-year-old Hampton resident. But Klicos knows how to add some interest to her outfits with her accessories.

OK, new fan, thanks to Ravens 101, you have now gotten through the first work/school day after the team's win Saturday and you have a thumbnail sketch of the season. Now, it's time to walk the walk and actually look as if you have Purple Passion. If you can lay your hands on any 2000 Ravens gear, especially Super Bowl stuff, by all means borrow it. Nothing whimpers "I just got here" more than a stain-free, rip-free sweat shirt. To be effective, Ravens tchotchkes must be visible and superficial.

Towson University student Ashley Gilbert has a thing about the decade in which she was born. "A lot of stuff from the '80s is coming back. ... I love the look." When we "glimpsed" her at Towson Town Center, the 21-year-old Towson resident was sporting one of her current favorite looks: a big graphic T-shirt over leggings and boots. For Gilbert - a finance and economics major - her fashion is her art. She loves to mix and match pieces that she picks up at various stores. "I can find a shirt at a random TJ Maxx and just dress it up with accessories.

The Scripture reading in church Sunday gave me a jolt - Exodus 32, which refers to the Chosen People wearing earrings, men as well as women, and I twitched when the lector read it. Yikes! Moses got his ears pierced? What else didn't we know? And then a bigger jolt. God is so furious at the C.P. for worshiping the golden calf (forged from their earrings) that He talks about consuming them with fire, but Moses talks Him out of it, which sort of dents one's faith in divine omniscience, does it not, the Lord taking a sharp turn like that?

With 80-degree temperatures outside, Emily Boyd is ready to raise a few temperatures inside the Havana Club for "Salsabration," a Fuel Fund of Maryland fundraiser. But being cool also matters to the 24-year-old outdoor advertising sales coordinator. "I think I got a lot of my style from my sister She's three years older than me, so when I was younger I was always looking to her to see what was cool to wear." Age: : 24 Job:: CBS Outdoor sales coordinator Residence: : Canton Self-described style: : "Fun, classy and comfortable" The look: : Rose silk bubble dress with silk rose embellishments.

Theater Trumbo: Red, White and Blacklisted: A humorous, thoughtful look at how famed Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo took on Hollywood, Congress and the Red Scare after he was blacklisted in 1947 and won. Through Sept. 28 at Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. $15-$25. 410-772-4900 or www.repstage.org. Mary McCauley Art Meaghan Harrison Solo Exhibition: Trust : Death, ceremony and human relations are themes that drive the art of Meaghan Harrison, who creates "totemic memorials" from old liquor bottles, lottery tickets and secondhand furniture in the Maryland Institute College of Art grad's first solo exhibit.

It's a beautiful, breezy day along the Annapolis waterfront. No wonder it attracts beautiful, breezy UVA student Xandria Fleurke. She's spending the day with her aunt, who's spending a little money on this day out with her niece. Age: 21 Residence: Virginia Beach, Virginia Job: University of Virginia senior Self-described style: "I'm kind of preppy, but comfortable." The look: White button down J. Crew shirt. The Limited denim jacket. Gray striped Seven for All Mankind jeans. Antonio Melani tooled black and brown boots.

A night out on the town is always a good reason to get dressed up. Unless you're Dr. Michele Henley. She doesn't need an excuse to gussy up because she does it almost every day. Too bad many of her patients don't get their own glimpse of her style. Her outfits are usually covered by her white coat and stethoscope. Age: 33 Residence: Windsor Mills Job: Internist at Patient First, Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital Self-described style: Modern The look: Calvin Klein faux leopard coat. Anne Klein green cardigan.

Artists don't simply confine their sense of the aesthetic to their art. For many, how they dress is just another form of self-expression. Case in point -- the Baltimore School for the Arts. Many of the students there are artworks in themselves. Theater student Shakera Tuggle is a perfect example. She creatively combines colors and patterns for a kicky look that totally works -- and that tells her audience she is someone to watch. Age: 17 Residence: East Baltimore Job: BSA senior, theater student Self-described style: High fashion.

Why are so many women afraid of color? The fear is hard to understand, especially after you've seen Amanda Brennan in a radiant rainbow of hues that looks absolutely smashing. She's combined purple, green, turquoise, brown, black, white and gunmetal gray -- and nothing looks out of place. In fact, everything looks perfectly polished, as if they were made to go together. The ready embrace of a range of colors is a sign of the style-savvy. Brennan, in her mix-and-match look -- is one of the savviest we've seen.