Earrings

Reginald Dowdy separated the strand of his customer's hair and slid a hollow bead-sized copper object to her scalp, leaving a black-and-white striped feather hanging. Dowdy's client, April McGill-Willhide, tilted her hair to the side and examined the bunch of multi-colored feathers that now outlined the side of her face. “It looks fantastic,” she exclaimed. “They're wonderful!” McGill-Willhide, a hair salon assistant, has a number of feather-accented earrings but wanted something more permanent that would allow her to look more current and chic.

Reginald Dowdy separated the strand of his customer's hair and slid a hollow bead-sized copper object to her scalp, leaving a black-and-white striped feather hanging. Dowdy's client, April McGill-Willhide, tilted her hair to the side and examined the bunch of multi-colored feathers that now outlined the side of her face. “It looks fantastic,” she exclaimed. “They're wonderful!” McGill-Willhide, a hair salon assistant, has a number of feather-accented earrings but wanted something more permanent that would allow her to look more current and chic.

I have had pierced ears for more than 25 years, yet I still can't wear most earrings, even expensive ones. After about an hour, my earlobes itch and become red and swollen. A few weeks ago, I purchased generic liquid bandage for paper cuts and decided to try it on my earlobes. I applied the product to the back and front of my earlobes, let it dry, then inserted the earrings. I was able to wear them for 10 hours without itching and my earlobes were not red. I have tried this with pairs I always reacted to and gotten the same good results.

Amy Matt says her friends often call her "J. Crew" because of her style. "If I have a collared shirt on, I definitely pop the collar," says the 33-year-old Paychex senior sales associate, with a laugh. However, the Pasadena resident describes her own style as more "mix and match. I like to have fun." And that she was having when we "glimpsed" Matt at the Tiki Barge in an emerald flutter sleeve top from The Limited, denim New York & Co. shorts, a gold snakeskin patterned leather belt from Banana Republic, and neutral metallic bangles from the BCBG outlet at Arundel Mills.

DESPITE a deafening silence from the readers on many of the subjects explored here, it is high time that this column weigh in on the issue of men who wear earrings.For the record, let me say that as an enlightened citizen of the '90s, I see nothing wrong with a man jabbing a large hole in his earlobe, waiting a few days for the bleeding and subsequent raging infection to die down, and then sticking a cheap piece of metal in what used to be perfectly healthy skin tissue.If that is what you want to do with your ear (or ears)

The "Earring Tour of Baltimore" was born on a sultry Saturday afternoon, when I asked two old friends from Texas what they wanted to see in my hometown.We had done a driving tour, starting out from the tree-lined streets of North Baltimore then heading downtown. They had seen Fell's Point and the Inner Harbor, eaten crab cakes and gelato. It seemed only polite to let them choose their next destination."Show us where you buy your earrings," Pam said promptly.Among my friends I am known for my earrings, a reputation born by default.

I grew up with a mother whose motto regarding her fake jewelry was "more is better." Maybe it's a rebellion against her, but I have very different tastes. The minimalism trend is for me, and I buy simply shaped clothes in neutral colors. But I realize I nTC do need some jewelry -- real jewelry. How do I go about building a jewelry wardrobe?I can understand your reaction against your mother's jewelry overload and think you are wise to start building a fine jewelry collection. For guidance I asked John Loring, the design director at Tiffany's, for suggestions.

Like a bad penny, Madame De . . 's earrings keep coming back to her, each time bearing with them a whole new set of lies, deceptions and conspiracies, many of which the Madame herself has concocted.The two diamond danglers are the centerpiece of this swanky and sophisticated entertainment that hails from the far-ago year of 1953, one of the last films of the legendary Max Ophuls, cinema genius and big-time romantic fool. If Ophuls is remembered at all today, it is as the father of the great documentary filmmaker Marcel Ophuls ("The Sorrow and the Pity")

With Donna Cuneo, you just never know. You may find the thirtysomething art director in penny loafers or gold pumps, black sequins or a basic turtleneck. As the woman responsible for WBAL-TV's image and identity, she has made a career out of being style-conscious. When she's not working at the station or unpacking boxes in her new Owings Mills home, she sews and makes jewelry.As for her own taste, "Most of the time, I'm pretty conservative . . . But I can surprise you."How would you describe your style?

A gem of a tipKeep your ears open for ways to save money! For less money and a bit more effort, you can save tens of dollars by making your own earrings.Here's how: A basic, dangling earring consists of an ear wire ohook, a pin-like base, and all the beads you can hang on it. And often you can make four or five pairs for the cost of a single pair of boutique-bought earrings.At Create-A-Hobby at Columbia Mall, for example, beads -crystal, plastic, wooden, metallic or seed -- cost from 2 cents per bead to about $5, says Anne Regan, store manager.

Canton resident Sarah Fries describes her style as "casual and eclectic. I like things that are very unique and stand out a bit." When we "glimpsed" the 23-year-old assistant coach of women's volleyball at University of Maryland, Baltimore County having a drink with friends at Nacho Mama's, she was wearing something that she "threw together at the last minute. It was warmer outside. So I wanted something that would keep me cool but I wouldn't look completely sloppy in." We think she "killed" it, to use the volleyball term.

W hen the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation held its "35 Under 35 Finest" event at the B&O Railroad Museum, the 35 community volunteers being honored weren't the only winners. Anastasia Allen was a style standout in the crowd. The 31-year-old East Baltimore resident might work in a white coat during the day as a dental hygienist for Dr. Martin Levin, but she loves to dress up when she's on her own time. "Looking good always makes me feel better about myself," she says. Allen loves a "sexy chic" look, with a particular passion for handbags and shoes.

Sharen Udell prefers wearing dark colors, but the hostess at Tapas Adela knows how to make her look stand out with pops of color and unusual accessories. "I'm not a designer person. I don't follow trends," says the 45-year-old Canton resident. "I like to put different stuff together to create my own look." The look: Red ribbed cotton-blend turtleneck Bebe sweater. Black asymmetrical cotton American Apparel skirt. Black fishnets. Black leather pointy-toe boots. Black rabbit fur pom-pom scarf.

Creative types are everywhere at Ignite Baltimore, an event that features speakers giving five-minute presentations on eclectic topics. As 250 folks gathered at the Walters Art Museum for the most recent Ignite Baltimore, we "Glimpsed" an artfully dressed Katie McDonough Kutil. The 28-year-old co-owner of Chelle Paperie near Ruxton is a custom stationery and invitation designer. She describes her style as "creative with no fuss - super-simple pieces with fun details." And many of those details she creates herself.

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.

I put together some columns of readers' gripes after my colleague Bob Greene did a series of heartwarming columns on what made people happy. I believe in journalistic balance.Let the venom flow:Newscasters who use the term "senseless murder" like there's such a thing as a sensible murder.When the mailman comes at a different time every day. I like order in my life.If Mr. Lender can't cut his bagels straight down the middle, then he should leave them uncut. I'm sick of crooked cut bagels getting stuck in my toaster every morning.

COLLEGE PARK -- Players no longer can grow beards. Earrings are banished. Unfashionable and "experimental" haircuts are outlawed. Weightlifting and conditioning sessions are mandatory. And academic success has been declared the most important item on the agenda.Such were some of the things to come out of Maryland football coach Mark Duffner's first meeting with his players, held yesterday. For the most part, Duffner, who was hired from Holy Cross on Dec. 31, left a favorable impression with the Terps.

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?