Fashion Statement

TRUE STORY: A city principal used to display an industrial-size spool of twine on the front counter of the school office. Throughout the day, little boys emulating hip-hop video stars would slouch past her door, wearing droopy pants that revealed the advertising logos on the waistbands of their undershorts. She noted how the fashion hobbled them, as they could not trust their slight frames to keep the pants in place. "I'm gonna string you up," the administrator would growl, steering each baggy boy to a corner for a lecture on propriety.

There's no one way to describe Sabrina Chap -- and that's what we love about her. She's a musician and songwriter - her latest album, "We Are the Parade" boasts a title track about marriage equality. She often performs with burlesque and variety shows. And she plays a mean kazoo. "Someone once called me a mix of Julie Andrews and Divine, which I love," said the 35-year-old, whose real last name is Chapadjiev. "I've also gotten 'Tom Waits with a hint of Phyllis Diller. And though she lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., Chap has often performed in Baltimore for the past few years.

It came as a pleasant surprise to learn that I am on the cutting edge of men's fashion.I discovered this after reading an article in the New York Times about a new magazine devoted to the kind of clothing worn by today's male.The story contained this capsule view of men's fashion trends by one Woody Hochswender, who is editor of the new magazine, which is called Esquire Gentleman.Mr. Hochswender said: "If you take an anthropological view of fashion today, it's all happening in men's fashion."

If there were a dress code for visitors to the current exhibit in Howard Community College's Rouse Company Foundation Gallery, it would stipulate that people must wear blue jeans when going to see Julie van Hemert's "Peopled Jeans. " That's because the artist uses blue jean material for her wall-hanging fabric art. Van Hemert does not significantly alter or transform this material. Instead, she typically clusters a few pants legs together in order to suggest that several close friends are, er, hanging out together.

NEW YORK - Martha Stewart finally has her new fashion accessory, and it fits snugly on her ankle. Stewart yesterday began wearing a lightweight electronic monitoring bracelet that will link her to the U.S. Probation Department for the next five months while she's under home confinement. The move came nearly a week after she was released from the women's prison camp in Alderson, W.Va., where she served five months for conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The bracelet will set off an alarm to probation officials if she strays from her itinerary.

The Armani suits hang pristinely in the front window of Ruth Shaw. Sarah, the willful dachshund, stands guard by the Donna Karan hose. And fashion patter echoes through the room: That bias skirt makes you look smaller. ... I don't think it's dowdy, but you need a strappy sandal. ... You look fabulous.The owner of this namesake store smooths the cashmere, pleased that so many black tunics have sold. To her, it's vindication: The fashion magazines that proclaimed "black is out" were wrong."When black dies, we're all going to be dead," she says with a laugh.

The belted khaki coat's enduring popularity and stylish variations make it both a classic and cutting-edge fashion statement.In the world of fashion, classic can be a dirty word. Not so with the trench coat. "There are certain pieces we have in our imagination that we ought to own," says Sally Singer, fashion news director of Vogue magazine, explaining why a belted khaki coat born in the trenches nearly a century ago has attained almost mythic status. "It's the most simple and elegant way to protect yourself from the rain.

New shows -- The Howard County Arts Council is presenting two shows at Howard County Center for the Arts: Art HoCo 2007, showing 51 works by 43 Howard County artists, is in Gallery I; Fashion Statement, three-dimensional works by Donna McCullough and Althea Murphy-Price, is in Gallery II, to Dec. 14. The piece above is from Fashion Statement. A reception is planned from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 30 during the center's open house and holiday sale. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

There's no one way to describe Sabrina Chap -- and that's what we love about her. She's a musician and songwriter - her latest album, "We Are the Parade" boasts a title track about marriage equality. She often performs with burlesque and variety shows. And she plays a mean kazoo. "Someone once called me a mix of Julie Andrews and Divine, which I love," said the 35-year-old, whose real last name is Chapadjiev. "I've also gotten 'Tom Waits with a hint of Phyllis Diller. And though she lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., Chap has often performed in Baltimore for the past few years.

Like many watching television the other night, my first reaction to the University of Maryland's new football uniforms was "OMG. " What the heck are they wearing and who spilled the paint? But as the younger people around me started talking about how cool they are, I started to think about it more. If it's all about recruiting, why not? We of the older generation need to grow up. After all, would you rather make a fashion statement like the Cleveland Browns? M. Kurland

Though he confidently calls his act "intelligently warped," Mike Storck wasn't always sure a comedian's life was for him. He bounced between several jobs before realizing stand-up was his "true calling. " "I've been able to turn my love of laughter into a full-time career," said the 36-year-old Parkville resident. He's been on the road for 10 years, touring across the United States and Canada, and his last gig is five shows Thursday through Saturday at Magooby's Joke House in Timonium.

Billy Woodward is living his dream. He has performed in Japan, toured Memphis, and has recorded in Sun Studios, Elvis Presley's original recording studio. For Woodward, Presley has always been a musical influence. "I was immediately drawn to his raw performance style," the 30-year-old St. Leonard native said. "He had an incredible hunger that translated in the way he sang. " His band, Billy Woodward and the Senders, was created through Craigslist and has opened for Fitz and the Tantrums and G. Love.

Like many watching television the other night, my first reaction to the University of Maryland's new football uniforms was "OMG. " What the heck are they wearing and who spilled the paint? But as the younger people around me started talking about how cool they are, I started to think about it more. If it's all about recruiting, why not? We of the older generation need to grow up. After all, would you rather make a fashion statement like the Cleveland Browns? M. Kurland

New shows -- The Howard County Arts Council is presenting two shows at Howard County Center for the Arts: Art HoCo 2007, showing 51 works by 43 Howard County artists, is in Gallery I; Fashion Statement, three-dimensional works by Donna McCullough and Althea Murphy-Price, is in Gallery II, to Dec. 14. The piece above is from Fashion Statement. A reception is planned from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 30 during the center's open house and holiday sale. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

NATIONAL Asylum rates vary widely Immigration judges vary sharply in their willingness to grant asylum to foreigners seeking to live in the United States, with denial rates ranging from 10 percent to more than 98 percent, according to researchers who reviewed federal figures. pg 3a Women plan ordination A dozen women will participate in a ceremony today in which eight will proclaim themselves as priests and four as deacons. The ceremony won't be recognized by the Catholic Church, which has a 2,000-year tradition of all-male priesthood.

If you found Elsie Pope's gloves, please return them. Not that you have much chance: She lost them about 10 years ago. But she remembers them fondly, and if you think that's a bit over the top, you're probably not a gardener. Gardeners love their gloves, and once they find a pair they like, it's like finding the perfect mate. As with love, though, nothing's guaranteed. Gloves wander off. They wear out. They disappear forever. "It's always the one-glove syndrome," says Deborah Carr, a member of the Horticultural Art Society in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Billy Woodward is living his dream. He has performed in Japan, toured Memphis, and has recorded in Sun Studios, Elvis Presley's original recording studio. For Woodward, Presley has always been a musical influence. "I was immediately drawn to his raw performance style," the 30-year-old St. Leonard native said. "He had an incredible hunger that translated in the way he sang. " His band, Billy Woodward and the Senders, was created through Craigslist and has opened for Fitz and the Tantrums and G. Love.

Eclipsing Mitchell Edgerrin James became the Colts' all-time rushing leader, gaining 127 yards for a total of 5,540, breaking Lydell Mitchell's record of 5,487. Catching on The Rams' Marshall Faulk moved past Ronnie Harmon into second place all-time for receiving yards (6,077) by a running back. He's No. 1 The Broncos' Shannon Sharpe had three touchdown receptions to pass Jerry Smith's league record for tight ends with 61. Shut out Jaguars rookie quarterback Byron Leftwich finished without a touchdown pass for the first time in nine games.

To: The Star-Spangled Banner Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C. Well, old girl, it's that time of year again. There'll be bands and parades and fireworks over Fort McHenry to celebrate the 229th anniversary of the Stars and Stripes being chosen as America's flag. And, of course, your particular role in inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem during the War of 1812. Despite divisions in the country over the war in Iraq, the American flag has largely been able to escape being caught up in the bitterness, as it was during the Vietnam War. In fact, it could be argued that since 9/11, Old Glory has rarely been more popular, both as a unifying symbol for the country and a fashion statement - copied in all manner of clothing and home accessories with no offense intended or taken.

For those honoring the revered Preakness tradition of wearing a hat, there was an unwelcome guest at the Corporate Village yesterday: the wind. Strong gusts forced many women to hang onto their hats with one hand, while holding down their flippy skirts with the other. Often, there were races to watch other than those happening on the track, as women chased their flying hats across the Village turf. Carrying a chic handbag only added to the challenge. Consider Maryland first lady Kendel Ehrlich.