Fashion Trends

OK, I admit it -- I cried. Big tears, all over my cashmere sweater. Still, I was fairly sedate compared to the man sitting a couple of seats away. Blubbering.He, I'd like to believe, was wrapped up in the emotion of the story, a romantic comedy in which a chauffeur's geeky daughter returns from Paris transformed into a beautiful and sophisticated woman who entices not just one but both of the millionaire Larrabee sons.I, on the other hand, was crying over the fashions.While I have to admit that pantsuits and sleek velvet ball gowns are more apropos of the '90s, some deep-seated '50s part of me was craving the sight of opulent, luxurious clothing -- and not on the male actors.

100 Years Ago Gowns and frowns In the "In Vogue" column of the Times : "Skirts, especially on lingerie dresses are showing more fullness. Double veilings are being used to give lovely iridescent effects. Velour hats are proving strong favorites. The vogue for black and white alliances shows but little abatement. The jumper design has been furiously revived for dressy shirtwaists. Collarettes of black or white tulle are used to wear with afternoon gowns.

Eventually, it had to happen.Spam, the ugly duckling of luncheon meats, would have its day. And now, Spam fans, that day has come.The geniuses at Hormel have unveiled the ultimate in designer apparel, the kind of fashion statement that even Porky Pig would admire. That's right, Spamwear.Yes, executives at Hormel Foods Corp. have issued an official Spam catalog, replete with T-shirts, baseball caps and watches emblazoned with the distinctive, if boring, Spam logo.There's even, ye gods, Spam sweat pants -- with the word Spam strategically placed on the left ham hock.

Jessi Smith, 11, and four of her friends recently posed for a picture during an outing.Jessi's mom, Pat, took the photograph. "They all smiled with their braces to show off. One friend, Becca, poor Becca, didn't have braces and she didn't get in the picture."But Becca is getting them, adds Ms. Smith.Forget "metal mouth" and "tin grin."Those taunts of the past are as out-of-date and clunky as the braces that were bound to children's teeth 30 years ago."I'm in my 40s, and my sister had braces," says Janet Pizzo, of Glenside, Pa., whose son, Dan, 13, got braces in May. "In all her junior high school pictures, she didn't smile."

Doris Randall hadn't worn her brown bomber mink coat in ages. Her full-length shearling coat got even less use - she wore it about twice in the 15 years since her husband gave it to her. She considered giving the garments to charity before discovering Seleh's De Federal Hill, a tailor and furrier specializing in remodeling leathers and furs. A few months later, Randall had a new three-quarter-length coat for herself and a contemporary-looking mink vest with black sweater sleeves that she gave to her daughter.

NEW YORK -- Yikes, it's gauchos! Just when we were feeling reassured that those walking fashion disasters from the '70s were forever dead, they came strutting down the Anne Klein runway to the disco thump of "Staying Alive."House designer Patrick Robinson missed the beat on this one, but he's to be forgiven. At 29, he's too young to remember the full effect those goofy pants have on a woman's backside. He did fine with the rest of this retro collection with some snappy maxi-coats, maxi-skirts and relaxed sportswear, which keeps this career-friendly house going.

Handbag lovers now have a reason to carry on.The bags of the moment are smaller, hand-held styles, reminiscent of ones carried in the '40s and '50s, such as Chanel's quilted bag and Hermes' structured Kelly bag, named for the late actress Grace Kelly.Today's hand-held versions range from a tiny canister-shaped evening bag -- big enough for lipstick, mirror and a $20 bill -- to a soft, casual tote that holds keys, a billfold and cell phone. They come in leathers, knits, straws and a variety of linens and silks, in a bonanza of shapes and colors.

Thirteen-year-old Katie Riggs is not allowed to wear mascara and isn't really going on dates, but she doesn't think twice about sashaying through the mall with -- heaven forbid -- her bra straps exposed.Grandma, cover your eyes: Bra straps are cool. The undergarment whose absence once symbolized rebellion has returned in a most visible way.After cropping up in New York and Los Angeles several years ago, the exposed strap has become a national phenomenon among under-30 women, fashion experts say. It's a look that young people variously praise as comfortable and feminine, in-your-face cute and alluring.

LOS ANGELES -- A line drapes the front of the store, as showy and provocative as a low-slung hip chain. Giggling 14-year-olds in vintage disco Qiana; women with silver pageboys pacing in Emma Peel boots; Eddie Bauer moms with Osh-Kosh babes in tow; club rats; and last season's slackers -- all queued up, eyes trained forward.What's it all about? And who is the man in Johnny Cash-black, with porcelain-keepsake skin and kohl-lined eyes, jiggling a ring of keys?He's not a bouncer, it turns out, just a clerk tending to crowd control on a typical Saturday afternoon at the Beverly Center M.A.C store.

The following is a listing of the results of the Carroll County 4-H Demonstration Day competitions, on April 10:* Foods/nutrition/meat or meat product: Blue -- junior -- Chrissy Spurrier, Lucky Clovers 4-H Club; Sara H. Zimmerman, Cheetah's 4-H Club.* Foods/nutrition/fruits: Champion (team) -- junior -- Tamyra Robrecht, Carroll Clovers 4-H and Fashion Trends 4-H, and Amy Davidson, Carroll Clovers 4-H and Fashion Trends 4-H.Champion (individual) -- senior -- Amy Gesell, Food, Fun & Fitness 4-H Club.