Gown

Wedding day: Oct. 6, 2012 Her story: Cara Lewis, 26, grew up in Hampstead. She is an assistant state's attorney for Baltimore City. Her mom, Cheryl Lewis, is senior vice president of lending at Farmers & Merchants Bank in Upperco. His story: Peter Nothstein, 34, grew up in Rodgers Forge. He is an assistant U.S. attorney for Maryland. His mother, Patricia Nothstein, is the director of the lower school at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore. His father is deceased. Their story: Cara and Peter met on April 9, 2010, at Pickles Pub across from Camden Yards during the home opener for the Baltimore Orioles through a mutual attorney friend.

A winter storm left piles of snow and Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco stopped by Tommy Hilfiger's show, but the most dramatic thing about New York City this past week were Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week's first looks at fall 2013. Inside the walls of Lincoln Center, designers treated the crowds to collections that mirrored the futuristic feel of science fiction, the darkness of noir fiction and the theatrical elements of a good soap opera. With so many ideas to chose from, these trends were the best of the best: Russian influences Christian Siriano said that his collection was heavily inspired by St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre.

Necklines plunged. Purple reigned. And the old Hollywood glamour girl made a comeback. Oscar night isn't just about movies. It's about clothes. And Joan and Melissa Rivers aren't the only people who can dish about celebrity style. We assembled our own panel of experts to rate the fashions and foibles of the stars at last night's 72nd Annual Academy Awards: Catharine Incaprera, owner of Madison Boutique in Canton and costume supervisor of "Blair Witch II"; Donna Jenkins, owner of The Zone vintage clothing store in Baltimore; Delgardo Darby, owner of Firma Menswear in Baltimore; Stefan A. Pratt, member of the advisory council of Baltimore City Community College's apparel technology program; and Pascale Lemaire, fashion editor, Baltimore Magazine.

It was a huge night at the Emmys for those with a Maryland connection. From actresses to designers, Marylanders made quite a showing. Christian Siriano continued his red carpet winning streak with a number of fantastic frocks at last night's Emmy Awards. The anticipation started early for Siriano who was already sharing his excitement with fans through social media. "Getting ready for the Emmys red carpet. I can't wait to see some of my favorite ladies in Siriano tonight," he wrote hours before the festivities began.

Francis Maziere, 70, one of France's foremost explorers and the author of a best-selling book on Easter Island, died Sunday in Paris. He traveled to Easter Island in the Pacific in 1963, hoping to shed light on the origin of the island's giant statues. His book about that trek, "Fantastic Easter Island," sold nearly 1 million copies.Franco Moschino, 44, the ironic "enfant terrible" of Italian fashion who once designed a ball gown made of garbage bags, saying the gown's message was "fashion is trash," died Sunday of cancer in Annone di Brianza, Italy.

Radiant in a gown of fuchsia and purple crepe, Halla Elias outshone even the most beautiful tropical flowers at her Barbados wedding. But that was no surprise to her family and friends, because her husband-to-be, fashion designer William Calvert, had created her gown. William is the Baltimore native who's made a splash in the fashion world with the elegant line of couture and wedding gowns bearing his name. A graduate of the Gilman School who still has strong ties here even though he is now based in New York, William has created evening wear that's attracted the attention of respected designers like Geoffrey Beene.

Fashion,not functionOver the years, leather has had many images, but often has played an ironically dual role: badge of rebellion at one end of the spectrum, status symbol at the other.Lately, those images are merging. Big-name fashion designers -- among them Claude Montana, Donna Karan and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel -- have successfully usurped leather's bad-boy image for high-ticket items.Consider Ms. Karan's version of the motorcycle jacket, which sold out of department stores this fall, retailing for more than $700.

Though some feared the economy would cast its gloomy shadow over the red carpet, if anything, stars glittered even more last night, as if to spite the recession. In statement necklaces with fat jewels that couldn't be ignored. With shoulders bared. With hair pulled loosely into seductive buns. With flamboyant sequins, luxe beads, compelling architectural details and fabric pleated in delicate wedding-cake layers. Some chose vibrant jewel tones - notably Amy Adams in a fitted ruby gown by Carolina Herrera, Freida Pinto in a sapphire, Bollywood-inspired dress by John Galliano and Heidi Klum in a bright rose Roland Mouret.

LOS ANGELES -- Apparently, the Emmy memo went out: Shun the fussy, shellacked up-dos; bypass the bacon-hued faux tans; and be sure to don a variation of red or silver to blend in with almost every other attendee. Clearly, not everyone got that memo, which, quite frankly, is a great relief. The Emmys have never been known for a risque red carpet, and this year was no different, with many of TV's finest choosing to stroll safely into the Shrine Auditorium. With a host about as serrated as a butter knife, did anyone expect otherwise?

Meghan Murray couldn't believe what she was reading. Scanning the posts on an Internet forum this week, the 27-year-old Bethesda woman came across one that said the shop from which she had ordered her wedding gown - the perfect gown - was going out of business and was unable to fill outstanding orders. "I was just, like, horrified," Murray said. With her wedding two months away, the last thing she thought she'd have to deal with was finding another dress, particularly after she'd paid for this one and been promised it would be ready next month.