I Wear

How would you describe your taste in clothing?Conservative for work -- I wear dresses and a few suits that are appropriate for work. On weekends, I like more contemporary clothes, like jeans and miniskirts. One dress I love is the one I bought for my daughter's christening. It's ivory lace with a high neck. I've only worn it once, but it would be great for a second wedding.What's the newest thing in your closet?I just bought four new dresses for fall. Khaki green is popular and I bought two of the same color, but different styles.

As co-host of the TLC series "What Not to Wear," Stacy London has a national reputation for defining fashion trends, and helping people develop their own personal style. The 40-year-old style expert regularly appears on NBC's "Today" show and is a contributing editor for People magazine. Last weekend, she traveled to Baltimore to host Believe in Tomorrow Children's Foundation's Benefit and Auction. London often talks about others' style choices. But what about her own? At the benefit, she wore a black Shoshanna dress, copper metallic Lanvin pumps and an Alexis Bittar pewter resin bangle bracelet and oyster resin earrings.

As co-host of the TLC series "What Not to Wear," Stacy London has a national reputation for defining fashion trends, and helping people develop their own personal style. The 40-year-old style expert regularly appears on NBC's "Today" show and is a contributing editor for People magazine. Last weekend, she traveled to Baltimore to host Believe in Tomorrow Children's Foundation's Benefit and Auction. London often talks about others' style choices. But what about her own? At the benefit, she wore a black Shoshanna dress, copper metallic Lanvin pumps and an Alexis Bittar pewter resin bangle bracelet and oyster resin earrings.

Cynthia Hunt claims she doesn't have a specific style. "I wear what feels right. I just put it on, and if I like it, I wear it." We certainly liked what she wore when we "glimpsed" the 48-year-old Elkins Park, Pa., resident as she was strolling through the Gallery at Harborplace with her husband and daughter. The Temple University nurse-anesthetist says she worries about dressing too young. But she has a secret weapon for that. The look: Long black cotton knit empire waist Mon Ami dress.

ON A VERY RAINY DAY IN Towson, you won't find many fashion plates outside, unless you count the drenched, trench-coated folks huddled under umbrellas. But step inside the Lluminaire Salon, and you'll see fashion shining brightly, courtesy of its trendy staff. That begins with salon co-owner Mario Rentuma. In addition to being a stylist, Rentuma has also been a singer and keyboardist with the Christian band "Unveiled" for the past 10 years. It's immediately apparent this guy knows style -- music styles, hair styles and his own style.

After a hard day at the office, the last thing Harvey E. Kettering II wants to look at is clothes.Who can blame him? After all, he spends most of his waking hours surrounded by some 200,000 garments. That's life for the president and chief executive officer of Baltimore Goodwill Industries Inc. He says there's nothing he enjoys more than watching the profits from donated clothing help train the disabled.Mr. Kettering stands by his merchandise, too. The 62-year-old has been known to jog around his Phoenix home in a warm-up suit he bought at Goodwill for $4.99.

Dr. Winnie King is a multi-talented career woman. Besides being WMAR-TV's health reporter, she is the attending emergency medicine physician at Baltimore County General Hospital. She has been married for one year to family practitioner, Dr. Robert Knight. Although her schedule is busy, she tries to find timeto sew, knit or crochet and she loves to sing and play the guitar.How would you describe your taste in clothing?I would say that I have a dual personality when it comes to fashion. At the hospital, I wear a scrub suit with a white jacket; on television I wear bright colored conservative clothes; after work you might see me in jeans and a low cut blouse or something really flashy.

To find Gail Stewart's clothes and accessories in her Federal Hill home, you need a map.Suits, coats and handbags hang in a living room armoire, which friends often mistakenly open when looking for the TV.Pantyhose and scarves are tucked away in bathroom hat boxes. Two bedroom trunks hold leggings and knitwear. And an attic closet houses out-of-season outfits.Where are Ms. Stewart's suede pumps? She walks to work and keeps her heels in her office at Ferris, Baker Watts Inc., where she's a trader.

Ron Barlow is the owner of Retro Vintage Clothing, 731 S. Broadway in Fells Point. Most of his inventory comes entirely from other people's closets, hopefully of '40s or '50s vintage. "I make house calls," he commented, and there are times when he has bought the entire contents of a house. How would you describe your taste in clothing?My taste varies. What I wear each day depends on the mood I'm in when I get dressed. It takes me as much time to put on a nice shirt and pants as it would take me to put on jeans and a T-shirt, which I never wear.

Who says going corporate has to be boring? Corporate attorney Inana Blankson knows how to pull off style professionally. The 30-year-old Butchers Hill resident loves to wear pearls while adding a little interest to a professional outfit. When we "glimpsed" this Niles Barton & Wilmer associate at the Minority Business Summit happy hour in the Baltimore Hilton's Diamond Tavern, she was oh-so-Audrey Hepburn. Self-described style: : "Easy, edgy." The look: : Black cotton-knit sweater dress.

Pay attention when you see Taejon Romanik. He's wearing much more than just an outfit. The 25-year-old Highlandtown musician/songwriter describes his style as "sentimental, individual." He loves wearing things that mean something to him. When we "glimpsed" him before the Center Stage fashion show, he was wearing his late father's vest and a dream catcher that's been a lucky charm for him. "I definitely believe that it's more important [to wear] personal effects that mean something to you. They can garner more magic and power than someone's label," Romanik said.

Who says going corporate has to be boring? Corporate attorney Inana Blankson knows how to pull off style professionally. The 30-year-old Butchers Hill resident loves to wear pearls while adding a little interest to a professional outfit. When we "glimpsed" this Niles Barton & Wilmer associate at the Minority Business Summit happy hour in the Baltimore Hilton's Diamond Tavern, she was oh-so-Audrey Hepburn. Self-described style: : "Easy, edgy." The look: : Black cotton-knit sweater dress.

Raphael Langford has always been known as one of the most elegant figures on Baltimore's social scene. Even getting sidelined by a serious illness last year didn't knock the 64-year-old Mount Vernon resident off his "classic" style track, as evidenced by his air of sleek sophistication at a recent party at Baltimore's Ritz-Carlton. The semiretired chief operating officer of Unibec Inc. says he learned years ago, while working for fashion designer Halston, the importance of always looking good.

There's a reason why Marie Long is dressed in purple, almost from head to toe, and it has nothing to do with the Ravens. The retired social worker from Southwest Baltimore says that dressing monochromatically makes her look taller. She chose this particular vibrant color to attend the Morgan State University Alumni Association's "Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast" at Martin's West. While she has fun putting together her one-color outfits, Long says, she's careful not to let her fashion define her. Self-described style: : "Eclectic" The look: : Purple wool boucle suit.

It's almost impossible to miss Kaitlin Murphy's stylish individualism, even when she's behind the griddle at Sofi's Crepes at the Women's Industrial Exchange. This 23-year-old crepe maker doesn't believe in buying into the mainstream fashion mentality. "I don't spend money on clothes because you never know what's going to happen to them. You might spill stuff on them, or lose them or someone might steal them," she said. The Station North Arts District resident rarely goes clothes shopping, and when she does, it's usually at a thrift store.

ON A VERY RAINY DAY IN Towson, you won't find many fashion plates outside, unless you count the drenched, trench-coated folks huddled under umbrellas. But step inside the Lluminaire Salon, and you'll see fashion shining brightly, courtesy of its trendy staff. That begins with salon co-owner Mario Rentuma. In addition to being a stylist, Rentuma has also been a singer and keyboardist with the Christian band "Unveiled" for the past 10 years. It's immediately apparent this guy knows style -- music styles, hair styles and his own style.

Casual dressing is such a staple of modern American life, it's easy to forget that there once was a time when people dressed for dinner, or for the theater, or simply to go out for the day. That's why it was heartwarming to spy Bert Choate strolling through shops in White Marsh, looking dapper in a suit, tie and snazzy hat. Everything on this stylish gent was matched with something else: Shoes to suit. Tie to pocket square. Hat to belt. And his manners and smile matched the entire polished outfit.

For Laura Cunningham of Northeast Baltimore, the prom is no big deal, except that it is. It doesn't mean anything, except that it does. "You look forward to it and it's the culmination of all the fun you had [in high school], but, to be honest, I could not pay for the ticket and still have fun before and afterward," says the Baltimore School for the Arts senior, who nevertheless has retained a makeup artist for the event. "It's much ado about nothing. You stand around awkwardly in a big room and examine everybody else's outfit."