Neiman

The 25-year-old Pasadena man who allegedly shot and killed his mother over the weekend had been ordered seven years ago not to have any contact with her or his step-father after he was charged with "false imprisonment" and convicted on a second-degree assault offense involving them, court records show. Despite that criminal history, Zachary Neiman, 25, was living with his parents on the leafy 100 block of Beacrane Road Saturday night when, police say, he fired a shotgun twice at his mother as she sat on their living room couch.

Hard up for holiday gift ideas?How about his and hers vintage (circa 1939-42) Harley-Davidson motorcycles, complete with sidecars? Or, if cocooning is more your style, how about a Sioux-style tepee that sleeps six adults?Both items -- a three-wheeler will set you back a minimum of $28,000, the tepee is $2,200 -- are in the 1992 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, which starting this week will be dropping into more than 2.5 million mailboxes across the country.Much of the cachet of this catalog, which has been issued annually since 1939, is owed to its "his and hers" gifts, a tradition that started in 1960 with his and hers airplanes.

Anne Arundel: Pasadena Man charged in his mother's death A 25-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his mother Saturday night at her Pasadena home, the Anne Arundel County Police Department said yesterday. Police found Rae Neiman Bajus, 53, with an upper body gunshot wound in the living room of her house in the 100 block of Beacrane Road at about 9:30 p.m. She was pronounced dead at Baltimore Washington Medical Center, police said. The victim's husband, David Bajus, 54, told police that his stepson, Zachary T. Neiman, had fired the shotgun at his mother, Rae Bajus.

The contrast couldn't be any starker.As former stock boy James J. Stankovic prepares to leave the top job at J. Schoeneman Inc., the reins of the apparel maker's corporate parent have been handed to Richard C. Marcus, who headed the glitzy Neiman-Marcus retail chain his grandfather founded.The corporate shake-up at the company that controls one of Maryland's last clothing manufacturers was both panned and praised by industry observers yesterday.Some claimed that Mr. Marcus would help Plaid Clothing Group Inc. by improving relations with retailers.

HOUSTON -- A few steps from Neiman-Marcus displays of $14 chocolate popcorn truffles and one aisle over from Princess Marcella Borghese's cosmetic spa, Ron Franks was having a Clark Gable fantasy.Mr. Franks and many of Maryland's 100-member Republican National Convention contingent were doing their best to revive the Houston economy.Until yesterday, the GOP conventioneers were a disappointment the shopkeepers here. "Windowshop 'til you drop" seemed to be their motto.But Mr. Franks had come to help change that -- with style.

Mary Ann Lundgren knows clothes. A former fashion director for Neiman Marcus, she's worked with Bill Blass, Emanuel Ungaro and other top name designers. While she likes high-end clothing, she believes women need to have confidence in their own style. "The biggest mistake is to let fashion dominate," she says.Since 1996, Lundgren, executive director of Women of Achievement in Maryland History Inc., has been on a quest to find exemplary women throughout state history for a book about their achievements.

A well-made structureCall it the trifecta of trends: Structure's new X-Pants combine three hot looks - drawstrings, cargo pockets and khakis.These slouchy, stylish trousers are made for men, but they're already turning up on fashionable women as well. They come in other shades, including navy and olive, and two fabrics: twill ($28.50) or corduroy ($39.50). Available at Structure stores.Only Neiman Marcus ...The new Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog is a mail-order glimpse into how the other half lives.

It's no surprise that most current holiday catalogs look as though their pages had been sprinkled with sparkles or bathed in sunlight: This year, glitter is as good as gold.Like candlelight and a crackling fire, golden and amber accents can provide a shimmery glow, and strategically placed touches of gilt can warm a home in dramatic fashion. Even a little bauble can transform a room -- no matter its style -- and give it a festive face. Choose objects with a lustrous glow, such as shiny brass or matte brushed gold; metallics are guaranteed to warm things up. Remember that all that glitters doesn't have to be gold -- silver or copper sparkle, too. Jewel tones also add a lush warmth and richness.

EVERY CLOUD has a silver lining, they say, so I suppose the silver lining of this recession must be the crackerjack performance of our nation's retail salespeople. Lately, I have seen lots of examples of New Age vendors, nimbly dodging pink slips with resourceful enterprise and hustle.Recently, when I was looking for a winter coat at a well-known Chicago department store, the sales person there, apparently surprised to find herself face to face with a customer, actually found two or three coats my size before she lost interest.

In the late 1940s, Neiman Marcus founder Herbert Marcus Sr. was tired of the food in downtown Dallas restaurants. His eyesight was failing and he had trouble getting out of his office for lunch. So his son, Stanley, arranged for food to be brought into the store. Such was the beginning of food service at the famous department-store chain. A few years later, when Herbert Marcus died, his son opened the Zodiac Room restaurant in the Dallas store. To mark the 50th anniversary of that event, the company has published a cookbook of more than 150 recipes from its 43 restaurants.