Ralph Lauren

Names like Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan are just some of the many glamorous labels that turn up among the barely used evening gowns, accessories and wardrobe basics at the annual Best Dressed Sale at the Evergreen Carriage House.The event, sponsored by the Women's Board of Johns Hopkins Hospital, takes place Oct. 3-5 at 4545 N. Charles St. The sale is open Oct. 3 and Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Oct. 5, hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with all remaining stock, except furs, at half price. For more information, call 955-9341.

There's a new year coming, and with it a fresh attitude toward dressing. It's all about lightening up. So discard your hair shirt. Instead, try a chiffon blouse with a deep, ruffled decolletage. If you wear it with nothing underneath, you will certainly be in the avant-garde for '93. But if you do as Ralph Lauren did in his spring collection and toss the chiffon wisp over a natty striped T-shirt, you'll really be in step.We have had enough sensible style. It works. It will remain. But now, let's mix in some layers of airy, feminine, even fragile, fashion.

Do you believe in the power of accessories? Cher apparently does. The Accessories Council named the flamboyant diva one of this year's Best Accessorized Celebrities. The 10 women on the list "understand the value of accessories and have promoted them in both their personal and professional lives," says Sheila Block, the council's executive director. "Accessories help us define our own sense of personal style." Other winners: NBC-TV's Katie Couric, ABC-TV's Barbara Walters; New York socialite Blaine Trump; singer Lauryn Hill; and actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Sharon Stone.

What does it mean to Stepfordize a home? Does it mean perfection - as in everything in its place? An abundance of flora and fauna from the driveway to lush fabrics? A robot dog that obeys all commands? Or is it about accepting sameness in order to fit in at any cost? The answer is yes across the board. When it comes to design - from the interior to the exterior - it means "the best of everything," like the "smart" refrigerator that tells you when you're out of milk, talking security systems, homes and lawns so precisely manicured that the smallest sneeze disturbs a flower bed. During a 1 1/2 -hour visit to the fictionalized town of Stepford, Conn.

All parties were winners in Ralph Lauren's revisionist interpretation of the Russian Revolution.Cossacks, grand duchesses, tweedy intellectuals, peasants anGypsies did a grand march in his fall collection.Most of the recurring trends of the season were evident in his presentation, but the master American designer had shaped them into beautiful clothes, instead of costumes. He cut the military look into a Cossack general's greatcoat. He dressed his dandies as sensitive intellectuals in pure white shirts and small velvet vests.

Years ago, a tribute appeared in print to one of those terminally chic women whose names pop up regularly on the International Best Dressed list."But she never wears prints," the story quoted one of her favorite designers as saying, bemoaning the fact that her printless wardrobe excluded at least a third of his collection.And what was so bad about that?If she never wore prints, the clothing in her wardrobe could not be dated as easily. She could expect to wear her solid-color suits for five, 10, even 15 or 20 years.

The name alone will gladden the heart of any homeowner whose pipes have clogged: the DrainBlaster.A local company specializing in water-pressure technology has developed an easy and nonchemical method of opening up drains. You attach the device to the faucet and place the DrainBlaster hose in the drain. It works by increasing the velocity of the water to break up the blockage in seconds.DrainBlasters cost between $18 and $25, depending on model and size. They are available at local hardware stores and home centers such as Hechinger's.

Agreement reached on redliningAnother East Coast regional bank criticized for alleged redlining practices has agreed to change its lending policies and make loans to low-income neighborhoods in the Bronx.National Westminster Bancorp. said yesterday that it will lend in minority neighborhoods of the South Bronx and open an office there under an agreement with Inner City Press-Community On the Move, a group that accused the bank of redlining.The agreement follows a similar deal between the government and Chevy Chase Federal Savings Bank, a Maryland savings and loan charged in a civil suit with redlining -- refusing to lend in an area on the basis of its racial makeup.

If there's a bargain out there, Judy Naughton will find it.For the past eight years, she's discovered some of her best buys at the "Johns Hopkins Best Dressed Sale & Boutique," which runs today through Saturday at the Evergreen Carriage House.As a member of the Hopkins Women's Board, she admits she may be a little partial. But a steal is still a steal. And the Escadas, Ungaros and Givenchys she's added to her wardrobe fall into that category.She offers no apologies for hours spent rooting through the racks.

The soundtrack pounds rhythms and sweeps tall, lean women along in the ritual procession of the summer designer shows. They wear colors plucked from the earth -- unadulterated browns and reds baked by the sun. The mood is African in Ralph Lauren country.Models in rich drapery worthy of an Ivory Coast princess pose in luxe evening wear by Mary McFadden. The designer calls the collection Talking Timbuktu, and it is assembled from fabrics and inspirations gathered on her pilgrimage to Africa.