Silk

Soft and easily washed silks have become a staple in the weekend wardrobes of women, and now they're making their way into the closets of men. First came the shirts, then the blazers and now -- the new alternative to the blazer -- the revamped bomber jacket.

“Let's try that one first,” I said, pointing to the craziest wedding gown the saleswoman had selected for me. It was tight through the hips, with geometric ribbon designs that started on the bodice and trailed down through the choppy tulle skirt. It was an avant-garde kind of wedding dress you might wear if your reception was at Sidebar in Downtown Baltimore or the Renaissance Festival - a little punk, a little medieval. It wasn't remotely my style, but I wanted the first dress I tried on to be memorable and this certainly fit the bill.

Growing up is hard to do, and since the culture has grown down so obligingly to meet them, young people seem to do less and less of it -- or even want to. So it's refreshing to read a novel that actually dares to move beyond the adolescent discovery of sex and death to explore the true nature of the growing-up process.Near Silk Hope, N.C. (where the silk industry never got off the ground because of spectacularly bad planning), "smart talking, wisecracking, free-spirit" Frannie lives with her sister, Natalie, in the big old farmhouse that has been left to the women of their family by their great-grandmother.

It's 10 in the morning and Tracy Campola has already been up for hours, putting the finishing touches on one of 14 racing silks that are due by the end of the week. The Arbutus resident is surprisingly calm, considering that she's up to her neck in orders and less than three days away from the state's largest horse race — the Preakness. Campola's calm demeanor and attention to detail brought her success as a jockey agent, but the long hours, constant travel to racetracks in other states, and the desire to spend time with her elderly father sent her in search of a different career.

Harper's Choice resident Naomi Nelson is a crafty lady whose trademark product is a handmade stuffed apple made of silk and lace. She is one of the many artisans who will be exhibiting their wares Oct. 17 at the new Street Fair at Howard County's fifth 50+ Expo, the popular health fair for seniors. "I love to make things," said Nelson, who is retired from a government job at Fort Meade. "I make everything. I make stuffed teddy bears with matching photo albums. I make stuffed cats. I make decorative hats and floral arrangements out of dried flowers and silk."

MIAMI -- Before someone figured out you could toss it into the washer on "delicate," and before the Chinese began cranking it out as $10 T-shirts, silk reigned as the fabric of royalty and the royalty of fabrics. Mystery and grandeur whispered in the sensual sibilance of its name.But in the 15 years since the United States granted China "most favored nation" trading status, silk has become as common -- in every sense of the word -- as synthetics. It owes its popularity as much to China's cheap labor as to Americans' renewed appreciation for natural fibers.

Thousands of years of textile manufacturing have resulted in limitless options for personalizing your home with custom upholstery, window treatments, pillows, and bedding. What's important about selecting fabrics is determining which ones work in different situations. To find out what materials are best for sofas and chairs vs. windows and dining areas, I talked with a few interior designers in the region to get some expert advice. I've organized that advice into three categories: upholstery, window treatments and trends.

On a recent afternoon, Heather Hook tells members of the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society what the tiny stitches, plush velvet trim and vivid silk of the dresses she owns reveal about the women and girls who made and wore them during the Civil War. Several were on display. One elaborate gold-colored dress from Baltimore, with a steel hoopskirt and chemise undergarments, was a crowd-pleaser. The plain Wisconsin work dress, with a few holes and stains, was less so. The all-black mourning dress and bonnet were seen as strange relics of the past.

The shapes are familiar, but the fabrics make the differenc this season. Old favorites like the motorcycle jacket get refinished in metallics, denim, silk, vinyl and even velvet.

In the world of fashion, the term "classic" is tossed about like a rubber duck in the Pacific. However, there's just a handful of true classics -- things your grandmother or your mother wore that you wear today, and have gone unchanged for decades.Certainly, Hermes scarfs would be included on that list.In the 1800s, Thierry Hermes opened a harness shop for coach builders, on the Champs Elysees in Paris. At the turn of the century, Thierry's son, Emile-Charles, began selling saddles and leather goods in a retail shop at 24 Faubourg Saint-Honore in Paris.

Reisterstown mourns the passing of Charles Edward Nevin Murray, who died Feb. 27 at age 78. Mr. Murray, known to all as "Silk," joins the ranks of others who have served their community and made a difference in so doing. . Silk's father, Charles Henry Stanley Murray, was the town's first dry cleaner in the 1940s, and its only dry cleaner for many years. The business, Silk's Cleaners, was located on Main Street, where the Wawa now stands. The family lived behind the store.

Enjoy a concert in the park with the five-member band, The Rockersons, playing the sounds of the '60s, '70s and — especially — the '80s, Fri., Aug. 12, 7-9 p.m., at Granville Gude Park and lake house, 8300 Mulberry St. Bring a blanket or chair and a picnic, and enjoy entertainment for the whole family. Children younger than 13 not permitted without a parent or guardian. Sponsored by Laurel Department of Parks and Recreation. http://www.laurel.md.us 301-725-7800. ' Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time,' a documentary on the life and influence of conservationist Aldo Leopold, will be screened Saturdays, Aug. 13 and 20, at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., at the National Wildlife Visitor Center, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, located off Powder Mill Road, east of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

Even when traffic is light, long stretches of Reisterstown Road are often visually busy. Traveling at 35 mph or so, it can be hard to pick out the sign you seek among the competitors. Silk Road Bistro sits well back from the curb in a demure little building set up for two occupants. It's nearest neighbors are small shops of the hair salon, tax preparer and 7-Eleven variety. If you miss the turn into the parking lot, you might opt to keep on driving rather than maneuver through traffic to find your way back, especially if you notice the parking lot is full.

Thousands of years of textile manufacturing have resulted in limitless options for personalizing your home with custom upholstery, window treatments, pillows, and bedding. What's important about selecting fabrics is determining which ones work in different situations. To find out what materials are best for sofas and chairs vs. windows and dining areas, I talked with a few interior designers in the region to get some expert advice. I've organized that advice into three categories: upholstery, window treatments and trends.

Carol Prisant's thoughts keep going off-leash. Her new book, "Dog House, A Love Story" (Gotham Books, $22.50), is ostensibly about the many wonderful homes she's lived in alongside her many, many pets. But like her dogs, Prisant's memories have a tendency to get loose and wind up in strange places. As the book begins, the author's childhood canine encounters keep going sweetly sour thanks to her primly perfectionist mother. As Prisant points out, "Dogs don't do immaculate. " So newly married and living in Florida with her Cape Canaveral-based husband, Millard, Prisant decided her first dog (or as she puts it "pseudo-dog")

"It's a patchwork," says Anita Jones, curator of the intimate new exhibit, "Textiles Recycled/Reimagined" at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Punning aside, the 12-item display draws together a diverse sampling from the museum's holdings that help to demonstrate a hot topic of the day. "We're trying to show how textiles have always been 'green,' " Jones says. A century or so ago, as hooked rugs made in Newfoundland became very popular, an appeal was made to women all over the continent: "When your stockings run, let them run to Labrador."

A. David Mazzone, 76, the federal judge who guided the massive cleanup of Boston Harbor, died of cancer complications Monday in Wakefield, Mass. In 1985, Judge Mazzone ruled wastewater discharges into Boston Harbor by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority violated the federal Clean Water Act. The decision set in motion the continuing cleanup. George Silk, 87, a photojournalist who spent 30 years with Life magazine, earning fame for coverage of World War II, died Saturday in New York.

A woman who died Friday night after she and a companion were struck by a van on Belair Road in Perry Hall was named by Baltimore County police yesterday as Helen Silk, 69, of the 1600 block of Martha Court in Bel Air. Police said Silk and Anne Dauria, 77, of the first block of Guinevere Court near White Marsh were crossing the 9600 block of Belair Road at 9 p.m. when they were struck by a northbound 1999 Dodge van driven by John Britton, 45, of the...

Even though it's always a packed house at the Fullwood Foundation benefit and awards breakfast, it's easy to spot foundation volunteers. They're the ones dressed in red. Volunteer Vicki Lynn Jenkins was a particular standout at Martin's West. Her outfit started with her plaid peep-toe pumps, says the 53-year-old property manager for Edgewood Management Corp. "I found them on sale, and then went looking for a suit to match them." Dressing up comes naturally to this Baltimore resident. "I grew up in a Christian-based family.

Even though it's always a packed house at the Fullwood Foundation benefit and awards breakfast, it's easy to spot foundation volunteers. They're the ones dressed in red. Volunteer Vicki Lynn Jenkins was a particular standout at Martin's West. Her outfit started with her plaid peep-toe pumps, says the 53-year-old property manager for Edgewood Management Corp. "I found them on sale, and then went looking for a suit to match them." Dressing up comes naturally to this Baltimore resident.