Velvet

With an audience of squirrels, ducks, birds and opossums in more than a dozen cages behind them, Ted and Velvet Kitzmiller signed a property lease with Anne Arundel County yesterday that guarantees the short-term survival of Noah's Ark, their center that assists wildlife in trouble. At a ceremony celebrating the center's future, the Kitzmillers sat at a table in their back yard surrounded not only by the animals they're nursing, but by the people helping to save the center. Attending the lease-signing were County Executive Janet S. Owens, County Council Chairwoman Shirley Murphy, and Dennis M. Callahan, the county recreation and parks director.

NEW YORK -- IF YOU'RE EVER LOOKING TO TAKE IN A tourist attraction where employees bark at you incessantly, herd you through one velvet-rope line after another and try to sell you cheesy, overpriced souvenir photos at the end of your visit, have I got the place for you. I know, I know. That pretty much applies to any tourist attraction in the country, doesn't it? But in this case we're talking about the world-famous Empire State Building and its 86th-floor Observatory, which towers nearly a quarter of a mile above Fifth Avenue and offers a spectacular view of Manhattan and beyond, assuming you haven't passed out from hunger during the wait to get up there.

Even if you blew the budget on Christmas presents, you can still look glamorous for holiday parties.Glamour may look expensive, but it doesn't necessarily have to cost a lot.How to achieve it?"

Clean designingVelvet slinks are the evening look of the moment. Across the board, international superdesigner collections include velvet -- cut, panne, crushed and painted. What sets couture velvets apart is not only precious prices, but precious handling. You don't just drop a Gucci or Givenchy off at the neighborhood dry cleaner. In fact, the higher the price, the higher the likelihood that it can't be cleaned at all. No problem for the rich, lean ladies who buy them because they don't spend much time in them or at local rib stand.

Next design trend is coming up rosesIf you're getting tired of sunflowers, the floral motif we've been seeing on everything from pottery to T-shirts in the past couple of years, hang on just a little longer. Michelle Lamb, trend analyst and chairman of Marketing Directions Inc., predicts a rose revival.Roses make sense, she says, because they fit in with the trend to more formal or at least more elegant design; they are often rendered in pink, a hot color right now; and they "are among the most easily understood flowers."

Fashion is of two minds this season -- showy and serene. Dramatic designer styling makes the point by showing clothes as repressed and spare as a monk's tunic or extravagant enough for a diva's curtain call.That's the message of high-flown fashion. But the woman who wants clothes for the real world can select elements of these romantic notions without forfeiting common sense or her sense of style.A dandy's ornate vest can be the one touch of costumery for the working wardrobe. An important white blouse with collar and cuff interest can carry a discreetly tailored suit.

In Ted and Velvet Kitzmiller's rented home in Pasadena, a 4-week-old squirrel is recovering after a fall from its nest. During multiple daily feedings, it eagerly grasps a bottle the size of a syringe with its tiny claws. The Kitzmillers say the squirrel needs to stay at least six more weeks to recover, but the couple - who run Noah's Ark Wildlife Center Inc. and care for scores of creatures there - don't have that much time. Their landlord wants her family to live in the house and has notified them that they need to move out by July 1. "This was not expected," said Velvet Kitzmiller, 37. "You just can't take 200 animals and move them."

We weren't surprised to find out Joe Fava is an interior designer and owner of the Fava Design Group in Florida. The 40-year-old attendee of the Family Tree's 19th annual Great Chefs' Dinner was as put-together as the table he designed for the event — a purple Pucci-themed creation. "Trendy with an edge" is how the Baltimore native describes his style. The look : Aubergine cotton button-down Nara Camicie shirt. Black velvet Dolce & Gabbana blazer. Gray and black striped Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo pants.

As you would expect, Rebecca Hoffberger's approach to clothing is as imaginative as her eye for art. Why settle for a perfectly presentable but dull suit when you can drape yourself in silks, velvets and caftans? And like the wonderful visionary art that Hoffberger, the founder and president of the American Visionary Art Museum, has collected, she saves favorite garments, whether they fit or not, for their beauty and the memories they carry.This is a chock-full week for Hoffberger. She will celebrate the opening of the museum's new show, "Love: Error and Eros," this Saturday.

The unrehearsed stars of Making Friends had no signs of stage fright during the filming of the weekly cable television program last week. The residents of the Humane Society of Carroll County acted naturally. A curious beagle sniffed the video equipment. An energetic Labrador refused to settle down. A docile mongrel repeatedly licked the emcee's face. The cats' paws stuck to the rug. The tiny bunny snuggled in a caretaker's arms. It was all in a day's taping for Nicky Ratliff, humane society director.