Waist

Todd Oldham's spring runway show felt like an epiphany, a moment where shards of his ideas from the past, of mirrors, gilt and decorated fabrics, fell away to reveal the talent beneath.Surreal, nostalgic and futuristic, that show signaled that Mr. Oldham was ready to step forward.That step will be taken this year. Mr. Oldham will be the latest artist in residence on Wooster Street in March, when he moves his offices and showroom to SoHo. He is looking for boutique space on the street as well.

You can -- and dance your way through the holidays and emerge a New Year's svelte elf, instead of a national statistic, gaining 5 to 7 pounds by Jan. 2. Just follow these basic party do's and don'ts:* DON'T skip meals. Saving up calories all day long to cover evening indulgences is a recipe for diet disaster. Arriving famished, then adding alcohol, sets you up for a binge.* DO eat responsible meals all day long. You might eat a slightly lighter breakfast and lunch, but do eat. Indulge in a leafy green salad with fat-free dressing before you leave home.

The tale of the tape for tomorrow night's heavyweight title fight between Evander Holyfield and IBF and WBA champion Riddick Bowe at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas:.. .. .. ..Holyfield.. .. .. ..BoweAge .. .. ..31 .. .. .. .. .. 26Weight .. ..217 .. .. .. .. ..246Height .. ..6-2 1/2 .. .. .. .. .6-5Reach .. .. 77 1/2 .. .. .. .. ..81Chest (normal) .. 43 .. .. ..46Chest (expanded)..45 .. .. ..50Biceps .. .. .. ..16 .. .. ..17Forearm .. .. .. 12 1/2 .. .. ..12 1/2Waist .. .. .. ..32 .. .. .. 38Thigh .. .. ... 32 .. .. .. 26 1/2Calf .. .. .. .. 13 .. .. .. 16 1/2Neck .. .. .. ..19 1/2 .. .. .. 17 1/2Wrist .. .. .. ..7 1/2 .. .. .. ..8Fist .. .. .. ..12 1/2 .. .. .. 13 1/2

CARDIFF, Wales -- Apparently International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe is facing a weighty problem as he prepares for his Nov. 6 rematch with former champion Evander Holyfield.One has to consider the source on such matters as a heavyweight's expansive waistline, but here is what former Sugar Ray Leonard associate Ollie Dunlop said last week concerning Bowe's physique."Bowe looked like a rhino before he left for his training camp," said Dunlop, who lives near Bowe outside Washington.

Maybe it's the spectacle of leaves ablaze in scarlet and bronze, the sharp smell of ripe apples or the sting of an autumn wind.L Or maybe it's just scheduled in most teachers' lesson plans.Whatever the reasons, this is the time of year kids tune into the changing seasons. Here are some books with seasonal themes but year-round appeal.* "The Story of May," by Mordicai Gerstein (HarperCollins, $16, 48 pages, ages 4-8) opens with spring, not fall. But it's the best of the lot, so it leads off.Mr.

My television set almost met an untimely end thanks to Jenny Craig.The commercial for the ''Jenny Craig Weight Loss Program'' had come on yet again as I sat enraptured with a bacon cheeseburger and a frosty. There she was, hailing her program as the answer to everyone's weight problem. The implicit message, of course, is that if one loses enough weight, all life's pleasures will beat a path to one's door.I am a large-sized woman, so commercials such as these -- as well as exercise videos and fashion magazines -- fill me with both hope and dread.

A saleswoman here told me that what she called "better" pants makers simply do not put elastic in the waistline. Is this true? I happen to love the so-called pull-on pants because they accommodate my flexible waistline measurements and are so comfortable to wear. And because I am a size smaller on top, I rely on elasticized pants to give me the extra room I need when buying a suit. Where can I buy nice black pants with an elasticized waistline in a summer-weight fabric? I wear a size 16.Because pull-on pants started in the moderately priced market, elasticized waistlines were generally ignored by name designers who associated the look with inexpensive polyester double-knits.

The development and growth of Towson State's Devin Boyd has been steady and, at times, spectacular.But even Boyd admits that he grew a little too much last year.When Boyd stepped on the court in November 1991 to start what was supposed to be his senior season, the 6-foot-2 point guard weighed 190 pounds. A broken elbow suffered that night at the University of Colorado forced him to take an injury redshirt season, and Boyd followed the first R of rest and recuperation too literally.Last August he weighed 217 pounds, and when practice began Nov. 1, he was still at 210."

EVERY Sunday I wind our tall case clock.It is an eight-day clock, which means that the mechanism that drives the clock needs winding once a week. Before I wind the clock, I open the glass door which protects the face. Then, by inserting a brass key into a lock framed by an ivory escutcheon, I unlock the clock's wooden waist. The waist houses lead weights the size of grenades, suspended on gleaming filaments of brass chains.By the force of gravity, the weights drive the gears which turn the hands.

Skiers and sledders frolicked in several feet of snow this weekend as Maryland's two westernmost counties dug out of their heaviest snowfall in recent memory.By yesterday evening, most of Garrett and Allegany counties' primary and secondary roads were clear, snow emergencies had been lifted, and power had been restored to more than 100,000 customers from a storm that began before sunrise Thursday and ended early yesterday.In an area that yawns at snow forecasts and measures accumulation in feet rather than inches, most interviewed yesterday said that this was the biggest snowfall they could remember in 10 years or more, although official figures weren't available yesterday from the National Weather Service.