SanLuisObispo.com: Fashion & Beauty

Beauty without toxins

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:47 PDT

Ann Garrity is careful to say that there are many reasons that she feels better these days. Her job is less stressful; her diet is healthier. But she has also changed every product that she smoothes, pats or brushes onto her skin, after a doctor suggested that her health problems were linked to her cosmetics.

Persistent fibroids led her to an East Coast physician who urged her to throw out every lotion, soap and cosmetic she used "because I had too much estrogen in my system," Garrity said. The diagnosis was unexpected, "but I was feeling so bad, if she'd told me to bury a tin can and run around the house three times, I would have."

The products themselves didn't contain estrogen, but rather certain synthetic chemicals that can mimic estrogen in the body. Because her grandmother and mother both are breast cancer survivors, and because studies indicate that exposure to environmental, or artificial, estrogen increases cancer risk, she cleared out her shelves. "I just wanted to know that I'd done everything I could to reduce my exposure."

Greener pastures can lead to 'greener' clothing

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:47 PDT

In the quest for a greener lifestyle, getting outfitted in eco-friendly clothes is one of the more ambitious aspirations.

Why?

Our addiction to easy-to-find, inexpensive apparel might match our addiction to oil, as the president put it. A new top for $10? That's a hard habit to break.

Shaping up for a fashionable fall

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:37 PDT

Fall 2008 is shaping up to be a season of favorites.

Favorite colors - pumpkin, berry shades, wine, rich greens - and favorite shapes - sleek pencil skirts, bubble hems, gently fitted tunics.

Trends that have proven popular time and again, such as metallic finishes, supple leather and animal prints, also are part of the fall fashion lineup.

Valentino walks red carpet for his documentary

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:27 PDT

Of all the women Valentino has dressed in his 45-year career - from Jacqueline Kennedy to Mariella Agnelli to Gwyneth Paltrow - one red carpet moment stands out: When Julia Roberts wore a vintage black-and-white Valentino gown when she was awarded her best actress Oscar.

"I have to be very sincere. The person that makes me feel very happy, also because (she) chose vintage, was Julia Roberts in 'Erin Brockovich' when she got the Academy Award," Valentino told a press conference. "I was very excited. I was not in Los Angeles, but I saw on television and I really was excited to see her when she appeared with my dress."

Valentino, who has spent his career dressing the world's most glamorous women for the red carpet, walked it himself Thursday for the Venice Film Festival premiere of "Valentino: The Last Emperor," a documentary by Vanity Fair special correspondent Matt Tyrnauer.

Many sex assault charges dropped against designer

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:50 PDT

Without explanation, prosecutors on Wednesday dropped more than half the sexual assault charges against fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander just before jury selection began for his trial.

The district attorney's office said it was striking 30 of the 59 charges but reserved the option of pursuing them later. The charges involved 10 women and girls.

The remaining 29 charges range from forcible rape to committing lewd acts on a child. The 10 alleged victims were 14 to 21 years old.

Are baggy jeans back?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:21 PDT

Move over, skinny jeans.

There's an old-but-possibly-new-again denim style making a comeback: The Boyfriend jeans. Yes, the slouchy, roomy-in-the-crotch jeans that were aptly named because they look like a pair you pulled on from, well, your boyfriend's closet.

You can blame celebrities like Katie Holmes, Victoria Beckham and Heidi Klum for this recent reincarnation of the baggy denim look. Holmes, in particular, has been photographed multiple times this month wearing loose-fitting jeans (reportedly belonging to husband Tom Cruise), often rolled up, either with dainty flats or even with sexy gladiator heels.

Shop site: Greener Grass Design (greenergrassdesign.com)

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:27 PDT

Online shopping site of the week: Greener Grass Design (a href="http://greenergrassdesign.com/">greenergrassdesign.com)

When you first stumble upon this Web site, you're not sure whether it's about high-end, snooty art or there's an inside joke. We think it's more of the latter. Yes, the Houston-based creators of Greener Grass Design certainly appreciate art and good design - but not without a sense of humor. One of the funnier items found was the set of seven deadly sins plates, called Good China Bad China by Peter MacCann, which look like classic white bone china plates, with an equally classy-looking word in the center - you just have to look closely. You can buy the 12-inch dinner plates in pairs ($45), including sets of humility and pride or charity and greed. The pair of 14-inch serving plates comes in gluttony and abstinence. A full set will set you back $340.

Of course, you can also find plenty of just plain beautifully designed objects for yourself and the home, office, kids and pets at the site, too. The Take Away bird feeder by Eva Solo ($60) is one example. With the hand-blown glass ball, designed to withstand the elements (and birds, obviously), your bird-watching is not obscured - plus you can see how much seed is left in the bowl.

GEORGEA KOVANIS: The eyes have it

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:27 PDT

It is back-to-school season, which means it is likely you will cry - because you've dropped off your baby at kindergarten or been dropped off at college by your parents.

And whether they are tears of sadness or joy, you do not want your mascara to run.

So let me tell you about Clinique's newish Lash Power long-wearing mascara.

Bottom Line: Dry shampoo to the rescue?

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:27 PDT

It's an invention that won't save the world but it sure will save the number of Bad Hair Days you have. You know those days when the alarm didn't go off and now you're late for work.

Or you fell asleep on the plane and now you're minutes away from meeting your fiance's parents for the first time with smashed bangs. To the rescue: dry shampoo, a waterless way to freshen and restyle hair when you can't indulge in a regular shampoo and blow out. We love saving time and look for any excuse to be lazy so we asked three women with different types of hair to skip their usual lather up to test three dry shampoos. Did they get away with a shampoo fake out?

PRODUCT: Oscar Blandi Pronto dry shampoo, $19 for 2.5 ounces, Sephora stores.

Hair coloring for men: It's a real gray area

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:12 PDT

Among the sundry ways in which life sorts itself into lists labeled Fair and Unfair is the way in which we regard gray hair on males and females. Generally speaking, men gain the adjective "distinguished," while women are saddled with "mature."

Yet, the Fair/Unfair lists also include the notion that it's acceptable for women to get their gray painted away in salons, while men should just suck it up.

Now there is a middle ground - dare we call it a gray area? - called "gray reduction" and it's keeping chairs filled at one Minneapolis salon. The Jon Charles Salon was named one of "the 52 salons that are shaping America's look" in the August Elle magazine.

Beauty and the budget

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:08 PDT

The slumping economy shows no signs of letting up. Even the most committed fashionistas are considering ways to trim spending. That's OK. You can keep your look, and your money.

"Style goes beyond fashion and beauty products," says personal style expert Bobbie Thomas, who often appears on the "Today" show. "You can be stylish without spending a dollar."

Here are five ways to pamper yourself while saving cash and maintaining your personal style. The projected per-service savings are estimated.

Mexico church assailed for maligning miniskirt

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:11 PDT

A Catholic priest's condemnation of miniskirts on an official church Web site is causing outrage among some Mexican women, who say the Roman Catholic Church is making it easier to justify sexual violence against women.

The Rev. Sergio G. Roman sounded the alarm against miniskirts in an online publication to prepare Catholics for a church family-values forum next year in Mexico City.

"When we show our body without prudence, without modesty, we are prostituting ourselves," wrote Roman, a Mexico City priest.