Kravitz is guest designer of Toms collection

By The Associated Press

If it's got his name on it, Lenny Kravitz says he has been involved in it 100 percent, so when you see his stamp on the new collection of Toms shoes, know the Bahamas beach-meets-modern architecture influence is genuine.

Jessica Simpson designing clothes for moms-to-be

By The Associated Press

Brand-new mother Jessica Simpson is launching a line of clothing for moms-to-be.

In pursuit of finer things, men finding fashion

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Don't be fooled by the old "my girlfriend bought me this" line.

Chalk it up: Coloring hair with pastels new trend

By Caryn Rousseau Associated Press

First there were feathers, then the "Hunger Games" braid took over. Now there's a new hair trend just as easy to embrace — coloring strands with craft-store chalk. No stylist, no complicated instructions, no great expense.

Teen girls take on Seventeen over altered images

By Leanne Italie Associated Press

The girl crusaders held up signs in the drizzling rain with messages for Seventeen magazine: "Teen Girls Against Photoshop!" and "The Magazine's for Me? Make it Look Like Me!!"

Exotics becoming everyday item with upscale style

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Fashion moves in waves, and in today's easier, unfussy stage, glitz and gold might seem over the top. But boring isn't the only way to do a pared-down look. Exotic skins — and many more faux exotic skins — can bridge the gap between too much …

Prom must: Color coordinating his tie with her dress

By Beth J. Harpaz Associated Press

It's a prom must-have, right up there with the dress and shoes: The guy's tie must match the girl's gown. And many teens today use cell phones to aid the color coordination.

Gray hair is in fashion, but what about at work?

By Leanne Italie Associated Press Writer

Jeanne Thompson began going gray at 23. She colored her hair for years as she worked her way into management at a large Boston-area financial services company, then gave up the dye for good about a year ago.

Lenny Kravitz adds designer to his creative credentials

By Colleen Barry Associated Press

Lenny Kravitz has taken a childhood compunction to decorate his bedroom and turned it into another creative endeavor.

Years later, Versailles models still turning heads

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

They didn't really know it at the time, but the black models who walked in the Versailles fashion face-off in France in 1973 carved a path on the catwalk for generations to come.

Proms aren't typical red carpets for Disney stars

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Debby Ryan and Laura Marano get dressed up more than average teenagers: As Disney Channel starlets, they've done their fair share of red carpets. But, they say, there's still something special — and different — about picking a dress for a sch…

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'Pretty Amazing' teens

Designer with local ties Brian Atwood turns his skills to high-fashion handbags

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

There are a lot of men out there who wonder what women could possibly fill their purses with to make them so heavy, but accessories designer Brian Atwood isn't one of them.

Colorblocking makes a bold spring style statement

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Most of us can pair one bold color with another — it just takes a little confidence. But colorblocking, that's more of an art, and it's one to be mastered this spring season.

Christian Dior names Raf Simons as new artistic director

By Elaine Ganley Associated Press

Christian Dior has named Belgian designer Raf Simons as its new artistic director, seven months after its icon, John Galliano, was convicted by a Paris court for drunken anti-Semitic ravings.

Minis on 'Mad Men'? What's next — dungarees?

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

From the moment "Mad Men" debuted, the stylized AMC drama about the men and women who work in Madison Avenue advertising in the 1960s has been a tastemaker favorite.

Layers make lasting impression on fashion players

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Thousands of outfits later, with probably every hemline, color and silhouette turning up somewhere on the runways of New York, London, Milan and Paris, fashion insiders have started to focus on trends they think will have the most influence o…

'Sneakerheads' rush for shoes for cred and profit

By Martha Irvine AP National Writer

They are lined up in the freezing rain, waiting patiently, stubbornly. All night. All for a few pairs of shoes.

Fashion loosens up — 1920s style

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Fashion influences from the Jazz Age are making some noise this spring. Dropped-waist dresses, sporty knits, fringe and long necklaces are among the trends born from the groundbreaking, looser look that first emerged in the 1920s. They're a b…

NBC's reality TV show 'Fashion Star' puts designs in stores immediately

By Anne D'Innocenzio AP Retail Writer

The stakes are high. The judges are brutal. The challenges are difficult. And the contestants are determined to be the next Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren.

DVF starts courting them young at Gap

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Today's little girls are probably the wrap-dress wearers of the future, so why not just start them young?

Johnny Depp's quirky sense of fashion earns him top award

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Johnny Depp and his quirky sense of style caught the eye of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and the group will give him its fashion icon award at its annual gala in June.

YouTube phenomenon has girls asking: Am I pretty?

By Leanne Italie Associated Press

The young girl shows off her big, comfy koala hat and forms playful hearts with her fingers as she drops the question on YouTube: "Am I pretty or ugly?"

Kelly Cutrone says reality belongs on reality TV

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Kelly Cutrone knows how it works: She's supposed to bring the "reality" to fashion reality TV.

Armani puts Bermuda at heart of winter collection

By Daniela Petroff AP Fashion Writer

All it takes to be Armani stylish next winter is a pair of Bermudas.

Exhibit looks back at 50 years of American fashion

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Paris has its scarves and skinny suits, Milan has its luxe leather and London its swinging miniskirts, but ask American designers what they've added to fashion and the collective answer is democracy, from wrap dresses worn by working women in…

Costumes from 'The Artist,' 20 other films on view

By Sandy Cohen Associated Press Entertainment Writer

To create the Oscar-nominated costumes for "The Artist," designer Mark Bridges had to think in both color and black and white.

Hitting a fashion show? Crazy heels required

By Jocelyn Noveck AP National Writer

It's a blustery day — February tends to be that way in New York — and Marian Kihogo, a fashion stylist and blogger from London, is dashing from one runway show to another, from the tents at Lincoln Center to studios and galleries scattered ar…

Backstage with Oscar de la Renta

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

All the trappings of the big fashion show were there: models, music, and lots and lots of people. But to one of the world's most famous designers, all that fuss was invisible. When it was time for the models to hit the runway to present his n…

Men's underwear getting a little extra attention

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Some things are fashion, and some are necessity. Where do men's undergarments fall? Increasingly, right in the middle.

Fashion models organize to fend off abuses

By Leanne Italie Associated Press Writer

Models are more than just pretty faces. They're often overworked, underfed and underage independent contractors with little say when things go bad behind the scenes.

Fashion Week's first trend: Heart-health awareness

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Red is Christie Brinkley's color.

Designers lend their glamour to Obama campaign

By Jocelyn Noveck AP National Writer

Can President Barack Obama's campaign recapture the glamour quotient of four years ago?

Look of old Hollywood glamour is a modern favorite

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

In the Hollywood landscape of new, new, new, what really stands out is that today's starlets still emulate the looks of classic screen beauties, including Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth, who ruled the red carpet in the 1950s.

Glee's Lea Michele fills closet with Candie's

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Lea Michele is moving from a locker to a much bigger closet. She's the star of the new Candie's ad campaign, dubbed "Hanging at Home," shot at a private mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif. The images show her poolside, in the kitchen, in a bed w…

Karl Lagerfeld's retooled namesake line debuts online

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Karl Lagerfeld's reboot of his own label is happening entirely online.

'Frenemies' take a fashion field trip in NYC

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

It goes with the teenage territory: Girls gush over their friends and each other's wardrobes.

1950s Hollywood style appeals to today's starlets

By Natalie Rotman Associated Press

Fashion is coming full circle with red-carpet starlets ready to embrace the flared skirts, longer hemlines and loads of red lipstick coming their way in the new year. They're looks that give a wink to Hollywood's glamorous heyday of the 1950s…

Infectious fashion: Celebrity stylist Nick Verreos to host workshop during Healthy U

By Kathleen Quilligan kathleen.quilligan@nwi.com (219) 662-5331

Celebrity stylist Nick Verreos hopes to leave region residents infected after he makes his first trip to the Hoosier state in March.

For many, weather armor includes wicking fabrics

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

Doing battle with the winter elements? After all, going from the warm house out into the cold air to the hot office and then dashing back outside can be tough — not to mention a temperature-fluctuating airplane or subway car.

LL Bean boot gets a kick from retro trend

By David Sharp Associated Press

A nearly century-old hunting boot is catching on with a younger generation that sees the utilitarian footwear as hip.

Gunn guides new wardrobes for weight loss

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

There are people out there who really do stick to their New Year's resolution and take off those last 10 pounds — or more.

Fashion's most relatable new trends arrive early

By Samantha Critchell AP Fashion Writer

You'll find a drop-waist dress when you set off on your first shopping spree of the new year, and you probably already can find a flouncy ruffle attached to a chic, trim jacket or sheath in stores. But for all the talk about fast fashion, few…