Stylebook: 5/7/06
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Lake Fong, Post-GazetteBeaded earrings ($18.95) and single-strand necklaces ($10.95) from the gift shop at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Schenley Park.
Click photo for larger image.
Beads are the new stones, and they're on a roll.
While turquoise, coral, jade and other precious and semiprecious stones have dominated the jewelry scene for the past several years, beads are showing up everywhere this spring and summer. They embellish tops, pants, dresses, skirts, handbags, shoes, and even bathing suits.
But they're most popular as pieces of jewelry, adding a bohemian feel and an ethnic flavor. Bead jewelry is usually lightweight -- a comfort in hot weather -- and is generally very affordable and widely available.
Among the most interesting local finds is Zulugrass Jewelry from the Leakey Collection. Masai women in Kenya make by hand the bracelets, necklaces and earrings of colorful, naturally dyed grass beads, hand-blown Czech glass beads and sterling silver.
High-tech headbands
It was only a matter of time.
Cell phones have moved from clunky mini-suitcases to large hand-helds to little hand-helds to on-ear contraptions that allow hands-free talking. Music technology is evolving similarly. And now, a woman with a jones for high-tech and fashion has created attractive interchangeable headbands and headsets.
New Yorker Steffi Thomas created Swapsets for compatibility with cell phones, MP3s and iPods. You can bend the speakers or mikes out of your way without removing the headset or headphones.
It's just what many women have been waiting for, especially multitasking mothers (a redundancy?) such as Mrs. Thomas.
"One day, I was driving to work, struggling with my silly headset, and I looked over at the car next to me," she said. "I saw a man in a black sports car. He was happily wearing a crazy gadget over his ear. He looked so ridiculous that I laughed out loud. And then it dawned on me: Men are designing all of the headsets and headphones. Let's face it, men do not have the fashion sense of us women. Nor do most of them serve Cheerios to cranky children while sitting on a conference call."
There are 30 headband colors and patterns and 12 colored enamel headset and headphone adornments ranging from $34 to $41. There are also 16 dangling jewelry accents for further adornment. Sets range from $34 to $41 at Spoiled Chics the Boutique in Sewickley and steffithomas.com.
Caring for your feet
The arrival of warm spring weather is also the unofficial launch of sandal season. But before you break out the foot-flaunting footwear, you must awaken your feet from the winter slumber and make sure they're suitable for public display.
A pedicure can do the trick, and it's a bit of a luxury that men and women alike enjoy. But if you're trying to get rid of rough, cracked, discolored skin on the heels and balls of your feet, be careful in choosing treatment options.
"In a lot of salons, conscientious manicurists will try to eliminate this thick skin with a razor, because simply scrubbing at it with a pumice stone doesn't do the job," said dermatologist Loretta Ciraldo, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Miami. "This may lead to infections and doesn't get to the heart of the problem."
Dr. Ciraldo recommends exfoliating the thick build-up of skin layers with a topical drug such as Salex Cream, or some other product that contains salicylic acid. Another effective method is use of an emery board to file down the hard skin.
If you have recurring pain or other chronic foot issues, a trip to a podiatrist would be wise.
For routine maintenance, apply a moisturizing cream or lotion to feet every morning and evening, especially after bathing. A new line is Sally Hansen's Just Feet collection of 18 treatment, repair and spa products -- infused with ingredients such as shea butter and tea tree oil -- ranging from Spa Lavender Foot Soak and Spa Foot Mask to NightTime Heel Repair Wrap and No More Fungus Spray ($4.95 to $8.95 at mass retailers).
Not to forsake its nail polish tradition, the brand has also launched Little Piggy Pink and eight other new smudge-proof toenail colors ($3.25 each) that contain tea tree oil and dry in 60 seconds. And Essie celebrates its 25th anniversary with the launch of six new polish colors and "good to go!," a clear, glossy top coat that the company says dries almost instantly and is chip-resistant and non-yellowing ($10 at mass retailers).
First Published May 7, 2006 12:00 am
