Designs

Superstorms that slammed the East Coast prompted many Southern Californians to take a hard look at their own emergency preparedness plans, including how to keep cellphones charged when the power goes out. With a flurry of battery-boosting devices landing on the market, I tested eight of the latest and most novel designs on a recent ski trip to Colorado, reasoning that besides a storm, earthquake or blackout, the last place you'd want to be stranded with...

"Arrested Development" costume designer Katie Sparks, whose efforts on the first two seasons of the Fox sitcom earned her a 2006 nomination from the Costume Designers Guild of America, was tapped by series creator Mitchell Hurwitz to work on the new streaming-to-Netflix season that will be released May 26. She recently spoke about her work on the original series and the challenges posed by revisiting - and re-dressing - the quirky Bluth family after...

Virgin America's pilots and flight attendants are going to look a lot more stylish in midair. The airline partnered with Banana Republic to design new uniforms for its 2,000 in-flight and airport crew members that will debut Aug. 8. The uniforms -- which look like pieces that might be worn by a chic world traveler with a penchant for the colors red, black and white -- include apparel for both men and women. Both Banana Republic and Virgin Atlantic will sell clothing items inspired by the new uniforms starting Aug. (for security reasons, the pieces available for sale won't be exact replicas)

Palmela Green sits amid hundreds of fabric rolls in her West L.A. swimsuit shop, surrounded by pink and red sequins, animal prints, knits and faux furs. A photo of one of her recent projects, a swimsuit in a Lexus ad, is proudly displayed on a wall. Green, who works by appointment, is one of only a few designers - the pool also includes Lissa Walker and Merrilee Madrigal, who are both based in Orange County - in the area who create custom swimwear. Green's customers pick a fabric and then choose one of her styles or order a one-of-a-kind pattern.

Any parent who shops at Old Navy or the Gap sees the usual selection of skinny jeans and T-shirts emblazoned with skateboards and cheeky slogans. There's a sameness to the rough-and-tumble designs of boy's clothing that is particularly underwhelming to the fashion-forward mom who strives to not only dress her child but dress him well. But a new online boutique is broadening the field for children's clothing. One Jackson crowd sources its collections, allowing designers with fresh ideas to showcase new styles and potential buyers to vote on what they like.

Designer yarmulkes are turning up in vivid styles--decorated with symbols ranging from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, Mickey Mouse, and Batman to Lakers and Dodger logos. The skullcaps, once made of somber cloth, are now fashioned of materials ranging from plaid and paisley to leather and lace.

There's a reason you feel like cameras are rolling as you're traversing the dramatic, richly layered hotels designed by the firm Roman and Williams. Husband-and-wife principals Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer met in L.A. while working in production design for films such as "Zoolander" and "Practical Magic. " A fireplace that the duo had designed for the Ben Stiller-Drew Barrymore comedy "Duplex" - richly glazed Craftsman tile, ornate peacocks carved out of walnut - caught the eye of Stiller, who was in the midst of a renovation at his own home.

"Carnage" production designer Dean Tavoularis also helped create the look of some of the classics of 1970s cinema. 'Carnage' He designed a comfortable but lived-in Brooklyn apartment for Roman Polanski's version of the dark stage comedy. 'The Godfather Part II' Tavoularis won an Oscar for his production design of Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 classic, creating Sicily and New York in the early 1900s and Cuba and Lake Tahoe in the late 1950s. 'Apocalypse Now' For Coppola's 1979 Vietnam War epic, Tavoularis designed sets that included a French plantation and Col. Kurtz's jungle command post.

Airstream has long enjoyed a following among moneyed campers whose idea of roughing it includes a refrigerator, TV and toilet. Now folks who think the call of the wild is best heard from the muffled and cozy confines of a studded sheet-metal trailer, outfitted with down bedding and a designer pedigree, can do so with Airstream's new Eddie Bauer model. It is available and on display through Sunday at the California RV Show at the Pomona Fairplex. The $75,000 Eddie Bauer model is based on Airstream's popular 25-foot Flying Cloud trailer, only its interior materials were designed by Eddie Bauer.  Airstream Chief Executive Bob Wheeler said Eddie Bauer shares “core DNA,” fusing an affection for adventure and the outdoors with style and performance.

Icons Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot famously posed in fuller-cut swimwear and came off sexier than any bikini-clad Sports Illustrated cover girl could. If you want to channel that retro style at the beach, try posing this summer in something from Marysia Swim. Marysia is only three seasons old, but the line's classic looks are a fresh breeze in a sea of body-baring bikinis. Designer Maria Dobrzanska Reeves draws inspiration from swimsuits from the 1940s through 1970s and from her childhood ballerina training in Warsaw — hence the tutus and leotard shapes.

Chicago entrepreneurs Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak managed to launch a line of audio products during the recession. Their folding cardboard speakers made Time magazine's 2009 list of best inventions. National television exposure on the "Today" show and "Shark Tank" soon followed. Then they did something really surprising. They moved to California. The knock on the Golden State is that costs are too high, regulations too plentiful and the attitude toward business is generally unfriendly.

The gig: Interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard is in demand among Hollywood celebrities: Christina Aguilera, Kid Rock and Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne are among his clients. His inviting and eclectic interiors have graced the pages of Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and House Beautiful. His product lines include fabrics, wallpapers and furniture. He's invaded living rooms nationwide on shows such as "Million Dollar Decorator," "The Talk" and "The Young and the Restless. " In the trenches: The path to this abundant success had humble beginnings in London.

The Rose Bowl's new premium seating pavilion has yet to open, but stadium officials say seats are already selling fast. Construction of pavilion and press box levels on the stadium's west side has been the most significant - and expensive - aspect of ongoing stadium renovations now priced at $181 million. The renovation was originally billed as a $152-million effort in 2010, but projected costs climbed to nearly $195 million before city officials down-scaled some planned improvements earlier this year.

The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, affectionately known as the nerd prom, attracted a bevy of stars to Washington, D.C., on Saturday night, including Nicole Kidman, Sofia Vergara, Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Pare, Katy Perry and Olivia Munn. But when it came to fashion, all eyes were on Michelle Obama, as they always are. The first lady chose a stunning black chiffon, fitted and draped, goddess-like gown with a high neckline in delicate Chantilly lace and jet black beads by Los Angeles designer Monique Lhuillier . The dress struck the right note between glamour and fun, which is just what the evening called for. Lhuillier said in an email that it is the first time she has dressed the first lady, and that "it was a dream come true.

Set in a gated community atop the Palos Verdes Peninsula and designed for entertaining, this Spanish-style estate takes in coastline and city views. The nearly five acres of grounds include a courtyard, a putting/chipping green, a sports/basketball court, a swimming pool and two spas. Location: 8 Possum Ridge Road, Rolling Hills 90274 Asking price: $8.9 million Year built: 2009 House size: Five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, 7,928 square feet Lot size: 4.77 acres Features: Temperature-controlled wine/beer room with 750-bottle capacity, music room, bar, library/study, media room, gym, indoor golf simulator, multiple fireplaces, maid's quarters, detached guesthouse, three-car garage About the area: Last year, 313 single-family homes sold in the 90274 ZIP Code at a median price of $1.36 million, according to DataQuick.

An environmental group has warned that a federal agency's plan to designate 98.4 acres as critical habitat for an endangered plant in western Riverside County is inadequate and could result in the extinction of the species. In response to a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this month designated the small area just west of Lake Elsinore as critical habitat for Munz's onion. The wildlife agency also rejected the center's request for it to protect habitat for the endangered San Jacinto Valley crownscale, which inhabits portions of the San Jacinto River flood plain near Hemet.

HILLSBORO, Ore. - Movie buffs probably have some idea of what goes into designing a costume for film. But what about when the star is a 9-inch-tall puppet named Norman? As I learned a few months ago during a visit to the Laika Studios set of "ParaNorman,"the 3-D stop-motion animation film that opened Friday, it was all about sweating the small stuff. There were pint-sized patterns, scalpels for cutting fabric and tiny needles roughly the thickness of a human hair for sewing it. These tools of the trade helped create the 120 miniature costumes for the film's silicone puppets.

Listen's mailbox this week contained some enchanting sketches by Christian Lacroix for the new American Ballet Theatre production of "Gaite Parisienne." Whimsical, extravagant and full of joie de vivre , they were among 19 commissioned by Mikhail Baryshnikov for a brand new production of the ballet, which opens March 1 at the Shrine Auditorium. In charge of executing the costumes, by the current darling of French haute couture , is legendary Broadway costumer Barbara Matera.

Through a series of landmark exhibitions in the 1960s and 1970s, Eudorah Moore blurred the boundaries between art, design and craft - and helped introduce the concept of California design to the wider world. In choosing to present fine wood furniture and pottery alongside such surprising pieces as a bus stop bench or jewelry that functioned as body sculpture, she championed a message of mixed-media inclusiveness. As she cast her eye outdoors, Moore helped cement the notion of design as lifestyle by highlighting the region's fascination with recreation by displaying such items as a canoe, skateboards or a portable cabana.

When Mark Fay heard that the F.P. Fay Building was about to be demolished, the “True Blood” sound engineer drove to downtown Los Angeles to see the building named for his great-grandfather. That day, Easter Sunday, he discovered the building had already been knocked down, with little left but some ironwork and Fay Building signage on a piece of marble. Twenty-three years and one trip to the welder later, the silver F-A-Y lettering now hangs above a treasured turntable, standing out against a living room wall's matte black chalkboard paint.