Jackets

A new style brigade has started to invade stores and malls, and the rank and file are, not surprisingly, wearing a uniform -- of sorts. Military-inspired jackets are a key item for the fall season, and they've been designed in a range of styles, at price points to suit almost any budget. This style of jacket has moved in and out of fashion for decades, particularly in the music world, beginning with the Beatles and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." More recently Chris Martin of Coldplay, Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West have worn military-inspired jackets, updating them with slim jeans and designer sneakers.

They tried to patch it together in the absence of defensemen Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell, acquiring one young defenseman in February and a veteran defenseman April 1. Others received expanded responsibility with the Kings, and, at times, flourished. Still, with the playoffs looming, the best replacement for Greene was always going to be Greene, of course. (Unfortunately, that won't work with Mitchell, whose future remains murky.) Greene, who had back surgery to repair a herniated disc, played in his first game since Jan. 19, and it was a measured success.

Like the women's collections, the menswear offerings for fall/winter 2010 were retro-nouveau, a plumbing (and updating) of the past to outfit the fellow of the not-too-distant future. Among the overarching trends to come out of the Bryant Park tents for the last time (next season, after 18 years, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York is relocating to Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center) were the following: Leather jackets Like the fall/winter 2010 collections shown on the runways of Milan and Paris in January, much of the menswear shown on the runways during New York Fashion Week focused on statement outerwear pieces.

The Ducks are just five games away from the playoffs. A three-game losing streak with a four-game trip to Canada starting Friday does not qualify as momentum. Wednesday, the playoff-motivated Columbus Blue Jackets beat the playoff-qualified Ducks, 3-2, in overtime at Honda Center, heightening the home team's angst over how prepared it is for the postseason. BOX SCORE: Columbus 3, Ducks 2 (OT) "We're not playing complete," Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Designers have been revving up their collections this season with studded handbags, strappy boots, leather jackets and other items of "biker chic" -- fashionable, motorcyclist-derived clothing that allows women to look tough without actually throwing a leg over. As a longtime biker, I've seen this trend come and go over the years, and it always gets my hopes up. Maybe this time someone will design clothing that's functional and more fashionable than the pinked and fringed schlock that's normally offered up to female motorcyclists in the name of protective gear.

PARIS -- Although Morrissey played on the soundtrack, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine played in my mind when I saw the spring-summer 2013 Paris Fashion Week collection from Balmain's 27-year-old creative director Olivier Rousteing, who presented a love letter to 1990s style: leather bras, high-rise trousers, oversize hoop earrings and all. The inspiration: 1990s Latin cool; Miami street rappers. The look: Cropped jackets with big shoulders, midriff-baring tops and full cut, peg leg pants.

It couldn't be further from the conventional period drama with the nipped-waist bodices and ostentatious accessories that frequently garner award show attention for costuming. Nonetheless, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," the American film based on the first book of Stieg Larsson's popular Millennium trilogy, is likely to attract some attention with its hard-hitting looks that reflect a darker side of contemporary street fashion. The producers of the film, which opens Dec. 20, put together a style dream team to transform actress Rooney Mara into Lisbeth Salander, a waifish, goth-punk heroine who becomes an unlikely ally for a journalist involved in a twisted mystery.

The collection: Bernardo Rojo for the Joseph Abboud  spring-summer 2013 collection. The inspiration:  “ Doers, dreamers and disobeyers - the men who take matters into their own hands,” including James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” and  Ryan Gosling in “Drive.” The look:   Alternately crisp and crumpled, the watchword throughout Thursday's night show was effortless - whether it was unconstructed linen suits with...

PARIS -- Croatian-born, Paris-based designer Damir Doma is really hitting his stride, as seen in his fall 2013 collection shown Wednesday at Paris Fashion Week. The look: Quietly rebellious. A daytime wardrobe with a subtle punk edge. Pleated trousers with zip-back tunics or bomber jackets, all in houndstooth boucle or pinstripe jacquards, made for a sporty spin on the suit. Shift dresses with zippered details, ruched collars and raglan sleeves were immensely wearable. And a fur biker jacket was just fun. Metallic leather Chelsea boots or creeper shoes with lug soles added some quirkiness.

Barbour, the 118-year-old British heritage brand known for its durable outdoor wear - especially waxed waterproof jackets -- has collaborated with the Vans skate-shoe label on a line of limited-edition footwear. According to Monday's announcement by the Cypress-based action sports brand, the Barbour by Vans capsule collection includes Barbourized versions of three classic Vans' silhouettes: the classic slip-on (with an MSRP of $90) with a diamond-quilted upper, the Era wingtip ($100)

Is the Tropiformer jacket the fashion gods' gift to geeks?  Or is it the equivalent of wearing a suitcase strapped to your head -- functional in theory but just too weird to pull off? The new 22-pocket jacket is from Think Geek and Scottevest. Think Geek is that fun and funky website where you can get the Star Wars Glowing Lightsaber Ice Pop Maker and the squeezable Infectious Disease Ball.  The Think Geek folks create things to stuff in pockets. And Scottevest creates clothing with pockets, 22 or 33 or so. The Los Angeles Times has not tested out the Tropiformer jacket.

Want a piece of Ryan Gosling? Apparently all you need is $4,100. That's how much a red leather jacket worn by the hunky actor in "The Place Beyond the Pines" sold for last week. The piece of clothing, auctioned off to benefit Variety - The Children's Charity of Southern California, was purchased by film producer  Jeremy Rosen . Rosen beat out 39 other bidders for the prize, according to a representative for ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood, where the jacket is on display in the lobby.

— This wasn't as big a crash-and-burn exercise as after the last time the Ducks beat the Chicago Blackhawks earlier in March. At least Anaheim salvaged a point from an often spotty showing Sunday at Nationwide Arena as the resurgent Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Ducks, 2-1, in overtime. Center Mark Letestu, who set up the Blue Jackets' first goal, scored the winner with one minute left in overtime, beating goalie Jonas Hiller stick side with a shot from the left circle. Granted, it was going to be tough to come back to reality after Friday's energizing win, one with a playoff-like atmosphere, by the Ducks at Chicago.

Wounded soldiers and veterans can now go through airport screening gates without removing their shoes, hats or light jackets, the Transportation Security Administration announced. The TSA's decision to ease screening for wounded soldiers comes about two weeks after the agency came under harsh criticism over the way it screened a wheelchair-bound U.S. Marine at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. In the March 13 incident, critics of the TSA say that screeners humiliated the Marine by forcing him to remove his prosthetic legs and then put them back on to walk through a full-body scanner.

PARIS - Haider Ackermann, who presented his Fall 2013 collection Saturday morning during Paris Fashion Week, is the maestro of lyrical layering. But this season, overactive smoke effects aside, he brought his flair for the dramatic down to earth. The look: Raw, romantic tailoring emphasizing a long, lean line. A sleeveless black-and-white herringbone top with a draped, scarf-like neckline, worn with lean herringbone pants; a tweed coat with fur lapels brushed against the grain; leather and cargo jackets sculpted to the body with fur or velvet trim; black and white mixed silk jacquard jackets and pants; leather shorts over leggings; a gorgeous brown velvet skirt slit up one side.

Would you pay $570,000 for a bomber jacket? Probably not (though I'm willing to give NBA stars and the like an out here). But would you pay $570,000 for a bomber jacket, complete with presidential seal, once worn by John F. Kennedy aboard Air Force One? Ah, as Shakespeare would say, there's the rub. On Sunday, the jacket -- part of a trove of JFK memorabilia owned by the late David Powers, a longtime JFK aide and confidant -- brought more than 10 times its asking price at auction . That's nuts, you say?

Avant garde Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo showed her spring-summer 2013 Comme des Garcons collection Saturday afternoon underneath one of the docks on the Seine at Paris Fashion Week. PHOTOS: Paris Fashion Week trends The look: Damsels of deconstruction. Long blond Guinevere-style wigs. Helmets made out of recycled metal junk. White muslin cloth dresses and tops that were assemblages of bustles, ruffles, sleeves and pieces of gold leather biker jackets. Some were worn over plasticky white pleated skirts or cuffed shorts.

VS. COLUMBUS Time: 7:30 On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 1150. Where: Staples Center. Records: Kings 10-11-4, Blue Jackets 11-11-3. Record vs. Blue Jackets (2007-08): 1-3. Update: After this game, the Kings will have played 18 home games and only eight on the road, an imbalance that will tilt the other way in February and March. Being at home didn't help them against Columbus last season: they lost both games at Staples Center. Columbus' Raffi Torres was scheduled to undergo knee surgery this week.

A leather bomber jacket worn by President John F. Kennedy fetched well more than 10 times the asking price at auction, an indication of the fascination the nation still has for the president who ushered in the upbeat era of Camelot after the political doldrums of the 1950s. The jacket, complete with a patch of the presidential seal, was worn by the president and others on Air Force One. It flew out the door Sunday at a price of $570,000 plus the buyer's premium, officials at John McInnis Auctioneers told reporters.