Leather

This season, leather leads the line of hot trends on the runways, but no designer is offering what we really need: a manual on how to care for and protect the stuff. For that, you must turn to Wilsons Leather, which offers the inside tips on handling hide on its Web site (www.wilsonsleather.com). Here are a few: * Immediately after buying a leather item, treat it with a water and stain repellent to prevent damage.

Jimmy Choo took the town by storm last week, hosting not one but two parties. Not Jimmy Choo the man (the shoemaker sold his name in 2001), but Jimmy Choo the British footwear brand and its glamorous president and founder, Tamara Mellon. No stranger to Los Angeles, Mellon lived in Beverly Hills from ages 8 to 14, attending Marymount High School (Camp Beverly Hills was a favorite hangout), before settling in London. She was also one of the first to recognize the power of the red carpet, setting up the brand's first Academy Awards showroom for celebrities and stylists in 1999.

Pow! Hot-hued, high-impact accessories can put the finishing touch on the season's sporty looks. Take a vibrant piece, like Marni's cherry-red perforated leather bag, or 3.1 Phillip Lim's vivid yellow gold leather boots, and pair with a dress, a button-down shirt, jeans or leggings in a contrasting but equally vibrant color. Or let multihued accessories like Pierre Hardy's tricolored suede and leather wedges, Balenciaga's ostrich and calfskin ankle boots, Prada's rubber-bottom Mary Jane pumps or Céline's tricolor envelope bag do the color-blocking for you.

NEW YORK -- The collection: Monika Chiang. Launched in 2011, the brand has stores in L.A. and New York. Chiang is the girlfriend of entrepreneur Chris Burch, who helped launch her brand as well as ex-wife Tory Burch's. Where Tory's look is decidedly uptown, Monika's is downtown -- and after-dark. The inspiration: Street style in South Africa, where Chiang traveled over the New Year's holiday. The look: "Luxe athleticism," as described by Chiang. Black leather skirts with car-wash pleats, embroidered leather bra tops, block-print skinny jeans, biker jackets in leather or stripe canvas, parachute silk pants and anoraks, strappy sandals with skyscraper-high block heels, baseball caps.

Altadena Works might sound like a San Gabriel Valley community job center, but it's actually a new line of totes and backpacks made in California. Based in L.A., Altadena Works is a collaboration between Ricky Swallow, an artist, and Ryan Conder, owner of the men's boutique South Willard. Swallow, a sculptor and painter, collects vintage outdoor gear, much of it American-made, from brands such as San Diego's Gregory Mountain Products and Colorado's now-defunct Alpine Designs. He discovered that Conder shared an appreciation for the gear's design and construction, which are highly coveted in Japan but not as much here.

With a schedule that has stretched into an entire month of presentations, parties and runway shows, the spring 2010 collections now being shown in Los Angeles were bound to run the gamut. For this season, designers have been inspired by influences as dissimilar as the hardware store and Michelle Obama -- proving that although this town is known for cornering the contemporary market, the current climate is ruled by high concepts, Hollywood glamour and a love for leather. L.A. transplant Rick Owens gave legitimacy to the L.A. fashion scene when he moved his business to Paris and began showing there six years ago. And for several years now, we've seen Owens' dark Gothic look spawn a generation of like-minded local designers such as Rodarte, Raquel Allegra and Grai.

Regarding the Feb. 22 letter from P. Johnston in response to the vegetarian article on Feb. 1: Gee whiz, P. Johnston! What are you so angry about? I am a vegan and know many other people who are vegan (those who eat no animal products at all, as opposed to ovo-lacto vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy products). Neither I nor any of the other vegans I know buy, use or eat any animal products . . . no leather anything, no fur, no skins. I hope your [leather-wearing vegetarian] friend has made merely the first step in becoming a vegan with a truly compassionate and non-harmful lifestyle.

For fragrance lovers, it's the season of opulent choices. L'Objet's champagne-scented candle is decked out in a malachite vessel with 24-karat gold and amethyst quartz cabochon detailing that can double as a treasure box later. Diptyque's limited-edition candles spread holiday cheer with the rich aromas of frankincense, frosty fir tree and warm oud wood mixed with amber. Los Angeles' Royal Apothic offers another festive possibility: "Distillation of a Victorian Fir," with notes of cranberry, holly, apricot and cinnamon.