Satin

Bob Mackie wedding gowns. What a concept. The master of strategically placed sequins, turning his hand to veils of illusion. It was a must-see event, when Mackie's orange-blossom special roared through the bridal salon at Bullocks Wilshire. The man has a talent for tapping into women's pre-adolescent, closet fantasies. He touches that moment, sometime between the first Barbie doll and the first car date, when visions of strapless, glitter gowns trimmed in marabou sear themselves onto a young girl's subconscious.

NEW YORK -- Los Angeles-based designer Barbara Tfank, whose fans include Michelle Obama and Adele, took her uptown collection downtown for fall-winter 2013, hosting her presentation at a Chelsea art gallery, which was appropriate considering the inspiration. The inspiration:  The rich tones and textures in Matisse's “Odalisque,” which depicts a woman in Ottoman red trousers, lounging in a room full of vivid textiles. The look:  Glorious opulence. Exquisite, colorful fabrics that Tfank develops herself, and classic shapes.

Styled by Phillip Bloch/Cloutier; hair and makeup: Lisa Parfitt-Maister/Celestine L.A.; model: Lucresha Wells/Elite L.A.

NEW YORK -- Red carpet favorite Zac Posen showed his collection Sunday evening on the terrace of Avery Fisher Hall overlooking Lincoln Center Plaza. As the sun set and Posen's old world glamour gowns glided onto the runway, it was easy to imagine New York society ladies arriving on the plaza below to take in an evening of ballet or opera. Photos: NYFW Week celebrity sightings The look: Old world glamour for the here and now. Pin-tucked, floral print chiffon day dresses that hugged every curve.

Pre-hip is in. Pop culture prognosticators say hip is dead because it has gone mainstream--and therefore can't be hip. "It would be a mistake to declare the death of hip and say that nothing new is happening in America," says Marian Salzman, director of emerging media for Chiat/Day/Mojo Inc. Advertising. "What is dead is the posture of hip. The idea that something is truly avant-garde. What is cool today is to recognize the connection between what's going on right now and what went on in the past.

NEW YORK -- Red carpet favorite Zac Posen showed his collection Sunday evening on the terrace of Avery Fisher Hall overlooking Lincoln Center Plaza. As the sun set and Posen's old world glamour gowns glided onto the runway, it was easy to imagine New York society ladies arriving on the plaza below to take in an evening of ballet or opera. Photos: NYFW Week celebrity sightings The look: Old world glamour for the here and now. Pin-tucked, floral print chiffon day dresses that hugged every curve.

In the matter of the development of Crystal Cove (April 4), the environmentalists reveal their true identity: social engineers. With thousands of parkland acres available for camping with "picnic tables and rustic bathrooms" for those who enjoy nature from a sleeping bag, where is the justice in denying a facility for those who enjoy nature from satin sheets? A true environmentalist would demand that the shacks be demolished and the beach restored to its natural state. But now we know what they really are!

Don't be surprised to see people break out of the pack this spring by wearing satin shoes in step class or reflective-foil marathon jackets at the mall. Several designers are infusing fashion into clothing and accessories that are meant for the street, but inspired by sport. The result? Multipurpose pieces that make a chic transition from running on the treadmill to running errands and maybe even fill the bill for a casual business meeting.

NEW YORK -- Los Angeles-based designer Barbara Tfank, whose fans include Michelle Obama and Adele, took her uptown collection downtown for fall-winter 2013, hosting her presentation at a Chelsea art gallery, which was appropriate considering the inspiration. The inspiration:  The rich tones and textures in Matisse's “Odalisque,” which depicts a woman in Ottoman red trousers, lounging in a room full of vivid textiles. The look:  Glorious opulence. Exquisite, colorful fabrics that Tfank develops herself, and classic shapes.

Penelope Cruz has made four films with her director-writer mentor, Pedro Almodovar. And needless to say, they have walked countless red carpets together over the last decade. Now she's heading into the 2010 award season with two strong Oscar-buzz films: Almodovar's "Broken Embraces" and Rob Marshall's "Nine." Almodovar recently told the New York Times that Cruz has matured as an actress. "Penelope can do everything; she has become an eternal, ageless woman." And it's worth noting that her devotion to Almodovar still knows no bounds.

Penelope Cruz has made four films with her director-writer mentor, Pedro Almodovar. And needless to say, they have walked countless red carpets together over the last decade. Now she's heading into the 2010 award season with two strong Oscar-buzz films: Almodovar's "Broken Embraces" and Rob Marshall's "Nine." Almodovar recently told the New York Times that Cruz has matured as an actress. "Penelope can do everything; she has become an eternal, ageless woman." And it's worth noting that her devotion to Almodovar still knows no bounds.

Satine has expanded its retail presence on 3rd Street in Los Angeles, moving to a larger location across from the original storefront. The new store, housed in a former restaurant, opened Friday. It's nearly 4,000 square feet -- three times the size of the former space. Proprietor Jeannie Lee says Satine simply "outgrew" its shell: "The racks were way too packed." The new boutique adds more changing rooms along with eight more parking spaces in the back. The new Satine continues the old location's unique "ultimate closet" layout, placing luxe accessories from Lanvin and Alaia next to established local names such as Jenni Kayne, Magda Berliner and Kimberly Ovitz.

Don't be surprised to see people break out of the pack this spring by wearing satin shoes in step class or reflective-foil marathon jackets at the mall. Several designers are infusing fashion into clothing and accessories that are meant for the street, but inspired by sport. The result? Multipurpose pieces that make a chic transition from running on the treadmill to running errands and maybe even fill the bill for a casual business meeting.

Jeremy Shapiro's love of the game has led him to ditch a real estate career to open &Still, a clothing store that celebrates sports of all kinds. But don't expect your standard selection of team logo gear. The majority of &Still's tees, hats, jerseys and jackets date back to the 1990s and are unworn, with the tags still on them. A '92 Dream Team basketball T-shirt ($92) hangs near an L.A. Rams Starter jacket in satiny blue ($225). A 1987 Mike Tyson Atlantic City fight is memorialized on the front of a black satin hat ($100)

IN the new movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," Amy Adams plays an entirely delectable American starlet looking for love and fame in pre-World War II London. Her performance lives up to her character's name, Delysia (say it out loud: dee-LEE-see-ah), and indeed, the apartment she inhabits is as scrumptious as a box of fine, liqueur-infused French chocolates. "We used every beautiful texture you can get," production designer Sarah Greenwood, an Oscar nominee for "Atonement," says of the London set for "Miss Pettigrew.

LOS ANGELES has always been a boutique town. Sure, we have Saks, Neiman's and Barneys, but indies evoke a sense of ownership in shoppers -- as in "I know the owner" -- that meshes with L.A.'s maverick spirit. Influential stores Maxfield, Fred Segal and Tracey Ross are the well-established names, but 5-year-old Satine is one of the most successful new kids on the block.

Designer Patti Cappalli built a name for herself with innovative concepts in sportswear and leisure wear. Now she hopes to be remembered as the team player who took women out of dressy dresses. For Cappalli and partner Rick Beach, the goal since June has been "evening wear with a casual sportswear approach." Their unusual collection, which debuts Monday at the California Mart during spring fashion showings, can be "very chic or very jazzy," Cappalli says.

The City of Light is having a Marlene Dietrich moment. When models at Viktor & Rolf appeared in fabulously inventive ensembles that were bias-cut silk gowns on one side and tailored trouser legs on the other, it was obvious that designers here were not going to skip blithely down the garden path behind their counterparts in New York and Milan.

In a shop that looks and feels like the inside of a vaudeville trunk, Ahmed Diaa Eddin sits amid beads and sequins bargaining hard with a woman from Saudi Arabia over satin and chiffon. "200." "The price is 400." "200." He won't budge. Neither will she. There's a stare-down, but Diaa Eddin hasn't spent 40 years designing belly dance costumes to let his wares go cheap. He knows the contours of a woman's body and the intricacies of her mind. He waits.

The City of Light is having a Marlene Dietrich moment. When models at Viktor & Rolf appeared in fabulously inventive ensembles that were bias-cut silk gowns on one side and tailored trouser legs on the other, it was obvious that designers here were not going to skip blithely down the garden path behind their counterparts in New York and Milan.