http://www.metro.usen-us Frequent-flier miles or not, a seven-day trip to an exotic, far-off locale (or even to the closest big city) may not be the most affordable way to spend your vacation days this summer. More and more people are spending their planned days off from work at home. Still, there are more imaginative ways to escape. The portal: your bathroom.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/06/16/22/5036-82/index.xml Considering most makeup junkies begin their love affair at an early age with a bottle of Tinkerbell nail polish and mom’s lipstick, it’s not surprising many brands are going old school for the spring. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/02/10/03/2319-80/index.xml http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/02/03/03/0215-81/index.xml RETROSPECTIVE. From Eleanor Roosevelt’s rose wrap dress to Jackie Kennedy’s ivory silk and chiffon gown, the first lady’s inauguration look has always been a subject of scrutiny.  http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/01/20/04/1135-81/index.xml News. Between Louis Vuitton’s tribute series of handbags featuring his prints, and an art exhibit at Deitch Projects, Stephen Sprouse — the late designer who earned cool cred in the ’80s for his Day-Glo graffiti-print women’s wear — is having a major pop culture moment.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/01/13/03/2150-66/index.xml Hard times and harsh weather do not a clear complexion make. To save you from three cold months of chafed noses and crusty eyebrows, we enlisted celebrity dermatologist Dr. David Colbert and makeup artist Talia Shobrook to address a list of winter skin ills with budget-friendly tips. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/01/13/03/1521-66/index.xml PROFILE. “I’m totally a lip-gloss girl,” says new MAC Viva Glam spokes­woman Stacy Ferguson aka Fergie. The singer is promoting her new lip gloss for MAC, Viva Glam VI Special Edition, which benefits the brand’s HIV/AIDS fund. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/01/06/03/1834-66/index.xml From luxury department stores having major markdowns on YSL, Prada and Givenchy to traditionally blond-haired-blue-eyed dominated runway shows opening their call sheets to models of color, the year in fashion experienced a when-pigs-fly level of change. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/01/06/03/0834-66/index.xml INTERVIEW. A few things about Monica Cruz: She prefers lip gloss to lipstick, trousers to skirts, and likes her fashion chic and affordable. Her closet features more vintage items than anything else.  http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/12/23/04/5217-72/index.xml  The year’s best makeover: Gwyneth Paltrow scored major cool points in our book when she dropped the crunchy boho earth mother look and upped the sexy factor with sky-high heels, barely-there skirts and a hot new body. Even better, she did it all without looking trashy.http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/12/16/04/2929-72/index.xml Just because the credit crunch has reduced your wardrobe budget doesn’t mean you have to look like everyone else. Try punching up mainstream purchases with new buttons, trimmings or spray paint – fashion design degree not required. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/12/02/00/3122-72/index.xml “I try to stay true to Ralph’s vision. I don’t want to bastardize his vision — no offense to the urban community — because we all know what happened to Tommy Hilfiger once the hip-hop community embraced it,” says the producer-turned-rapper-turned Kanye West protégé named Charles Njapa, who goes by the stage name 88-Keys.  http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/11/11/00/0610-72/index.xml Boston’s yet-to-be chain store’d South End offers a new gem: Leokadia, which is filled with delightful shoes, handbags, jewelry and other accessories, mostly culled from European designers, and with an emphasis on those not carried in department stores.  http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/11/03/23/3204-72/index.xml “This cures me from fashion, and this cures me from Paris,” the designer Wolfgang Joop smiles as a waitress pours for each of us two glasses half filled with Coke and fresh squeezed lemon juice.   http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/10/28/03/4926-72/index.xml INTERVIEW. It’s hard to remember a time when the pink ribbon wasn’t the symbol for breast cancer. Actually, it was just 16 years ago, when Evelyn H. Lauder began a program along with former SELF magazine editor Alexandra Penney, in which Estée Lauder staffers passed out little rose colored ribbons at their beauty counters to make their clients aware of the disease ravaging their demographic.  http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/10/21/01/0538-72/index.xml INTERVIEW. This season, the design duo Viktor & Rolf scored cool points with fashion addicts when they decided to show their spring collection as a come-one-come-all Internet extravaganza on their Web site (which you can still check out at www.viktor-rolf.com), rather than an exclusive gathering for a crowd of industry insiders.  http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/10/06/02/2850-72/index.xml Fashion, like any other art, can be a by-product of what’s going on in the world. Collette Dinnigan, who has long been Paris’ only Australian designer to show during Fashion Week, says that her spring collection will have a much more utilitarian, military uniform kind of feel to it.  http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/09/30/02/2906-72/index.xml INTERVIEW. At four years old, Ennio Capasa’s secondary line, C’N’C, encapsulates young Milanese fashion in many ways with its sexy, rock ’n’ roll sensibility. In other ways, it’s still growing and establishing its place within the fashion world at large. Capasa, most known for his cool urban line Costume National, takes a few moments before his show to talk spring. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/09/23/02/3641-72/index.xml Best comeback: Leather bottoms On paper, the trend reminds us of everything we didn’t like about the early ’90s. But on the spring runways, it looked modern and cool (think Marc Jacobs’ slim, ruffled skirts and Vena Cava’s skintight leggings.) http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/09/16/00/3257-72/index.xml Max Azria: The best moments of this show came in the form of minimal, body-skimming rayon jersey dresses and free-flowing draped numbers that would work for nearly every body type. Other items, such as a pair of leather capris, worked visually but would be a practical nightmare to pull off in hot weather. http://www.metro.us/us/article/2008/09/11/04/4314-72/index.xml