Wednesday, August 27, 2003

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Home Room:

In today's typical dorm room, which is slightly larger than a bread box with about as much style, the key word is functionality. That goes for starter studio apartments as well, where items of furniture that can serve more than one purpose are coveted objects. Price, of course, counts.

Which is why Todd Oldham's Collapsible Lamp for Target hits the bull's-eye. The 58-inch anodized aluminum floor lamp not only is fitted with its own small integrated table, but also collapses for smart storage or moving day into a reusable film canister. Which we think is pretty darn cool, and it's a steal of a deal for $19.99 at Target stores.

New in Town:

Add Pop to the list of happening places along the U Street corridor. The new store for women's and men's clothing and accessories opened last week. Look for styles from Ben Sherman, Free People, Penguin and Dollhouse. Accessories are from names like Yak Pak, Parcel and Go Guru. Fun, eh?

Fashion Tees:

Stock up on soft T-shirts with vintage-inspired designs and popular Michael Stars tees in new styles like the three-button Henley. Prices run from $34 to $38 at Anthropologie.

Back to School:

Need a backpack? Head to L.L. Bean for ones with all the bells and whistles (like reflective material on the front, padded back panel and lots of pockets), not to mention choice of bright colors (magenta, teal, sky blue) and patches (butterfly or dolphin, for example). Designed for ages 7 and up, the Patch Packs are $35. There are lots of other styles to choose from, too.

Home Front:

During the Mid-Atlantic Interior Design Expo, 140 locally based interior design professionals will offer a selection of merchandise (including art, mirrors, lighting, rugs and home accents) as well as interior design services. The two-day event is at the Discovery Sports Center in Germantown, Md., Saturday, Sept. 6, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults; it's free for ages 15 and under. For more information: Interior Design Expo.

South Moon Under is not just for bathing suits and designer jeans. The store stocks an intriguing collection of home accents, including painted wooden picture frames, floating candles in the shape of flip-flops, ceramics and a selection of arty greeting cards for every occasion.

Travel Smart:

Retro luggage in six juicy colors (pink, black, lilac, mint, blue and red) in three sizes (mini, small and large) from Wishingfish range in price from $50 for the mini (for wallet, keys and makeup) to $72 for the small everyday tote to $110 for the large overnight bag. You'll be turning heads, especially on those longer airport lines.