Painting the gown red

Three huge gold frames were tilted at an angle at the far end of the T-stage, as a model walked through one of them in a pure white corset gown.

Miss Arab World 2009

Mawadda Nour from Saudi Arabia wins the "Miss Arab World 2009" pageant in Cairo, November 11, 2009.

Obama tops Forbes list of world's most powerful people

U.S. President Barack Obama is named the world's most powerful person in an inaugural ranking by Forbes magazine.

Burberry taps social media with trench coat site

Luxury goods group Burberry has hooked up with social networking company Facebook to launch a Web site celebrating its trench coat, becoming the latest retailer to use social media in a bid to boost its brand.

Couture comes to the tea cup through luxury blends

Haute couture has come to the tea cup, with a luxury tea retailer launching collections to complement the colors, scents, trends and tastes of each season.

Radio City Christmas Spectacular Show

The Rockettes dance during a dress rehearsal of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show in New York November 11, 2009.

Love of craftsmanship sparks home restoration fad

Blame it on the economy, a love of fine craftsmanship, an appreciation of beautiful detail or nostalgia for an earlier, more genteel era.

British designer Luella Bartley stops trading

Acclaimed British fashion designer Luella Bartley said Tuesday that her company has stopped trading because of financial problems.

If couture could talk: collection charts women's lives

Owning more than 3,000 dresses, many of them designer, many from a era long gone, is a dream for most women.

Swahili Fashion Week

A model poses for photographers at the Swahili Fashion Week in Tanzania's capital Dar es Salaam, November 5, 2009.

Saint Laurent's everyday objects to be auctioned

The 18th century porcelain Yves Saint Laurent ate from, a Cartier watch he used to wear, the leopard-print couches and gilded chairs he lounged on: It's all to hit the auction blocks.

Fashion show hails kanga as east Africa's kimono

For women in Tanzania's humid Dar es Salaam port city, the "kanga" is must-have material, functioning as an everyday wraparound dress, bath towel, shawl and, when ragged, dish cloth and mop too.