Leather

More and more animal skin will be closer to human skin this year. Leather is showing up in dresses, skirts, accessories and even jewelry, but it makes its greatest impact when turned into coats and jackets. Ah . . . but leather is a luxury, you say. Why, every time you find yourself lusting after that mysterious, black leather trench coat, you mentally hear your mother clucking about having a sensible cloth coat to fight winter's bitter cold. Well, this season provides a prime opportunity to consider leathers from the "investment dressing" point of view.

John Hyland, a Cherry Hill businessman, was helping his 22-year-old daughter, Dana, look for a new car. Dana, a television production assistant, had fallen in love with the sporty new Nissan 240SX. She also was enamored of the look and feel of leather. That may sound like something of a problem, since Nissan didn't build a 1990 240SX with a leather interior. But it wasn't a problem for Martin Nissan, the Turnersville dealership where the Hylands were shopping. What happened was this: Dana Hyland picked out the cloth-upholstered 240SX she liked, and Martin Nissan made a phone call.

The endorsement of leather fashions by such revered designers as Karl Lagerfeld and Donna Karan has helped make business boom for B-Vain, a Queen Village couture boutique opened recently by design partners Renee A. Daniels and Kirk R. Johnson. The pair specialize in sexy, flashy leather ensembles for men and women. Johnson said that since they opened their showroom and workroom at 767 S. Fourth St. a few months ago, new customers have flocked to them for bright- colored, fringed leather jackets; second-skin sheath dresses; side-zip mini-skirts, and leather ensembles combined with sheer details.

The Atlas Co. of Boston is in business again. The clackety-clack of hundred-year-old Puritan sewing machines again echoes across the factory floor, and men and women who handcraft what Money magazine has called the best leather attaches in the world again are at their workstations. "We even have a toll-free number now," said Donna Furphy, who started as a leather cutter in the Fishtown plant 15 years ago. Storage rooms are piled high again with wooden boxes, gold-plated hardware, and rolls of English belting leather.

Blonde, buoyant lifeguard Pamela Anderson really holds on to her principles, gosh darnit. Looks like the PETA cheerleader now has Indian fashion designer Rohit Bal conjuring up a see-through outfit that incorporates a faux leather G-string. "I'm very happy not only because Pamela asked me, but because it's linked to an important cause I believe in," Bal said, adding that he expected the outfit to be ready in a week. Jason Baker, Indian representative of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

The fashionable set knows that when chilly weather is on the way, it's time to think about getting skinned - purchasing leather and suede, that is. Right on time, two cousins, Karon Woodland and Craig Rimes, have unleashed a torrid collection of animal-hide garments for men and women. The clothing ranges from the sleekest of glove-leather coats and the sexiest of ostrich-leather sheaths to suede double-breasted men's suits. And these creations are dyed in the boldest colors for fall - tangerine, emerald green, cobalt blue, deep-sea green and mauve.

Probably, Ambra Wasserman's destiny was decided (or at least confirmed) on that summer day in Rome 18 years ago when she ran into the persistent woman on the bus. The woman had complimented Wasserman on her unusual straw handbag and had insisted on knowing where she'd bought it. Wasserman had tried to discourage the woman, explaining that she had in fact made the bag herself in Milwaukee, where she lived, but the woman was undeterred. She wanted that bag. The matter was finally resolved to the great amusement of the entire bus: Wasserman dumped the contents of her straw creation into a paper sack and handed the coveted bag to the woman, who left in triumph.

Here they are, like so many Christophers, the jayvee members of the alleged South Philadelphia crime organization, strutting the corridors of federal court in full Soprano regalia. Leather jackets, a gold hoop earring or two, sneakers that never brush dirt. Spring's best show - part drama, part dramedy - is the 36-count racketeering indictment against Joseph Merlino and six associates, starring former boss Ralph Natale as the government's chief witness, who gives daily instruction on Wiseguy 101 from the stand.

In their search for the perfectly rugged duffel - as in no wheels at the airport, dude - two twentysomethings took a stab two years ago at designing men's luggage. Today Merion natives Adam Blitzer and Alex Realmuto sit at the helm of Blue Claw Co., a just-for-guys line of travel bags and everyday carryalls that include waxed canvas briefcases, iPad sleeves, and duffels. Man-purses be damned. But more important than introducing millennials to the prestige that comes from carrying worn leather, the businessmen hope to do their part to jump-start accessories manufacturing in the United States - especially when it comes to leather goods.

Quills, beads, leather and feathers have their places during a craft demonstration, above, by James Revey. He showed items including a bear-claw necklace to the youngsters Saturday afternoon at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown. Revey is a Lenape Indian who uses the traditional name Lone Bear. Below, he shows a bib made of leather and beads.

AND HERE Tattle thought that Buzz Bissinger was in love with only himself. But, no. Thanks to a soul-searching, closet-opening personal essay in GQ magazine - essentially a "Letter to Penthouse " about clothes as written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author - the best-selling journalist and former Inquirer and Daily News columnist lays out his personal demons - and they're all carefully dry-cleaned. Anyone who's ever heard Bissinger speak, ramble or rant knows that there is a lot going on in that cluttered brain of his, but few might have guessed that he had a shopping addiction that caused him to spend more than 600G on men's and women's fashion (he wore both)

In their search for the perfectly rugged duffel - as in no wheels at the airport, dude - two twentysomethings took a stab two years ago at designing men's luggage. Today Merion natives Adam Blitzer and Alex Realmuto sit at the helm of Blue Claw Co., a just-for-guys line of travel bags and everyday carryalls that include waxed canvas briefcases, iPad sleeves, and duffels. Man-purses be damned. But more important than introducing millennials to the prestige that comes from carrying worn leather, the businessmen hope to do their part to jump-start accessories manufacturing in the United States - especially when it comes to leather goods.

SIG ETTINGER had natural business instincts. When the leather-goods store he started in Wilmington in 1956 needed a boost, Sig drove to Philadelphia and bought a few hundred Eagles tickets. He took them back to Wilmington and sold them. That was how B&B Tickettown got its start, and over the years it morphed into one of the region's largest sports-ticket operations, selling tickets to Eagles, Phillies, Sixers and Flyers games, as well as to concerts and other events. As the ticket business grew, it was moved to another floor in the same building, then to its own building a block away.

RUBEN AMARO JR. is right. Moving Chase Utley to third base so Freddy Galvis can play second will improve the Phillies in 2013. He just can't prove it. That's not his fault. Really, it's the system, or the lack of one. There are a stifling number of statistics in baseball these days, and yet no one has come close to quantifying the impact a good defense has on a team. We see it, we know it, but when we debate about building champions and repairing them, we tend to sound like Billy Beane's sidekick in "Moneyball.

For a compact, entry-level luxury car, the Infiniti G37 certainly has a large wardrobe. It can go to the country club dressed as a coupé, a sport coupé, a sedan, a sport sedan, or a retractable hardtop. It can accessorize its assorted sheet-metal garments with rear-drive or all-wheel-drive, four variations on a 3.7-liter V-6, sport suspensions or relatively relaxed undercarriages, a seven-speed automatic transmission, or a six-speed manual. I closed my eyes, reached into the closet, and came up with a G37 S, a sport sedan with a 328-horsepower V-6 and, in this case, the six-speed manual gearbox.

  By Caroline Tiger FOR THE INQUIRER When Eugenie Perret met Defne Veral in a small coastal town on the Aegean Sea, the two were 10 years old. The Istanbul natives continued their friendship in the United States when they moved here for college and stayed to pursue careers in design. Now Perret, who co-owns the Old City furniture gallery Minima, and Veral, who owns an interior design firm in Connecticut, are partners in AKIS (pronounced ah-KEES) — a brand-new line of home and fashion accessories made by Turkish artisans.

WELCOME TO Cheap Buzz, where we eavesdrop as sommelier Marnie Old attempts to teach the joys of wine and fine spirits to Buzz, a guy with no sophistication and not much money. Here's their latest conversation: Buzz: I was reading the notes on the wine signs at the State Store and, boy, are they crazy! Marnie: You mean the tasting notes? Buzz: Yes. One wine tasted like "leather. " Another was "grassy. " The worst was the one that was "chalky. " though. Who the heck would drink a wine with chalk in it?

Crowdsourcing? Social media? Twitter blasts? Fuggedaboutit. Contrary to expectations, the winners of a contest to locate lifesaving portable medical devices in Philadelphia relied on old-fashioned shoe leather. That was just one surprising outcome of MyHeartMap Challenge, the University of Pennsylvania's project to map the locations of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) — backpack-size gizmos that can save cardiac arrest victims if used in time. Another surprise: The original estimate of 5,000 public-access defibrillators was way too high.

Mercedes sharpened the looks and performance of the 2012 SLK 350, but that's not where the real "magic" is. For that, one must look to the stars. It's the coolest feature, an optional sunroof with a blue hue that blocks the sun until you press a button above: Then, it's clear as glass and lets the sun shine in. Called the Magic Sky Control Roof, this sunroof is made up of metallic particles that stand when given an electrical charge. Something like that. Anyway, the result is a functional dimmer when you want the sun out, and an "oh, wow" feature to show your friends.

THE ALL-BLACK LOOK is a fashion staple that's often accused of being "safe. " But the Philadelphians pictured on this page are pushing the fashion envelope to the next level with a contrast of textures and proportions. A splash of color - leopard heels, checkered boots - spice things up. Ladies are layering knits, leather and wool, and guys are anything but mundane in their classic suits or hipster chic jeans and leather.   Follow Reuben Harley on Twitter at @BigRubeHarley and at streetgazing.blogspot.com.