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Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez and Yeohlee Teng are the fashion finalists for the National Design Awards given out by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

Jacobs' designs "portray a subversive interpretation of the classics and illustrate his appreciation of art, music, movies and the past," according to a museum statement.

The museum noted Rodriguez's love of minimal architecture and his sensual tailoring and fine craftsmanship. Rodriguez also was a nominee last year, the first time the Cooper-Hewitt added fashion to its annual awards.

Meanwhile, Teng was lauded for blending efficiency and functionalist with strong geometric lines.

The National Design Awards were launched in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council and also include architecture, environment, product and communications.

Beauty company Aveda also will be honored at ceremony Oct. 19 for its corporate achievement. The museum says the company's attention to design and its environmental consciousness are evident at all levels, including product, packaging, manufacturing facilities, retail stores and spas.

Avon bracelet benefits anti-smoking foundation

Mark, Avon's beauty business for young women, is expanding its circle.

It's also selling a circle in an effort to help women quit smoking.

A new sunburst bangle bracelet, sold through the "Meet Mark" catalog and Web site, and by Mark representatives, is a fund-raising product for The American Legacy Foundation. This foundation aims to convince young people to reject tobacco.

All net proceeds of the $18 silverplated bracelet with sterling silver dangling sunburst charm will be donated to the charity's Circle of Friends program.

"Our goal with the Circle of Friends program is to increase awareness of the mounting toll of tobacco-related disease among women and the important role that support from family and friends can have in helping a smoker quit successfully," says Dr. Cheryl Healton, president and chief executive officer of the American Legacy Foundation.

Actress and nonsmoker Jamie-Lynn DiScala of "The Sopranos" is the face of the Circle of Friends ad campaign.

Brooches turn up in unexpected places

If ever there was a time to raid your grandmother's jewelry box or follow the signs to the estate sales, it's now.

What are you looking for? Brooches.

The jeweled pins, all the better if they are antique, are having a great run again in light of fashion's passion for old and new. In an odd mix of metaphors, designer Rebecca Taylor put them serendipitously on silks and tweeds in her fall runway show. Vogue advises wearing two at a time, as Prada designer Miuccia Prada does. And put them in unexpected places such as the waistband of plaid trousers, in the center of a low decollete or into the loops of denim jeans.

Some of the most stylish are bugs, serpents or animals. And, Vogue adds, the trick is to look a bit edgy and not like the queen of England. Of course, the brooch was former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's signature, and it worked for her.

Report: More men having chin surgery

Never mind the sincere blue tie, men. Forgo the hair transplants. The chin is the new power player in today's world.

More men are trotting off to plastic surgeons to have chins augmented to look strong or trimmed down with liposuction to look younger, The Wall Street Journal reports. It has become one of the fastest-growing procedures for men. It was up 70 percent in 2003 over 2002, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons told the WSJ. Almost six times more chin augmentations are done now than in 1992. Almost 60 percent of the chin work is done on men.

Some men go in for a faux cleft to have a Robert Mitchum-like dimple. And some are getting injections of Restylane and other fillers to smooth out the chin.

One reason for the increase is that the procedures have been refined. Changes are subtle. Implants have been developed that make the chins look more natural. Scars are less visible.

But as with any surgical procedure, there's a risk. Author Olivia Goldsmith died after being administered anesthesia for a chin tuck. Infections, nerve damage and asymmetry are always dangers. Still, 9,583 surgeries were performed on chins last year at a cost of about $2,000 to $3,000 each.

If people advise you to keep your chin up, maybe they're trying to tell you something.

Hibiscus blooms on summer sportswear pieces

If you were a flower, what would you be? Hibiscus is the right answer if you're an ardent fashion devotee.

In a summer season flooded with so many blooming plant prints, we're likely to have allergic reactions -- it's one of the favorites. The iconic flower is splashed all over sportswear pieces, including Banana Republic's skirts and dresses. It decorates swimsuits, including a pink bikini from Venus Swimwear. The flower is even decorating Fiji water bottles.

It's often seen in red and pink, which are copied in lipstick colors. But it also grows in blues and purples, which are readily reproduced in clothing.

The hibiscus is considered tropical. It originated in Asia and the South Pacific and is the state flower of Hawaii and Malaysia, but people grow the plant in Minnesota and Ontario in pots, according to the American Society of Hibiscus Web site, www.americanhibiscus.org.

If you can't afford the clothes, adopt a plant.

Benefit auction features yellow designer items

The Internet auction has become a major player in fund raising for charity.

Among the latest efforts, Nike, Style.com and the Council of Fashion Designers of America have joined forces to auction 15 one-of-a-kind yellow designer items on www.style.com beginning Tuesdayand ending July 16. Proceeds go the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The items are as varied as a yellow dress and clutch from Oscar de la Renta, valued at $15,000; and Robert Lee Morris' 18-karat gold bracelet, priced at retail at $7,000. Manolo Blahnik has donated banana suede boots.

Yellow is the theme because it is the color of Tour de France's leading jersey and the symbol of hope and perseverance.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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