Man fashion tip

Now! - fashion; fitness; shopping; other topics

WHY NOT

GIVE TO A CHARITY?

Shop for holiday gifts and support a good cause by logging on to www.greatergood.com. Just click on a charity to support, then hit Shop and order from more than 100 retailers and name-brand clothing, electronics and furniture labels. Up to 15 percent of each purchase goes to your chosen organization. Charities include the Special Olympics, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Make-a-Wish Foundation.

HOT NOW!

Faux Real

You don't need a fortune to look like a million bucks--especially this season, when luxurious fake fur and animal prints accent skirts and jackets, baguettes and belts. (Even beauty essentials like this hair dryer have jungle fever.) Our fashion editors say the look to wear now is luxe--whether real or faux. So go ahead and be fabulous!

WORD FOR WORD

`I never considered it a disadvantage to be a Black woman. I never wanted to be anything else. We have brains. We are beautiful. We can do anything we set our minds to do.'

--Diana Ross, Black Women: In the Image of God (Pilgrim Press), edited by Dorothy Winbush Riley

HEALTH UPDATE

fitness on the fly

Between stuffing the stockings and decking the halls, fitting in your regular workout this month is bound to be difficult. But there are shortcuts to keeping fit while hustling around for holiday preparations: At the gym, opt for a 30-minute circuit-training session instead of spending an hour in aerobics class. When shopping, park a little farther from the mall entrance and walk briskly while inside--you can easily cover a mile or more on a typical trip. Taking the stairs at the office or elsewhere will strengthen and tone your legs and glutes. Take stretch breaks while you're secretly gift wrapping in the basement. Need a cardio kick? Just five minutes of moderate rope jumping can burn 50 calories. Or give your man or kid a break from shoveling the snow and knock off 180 calories in 30 minutes.

YOU GO!

web-preneur

"Where's the party?" Malaika Moran, 28, has parlayed the answer to that question into a promising Web venture, SocialStep.com. Since its launch four years ago, Moran has expanded her hot-spot listings beyond New York City to include Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Miami; Detroit; and Los Angeles. Last year Moran began a strategic partnership with FUBU, in which the urban clothing company "rents" her site's events content for its own Web site (y2g.com). Now more companies are getting into the mix. That's what we call a step in the right direction.

PLAN NOW

To save money all year long, mark your 2001 calendar for these bargain months: January and July will have great discounts on in-season apparel and accessories. Circle September for auto and air-conditioner purchases. And remember that holiday weekends--Presidents Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Columbus Day--are best for home-appliance deals.

KA-CHING

long-distance savings

The Christmas tree isn't the only thing that needs trimming this season. With calls to relatives from Seattle to South Carolina, our phone bills tend to soar right along with that holiday spirit. But you can save some cash on long-distance plans by doing a little investigating. Ask yourself these questions: Do you make most of your calls in the evenings? On the weekends? During peak hours? Then instead of listening to sales pitches of major carriers such as AT&T, Sprint or Telecom USA (known more familiarly as the 10-10-220 and 10-10-321 calling plans), visit Web sites www.decide.com or www.lowermybills.com. Both sites provide free comparisons of the rates offered in your region that best meet your needs and calling pattern. Or you can call the Telecommunications Research & Action Center at (800) 344-8722 and order its long-distance comparison chart.

GOOD WORKS

RADIO ACTIVE

KPRS-FM (103.3 on the FM dial) in Kansas City, Missouri, the oldest operating Black-owned radio station, has been serving its community's kids since 1950. The station organizes annual toy and clothing drives and helped fund the construction of a new community center for disadvantaged youth. Recently, KPRS-FM donated ticket profits from its fiftieth anniversary party to St. Vincent's Family Services Center, a nonprofit organization and Missouri's largest day-care center. This is truly music to our ears.

KNOW-HOW

eat, drink and be savvy

That invitaton to your company's holiday party may say "cocktails," but don't forget you're still on the clock. Now's the time to impress higher-ups and remind officemates why they love working with you. Some tips: Save cleavage for the club. Your outfit should be stylish--not slutty or stiff. And keep it simple--no loud prints or ball gowns. Greet everyone with a warm handshake or touch on the upper arm. Unless you work together daily, be sure to introduce yourself (or remind them of your full name and department). Come prepared with icebreakers. Know your alcohol limit and stay well within it. Order club soda instead of that third cosmopolitan. Follow up. Send key colleagues an E-mail or a brief note expressing what a pleasure it was to make the connection. Set up lunch plans for a week or two later, briefly reminding your coworker in the E-mail what you two discussed at the party. Read Harriette Cole's How to Be: Contemporary Etiquette for African Americans (Simon & Schuster) for other party do's and don't's.

ACT NOW

help us all get along

You can promote tolerance of diverse cultures and lifestyles by joining the National Campaign for Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama. Or to get involved in your community, you can build a peace garden in your local park. Consider starting a monthly roundtable to discuss multicultural issues. It's a great way to promote mutual acceptance among your neighbors. For more diversity-enriching ideas, visit tolerance.org.

REMEMBER

In 1859, two years before the first battle of the Civil War, 22-year-old Harriet E. Adams Wilson penned Our Nig: Sketches From the Life of a Free Black. It was the first novel published by a Black writer in the United States, and it openly criticized the unspoken mistreatment of Blacks by northern Whites.

TIP OFF

be a cyberhostess

This year, plan a shower, birthday or anniversary party via the Internet. Check out evite.com--the cool way to invite friends and family. No more snail mail! At the site you can design the invitation, send a mass E-mail and see who has sent RSVPs. You'll also find listings of local restaurants and party-supply stores. The site even gives suggestions for bridal- and baby-shower games.