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Meagan Jones was born and raised in Boise, but it took a journey of adventure, fashion and music to bring her back home to open her first gown shop.

Crowned Miss Teen Rodeo Idaho in 1998, her fashion career began as she started sketching designs for pageant gowns. The drama in her gowns didn’t come from sparkle and bling, but from the fabrics she chose and the way she draped them so flatteringly to work with her curves. She sold her dresses to other contestants and made custom pieces for friends and family. Her mother encouraged her to enroll in design school, but Meagan wanted a “real job” and moved to Seattle to work in IT.

After a tech-bubble bust in the ’90s, Meagan moved to Arizona and Texas to work in the music industry, but life led her back to design. As an on-stage performer, she found it hard to find cute costumes that fit her hourglass shape but didn’t make her sweat buckets in the summer concert heat. So she picked up her sketchbook and began to create again.

It didn’t take long for Meagan’s dresses to catch the interest of fans and friends alike. She launched an Etsy shop, and the bridal world fell in love with her gowns, which make perfect bridesmaid dresses in matching colors and/or styles. Soon, Meagan realized she had time for only one career. So back to Boise she came to be closer to friends and family, setting up her shop Rooney Mae Couture in Downtown Boise.

27-year-old Rita Thara has been through a lot. As a young girl, her family fled the Congo War (which took her father’s life) and found refuge in the Central African Republic, where they began to apply for U.S. visas. That process took 18 years.

After arriving in the U.S. in 2012 with her mother and brother, Rita began collaborating with her mother, Veronique, to launch a clothing shop at the Boise International Market.

With an eye for design, Rita began following in her mother’s footsteps at a very young age. Veronique had been a model in Switzerland and learned to design and sew. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Veronique founded her own clothing company, which was thriving until the war destroyed it all.

Sadly, the women’s dream again came to a grinding halt in September, when a fire broke out at the Boise International Market, destroying at least 16 businesses that flourished there. Rita lost all her current work — including dresses, purses, shoes — as well as mannequins and sewing machines.

“It’s all gone now, every single thing,” Rita said with tears in her eyes. But she’s determined to start again, already making plans to create new designs. “I had one sewing machine at home that I was planning to take into the shop soon, but thanks to God, I didn’t!”

“It makes us so happy to see someone wearing our bag, or a pair of shoes, or a dress around town,” Rita says.

Jordan Duran is the founder of Apache Pine. Originally from a tiny town in Bear Lake County called Georgetown, his family moved to Pocatello when he was 13 years old. He has been working alongside his father for eight years now, developing many highly technical parts for pumping systems.

They always knew their skills could be useful in many industries, and about a year ago, the inspiration for Apache Pine came to life, as Jordan discovered he wanted a high-quality, durable and sustainable watch for his adventurous lifestyle. He used his knowledge in 3D design, along with his father’s vast experience in mechanical engineering, to design, develop and test wood watches.

Jordan has a deep love for the outdoors. His watches are made from renewable resources and resemble the beautiful places that he loves. It’s like having a small piece of the forest with you, that you carry on your wrist. In Jordan’s words, “I love wearing an Apache Pine watch because it reminds me of nature and gets me excited to go outside.” Hence the company’s tagline: “Take nature with you.”

Dad Clothes began at Burning Man in 2014. Boise artist Cody Rutty attended the annual festival in Nevada devoted to creativity and self-expression for the first time along with his friend Matt, and they wore the same basic clothing they wore at home: plaid shirts, khaki shorts, T-shirts, etc.

When a woman asked why they were wearing “dad clothes,” an idea was born. Cody had long fostered the idea of entering into some avenue of fashion and decided that the notion of Dad Clothes was a perfect origin and moniker, so he began developing a line of clothing.

Dad Clothes has a style and aesthetic that revolves around words and association, coupled with Cody’s unique artistic designs and photographer Erika Astrid’s images.

The shirts contain an element of reaction toward all the witty, comical shirts on the market today, some of which make immediate sense but don’t pack a punch. Cody sees his designs as containing deeply rooted commentary on corporate America and also an ongoing musing of social conundrums that artists experience in the face of commercialization. Some of the shirts, for example, deal with China’s economic relationship with the United States, while others, such as “It doesn’t pay but it’s great exposure,” speak directly to artists and other creatives.

In addition to shirt designs, Dad Clothes has an online magazine consisting of art and oddities, and recent science and computer news.

The Rusty Pearl is a collaboration between two women with a passion for vintage — and the skills and creativity to create something new out of something old. Their company specializes in giving new life to old furniture, decorations, home accessories and other reclaimed materials.

One half of the team is Sarah Lett, whose love of antiques and all things vintage started as a young child while trailing her family members through countless antique markets and dilapidated barns in the Pennsylvania hills and many garage sales with her picker-extraordinaire mother. The other half of the team is Kari Stephensen-McGhie, who was born and raised in Eagle and has a knack for interior design.

These two longtime friends also have full-time day jobs but use their off-hours to revive well-loved pieces of “junk” into gloriously restored decor items for any home.

And that business name? Sarah is considered the rust to Kari’s pearl. She often finds the diamonds in the rough. Then it’s Kari’s turn to start sanding, sawing and painting to get the gems shining. They love finding things that are one of a kind and have a story. “Those are the kind of things I surround myself with, and those are the kind of people I like to be surrounded by,” Kari says.

Chante Hamann started Retro Hunny after being a pinup finalist in the first year of the 208 Tattoo Fest. For each event, she created a new outfit, and festival producer Kay Lee took notice. When the next 208 Tattoo Fest rolled around, Lee asked if Chante would be willing to make outfits for each finalist and put on a fashion show. Chante agreed and went from a client base of two to 22 overnight.

Though her clothing line Retro Hunny officially began in 2013, she has been sewing for herself, friends and family since 1994. She was always drawn to decades-earlier silhouettes because of their feminine style, and began dressing in vintage clothing right out of high school.

“I always felt like myself when I wore them. (But) as I began to search for vintage items to build my wardrobe around, I quickly realized the best items were often several sizes too small for me,” Chante says. Rather than give up on her retro wardrobe dreams, she decided to create her own.

Today, Chante specializes in co-creating vintage-inspired clothing with her clients, encouraging them to be part of the process.

Take note: If you want to see more of the Valley’s creativity, check out “RAW:Boise Presents Uprising” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Powerhouse Event Center, 617 S. 17th St. in Boise. Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 door. The evening highlights everything from fashion to photography to live music. Photographer Bart Cepek, for instance, will be featuring photography that showcases Meagan Jones’ dresses. (He also took the photo of Meagan and her work on page 11.)

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ROCHESTER —To earn the Gold Award, the highest-ranking award a Girl Scout can achieve, a girl must dedicate 80 hours to a community service project that will have long-lasting effects. Ashley Wilkins, a junior at Spaulding High School and a Girl Scout since first grade, was recently awarded the honor for a project that bridged the gap between generations.

The project was primarily focused around the Grammies Meet the Red Carpet gala, an event that took place in March at the Rockingham County Nursing Home where Wilkin’s mother works as a licensed nursing assistant, Wilkins said. Around 60 residents of the home got dressed up to meet students from various high schools, who were also dressed in prom and semi-formal dresses. Ladybug Flower Shop of Rochester donated flowers, and Market Basket donated food.

Students were introduced as they walked a red carpet, and then everyone spent the evening munching and mingling before heading on their way. The event will become an annual occurrence at the nursing home, with a Pinkerton Academy student directing it next year, Wilkins said.

“I’ve been told the residents talked about it for days,” Wilkins said. “I can’t wait to go back next year and do it all again.”

Wilkins said the idea for the event came when she learned that many of the home’s residents rarely receive visitors, either because their family lives far away or because they do not have a family.

“Too often, young people have this assumption that elderly residents are cranky, mean or don’t want company,” she said. “Not true. I wanted to break down the walls and get these two groups together.”

Wilkins added that residents are excited when they see someone who is not just their caretaker or when they get to have a change in routine, something she wanted to incorporate into her event. She said the gala was preceded by a bingo night the students had with the residents that gave them a chance to know each other.

“When we came back for the formal dance at the end of the month, it was like visiting longtime friends,” Wilkins said.

For Wilkins, the award is just one of many accomplishments she has achieved through Girl Scouts. She has also won the Bronze Award for a blanket drive to an animal shelter did in fifth grade that required 20 to 30 hours, and the Silver Award for a toy and clothing drive for needy families she completed in eighth grade that required 60 hours. The Gold Award is equivalent to a Boy Scout achieving the Eagle Scout ranking.

“I like doing Girl Scouts because it is a positive and amazing experience and the community is always trying to help us grow as women and leaders,” she said.

Wilkins said that Girl Scouts has helped to be more confident and outgoing than she would be without it, something that is reflected in the number of extracurricular activities she participates in. Wilkins is the co-president of Spaulding’s Latin Club and Honor Society; a contributor to the school’s literary magazine Wandering Pens; a member of the school’s math club; and a member of the school’s tennis team in the spring. When she is not doing school work or Girl Scouts, which meets once a week, she works for 12 to 20 hours at Bootleggers.

When she has free time, Wilkins said she likes to read and write, play with her dog, and wood-burn, an activity in which a person sketches an image on a piece of wood and then goes over the sketch with a heated pen.

Wilkins said she plans to keep going with Girl Scouts and will continue to work with the younger members involved, something she sees as just as much of an accomplishment as climbing the Girl Scout ranks.

“Girl Scouts has been a part of my life for so long — I’m grateful for the support my troop has given me,” she said. “I definitely want to keep moving forward and making a difference.”

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If there's one era we could time travel back to just for one night, it would be the last days of disco. Studio 54, Cher, Bianca Jagger riding a horse on the dance floor. Those were some seriously glamorous evenings. Until we locate a time machine, indulging in a '70s style revival will have to suffice.

Fame & Partners — one of our favorite up-and-coming retail sites that lets you customize occasion dresses and outfits — has launched a fresh new collection, called Dance Hall Days, that brings together our love of disco and our quest for the perfect dress for the upcoming holiday party circuit.

Floor sweeping hemlines, plunging necklines, pleated bell sleeves, and plenty of gold lamé were signatures of the disco era that have been translated into modern, prom-worthy dresses. CEO Nyree Corby clued us in on a bit of the inspiration, noting, "The geo-political climate of the '70s sparked a mood across the globe for young women to leave their perfect coifs and structured mini dresses behind, surrendering to their inner hippy child. [This campaign] celebrates this free spirit and everything that comes with it. It asks girls to be themselves, to imbibe their individuality and memorialize a moment in time where they will forever be wild and free."

So rather than book the usual photographer-and-model combo to bring their "Dance Hall Days" collection to life in a look book, Fame & Partners tapped into the appeal of digital and social media influencers to create a truly unique story. They hired Shine By Three founder Margret Zhang as a creative director and Sarah Ellen of Perks of Her, who together were able to capture the irreverent charm and after-dark appeal of the collection.

"Sarah Ellen has been on our radar for some time," says Corby. "Digital platforms such as YouTube and Instagram have allowed Sarah to reach other young women in a very organic way, and this is something our brand connects with. Fame and Partners looks to inspire young woman to uncover their individuality, expressing this to the world sartorially. Sarah embodies this in every way," she adds.

"I think, with evening wear, a lot of girls make the mistake of trying to look like somebody else," says Zhang, who, along with serving as creative director also photographed Ellen on the streets of Sydney. "Sarah is such a bubbly, hilarious person, so we wanted to communicate that you can just be yourself and put your personal twist on a formal dress."

For Ellen, modeling the Dance Hall Days collection allowed her to imagine an experience she's never actually had. "I was particularly excited to work with Fame & Partners on their Dance Hall Days collection as I’ve never had the opportunity to attend a formal [prom or homecoming]," she said. "It was a lot of fun to be able to dress up like a princess and imagine what it would have been like!"

Lucky for us, Sarah Ellen's dreamy dress-up day provided us with tons of inspiration for upcoming dances, parties and events — with the added bonus that we can customize any look. You can check out the collection and get a bespoke gown for yourself here.

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Walking into the exhibit for a tour of Stephens College Costume & Museum Research Library’s Reel to Real exhibit, you immediately notice a painting of the stylish and classic Audrey Hepburn in a large 60’s style hat. She’s wearing a little black dress and pulling her glasses down while innocently looking to the right.

The painting is a backdrop to three black bridesmaid dresses draped over white mannequins that are part of the “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” section of the exhibit. The film was released in 1961, a time when Jackie Kennedy was coming of age and just before baby boomers reached puberty. Dean of School of Fashion and Design and curator of the Costume Museum and Research center Monica McMurry said the film influenced fashion at the time ­– especially with the little black dress.

“You can’t go wrong with a little black dress,” she said. “The little black dress had been around since the twenties with Chanel, but the little black dress came really into its own through ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’”

McMurry, along with guest curator Sheryl Farnan and assistant curator Jennifer Cole, sought to explore the relationship between Hollywood films and every day fashion in the 20th century from the 1930s to the 1990’s. Thirteen films are represented from “Gone with the Wind” to “Pretty Woman.”

The exhibit begins with the 1930s with movies from the Depression era like “Dinner at 8” and “Leddy Litton.” McMurry said that films were a form of escape for many people at the time, and a glimpse into wealthier society.

“Most people weren’t at those cocktail parties and such, so it was so it was a way to kind of dream about what another life style could be.”

Cole said the style during this time period was classical and not exactly affordable to the average person.

The rise of World War II and the war in the Pacific in the 1940s brought with it a new style imbued with tropical prints and sarong style dresses portrayed in “Jungle Princess” starring Dorothy Lamour. But it also brought restrictions.

Cole explained that because fabric was being redirected for war resources, individuals relied on accessories like hats.

“Before war, into the forties this is how people were able to spruce up their wardrobe,” she said “They didn’t have endless supplies of clothing so they could buy a new hat and have kind of a new look.”

Films like the 1950’s “A Place in the Sun” starring Elizabeth Taylor made the iconic silhouette typical of prom dresses or ball gowns of today extremely popular. McMurry said the sillhoutte has been re-done for generations.

“It’s this very feminine, hour glass, full hipped, look,” she said. “Some of that just never goes out of style in more formal wear or times of tradition like with weddings.”

“Doctor Zhivago” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” heavily influenced fashion in the 60s. Flower children began to look at vintage clothes and incorporating clothes from other cultures into their style. John Travolta’s “Saturday Night Fever” was reflective of women’s new liberated style. McMurry said Calvin Klein jeans and shiny fabric accentuated women’s curves and bodies.

“Shiny was really important because of disco lights and fit,” she said.

Cole said she was in high school when “Desperately Seeking Susan,” the 1985 film starring a young Madonna, came out. It was the age of MTV and new media. Madonna brought with her the idea of the unique do-it-yourself style employing jewelry, leather jackets and netted gloves.

“It was young women just really expressing their voice that was the controversial part,” McMurry said.

“Out of Africa,” starring Meryl Streep, was released in the same year. It reflected a changing climate as women began working outside of the home. The style was similar to men’s bringing with it a heavy use of the khaki from coats to pants. The 1990 Julia Roberts and Richard Gere 1990 film Pretty Woman concludes the exhibit, reflecting the rise of the celebrity as a fashion star.

McMurry stressed that fashion reflects culture.

“There’s a lot more to what people are wearing than what they’re wearing,” she said. “That it always reflects what’s happening in culture, what’s happened previously in culture, and so what someone chooses to wear speaks, it has its own language but then it has an individual speech and then it has a collective speech”

Definitely something to remember the next time you pull out that little black dress.

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The rue des Martyrs is only half a mile long, but for me there is no better street in Paris. Northeast of the place de l'Opéra, half a mile south of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, it packs nearly two hundred small shops, restaurants, and cafes into its storefronts. On this street, the patron saint of France was beheaded and the Jesuits took their first vows; François Truffaut filmed scenes from The 400 Blows and Pharrell Williams and Kanye West came to record at a new-age music studio.

I discovered the rue des Martyrs shortly after my husband, Andy, and I moved to Paris with our two daughters, in 2002. The street became my go-to place on Sunday mornings, when its shops are open while much of Paris is shut tight. It took me nearly a decade to move into the neighborhood. I wandered up and down the street at odd hours of the day and night. The street is all about sharing, and I bonded with its merchants, artisans, and residents. Paris finally felt like home. And thanks to this street of magic, anyone can feel at home here.

What follows is adapted from "Le Potluck," a chapter in The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue de Martyrs, to be published November 2 by W. W. Norton & Co. Copyright @ 2015 by Elaine Sciolino. The book available at W. W. Norton, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Apple, and Google Play.

Over time, I got to know so many people on the rue des Martyrs that I wanted to bring them together in a celebration of the street--the whole street. But how to do it?

Sébastien! I thought. Sébastien Guénard, the chef and owner of the bistro Miroir, at the top of the rue des Martyrs.

"Imagine a party where everyone comes together," I said. "The people at the bottom meet the people at the top."

"Let's have the party here!" he said.

Miroir used to be a Montmartre joint catering to tourists who craved cheap onion soup and garlicky escargots. Although the place looked filthy and run-down when Sébastien first saw it, it was a coup de foudre--love at first sight. "There was a side to the place that said, 'So Paris, the Paris I love, the Paris for real people,'" he recalled.

He opened Miroir in 2008 with financial backing from a businessman with a passion for reviving this part of Paris. Every morning, neighborhood residents stop in for coffee and conversation. The postman comes by, with the mail, of course, but also for a quick espresso; if he is unable to deliver a package to one of the neighbors, he leaves it at Miroir for safekeeping. Because the school nearby bans skateboards, students sometimes leave them with Sébastien until classes let out. Most afternoons, before the restaurant opens for dinner, Sébastien stands on the sidewalk, greeting everyone he knows with double-cheek kisses. Every evening, he sets aside three or four tables for friends and regulars who might show up.

Early some mornings, I venture up to this part of the rue des Martyrs. I perch at a table close to the window and watch the world go by. Catherine Mourrier, a slip of a young woman who chain-smokes and sports a brush cut with her bangs gelled upward, makes me a café crème in between washing down the sidewalks and Windexing the windows. She always brings me a small pitcher of extra-hot milk. One day she started serving me croissants.

A man who lives at the top of the street is a different kind of regular. In the old days you would have called him a wino. He carries a guitar on one shoulder and sings when the spirit moves him. He came by one morning and asked Sébastien to open his wine shop, across the street, because he wanted a bottle of red called "Forbidden Fruit." If Sébastien was annoyed, he didn't show it. He unlocked the shop door and handed the man a bottle. The man didn't pay.

"Who was that?" I asked, after he had left.

"An artist of the neighborhood," Sébastien said. "He's as sweet as can be."

"But he didn't pay you!"

"Oh, he'll pay one week or the next."

My idea for a party may have seemed whimsical, but I was determined. First, I mentioned it to everyone I knew on the street. Then I hand-delivered invitations. "Dear Martyrians," it began. "The moment I have talked about so much has finally come!" I invited them "to celebrate our rue des Martyrs, which we love so much."

I planned an old-fashioned American potluck dinner. Potluck does not exist in Paris. The French would be unhinged by its disorder: no quality (or quantity) control, no logic to the courses. Even a French family picnic in the country is more formal than an American potluck. To help bring people around, I included a note with the invitation, defining potluck as "a meal in which everyone brings something to eat or drink that can be shared. We do it often in the United States, because it's a great way to meet people around a simple meal."

We needed music, of course. I asked Pablo Veguilla, a young Puerto Rican-American opera tenor who lives just outside Paris, to join us. Pablo is an American success story. He was born poor in Chicago and raised in Orlando, Florida, where his father worked as a nursing home janitor and his mother as a hospital secretary. Yale University plucked him out of oblivion to study music at its graduate school, all expenses paid.

I suggested that he sing an aria from Puccini's La Bohème because of the opera's historical connection to the Brasserie des Martyrs, the famous nineteenth-century tavern at the bottom of the street. I told him that Henri Murger, whose book about Paris bohemian life had inspired Puccini, had been a regular there.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" said Pablo. "I'm getting excited."

Most of the shopkeepers I invited shared Pablo's enthusiasm. Arnaud Delmontel, the baker and pastry chef, said he'd bring his signature loaf cakes. His competitor, another Sébastien (Sébastien Gaudard), an even more haute couture baker, promised a surprise. Éric Vandenberghe, the owner of the Corsican food shop, said he'd bring charcuterie. Yves and Annick Chataigner, the cheesemongers, offered Camembert and Beaufort.

I sweet-talked Justine, the daughter of the fishmonger whose shop, La Poissonerie Bleue, had closed more than a year before. By this time, Justine knew I was working on a book about the rue des Martyrs. "I am writing this book because of fish," I said. "If it weren't for you and your family's fish store, there wouldn't be a book. You are now the only representative of your family on the rue des Martyrs. Make them proud!"

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Question: What happens inside an air-conditioned marquee, almost uncannily during the months of June, July or December; amalgamates families and relatives scattered all around the world, has enough bling to fill up a swanky store, and is the primary breeding ground for further events of its kind?

No matter how much most Pakistanis love to hate Pakistan for its plethora of life problems, what no Pakistani will ever condemn or complain about, no matter how hard they try to, is a Pakistani wedding. Pakistani weddings keep most international airlines and local textile businesses thriving and in-business, all year round.

A Muslim wedding in Pakistan lasts for about a week up to ten days, traversing daily festivities. There are many customs and traditions associated with a Pakistani Muslim wedding ceremony. Since Pakistan was partitioned from India in 1947, many of these customs are shared by the people of both countries.

On a night a week or so before her wedding, the bride-to-be is pampered with a light facial and body massage by the ladies of her family, in order to make her look radiant on her imminent wedding. They congregate at her parents’ home to rub her face, arms, hands, feet, and shins with a bright yellow/mustard-colored paste known as ubtan, which is made from turmeric and other ingredients.

So that her clothes do not get smeared with the color of the ubtan, she wears yellow-colored clothes on this night: the traditional shalwar kameez or ghagra with a stole called the dupatta on her head, and yellow bangles. Her hair is oiled and braided with an ornate thread ornament known as the paranda. She is then expected to not bathe for a few days in order for the ubtan to seep deeply into her skin.

Over time, the ubtan ceremony (which is also known as mayyoon) has lost its practical significance and is held only in name, lacking the spirit and purpose for which it was traditionally convened decades ago. Many Pakistani’s now choose to forego it altogether.

The bridegroom’s family used to traditionally bring large goblets and trays of fresh mehndi paste to the bride’s parents’ home, which would then be used to embellish the hands and feet of the bride and her female family members with intricate and lovely designs, using thin wooden sticks - a labor of love that would take hours and painstaking effort to accomplish. Huge trays of traditional sweets known as mithai were also hand-delivered to the girl’s parents’ home by the bridegroom’s family, along with the trays of mehndi.

With time, this tradition, due to the rapid evolution of henna application procedures in the global fashion industry, has transformed into a more quick-fix kind of henna night convened a night or two before the wedding: hosting all the female relatives and friends of the bride, professional henna artists are summoned to apply beautiful henna designs on to the hands and feet of the bride and her guests.

The bride-to-be usually wears a green-colored embellished shalwar kameez or lehenga dress (matching the color of the henna) along with flower jewelry on her wrists, earlobes, and forehead, her face going makeup free. She keeps her head covered, with an additional veil sometimes drawn over her face, and sits demurely in a corner.

Flowers abound in and around the festively decorated residences of the parents of both the bride and groom throughout the week, which are also adorned with stringed fairy lights draped on its walls and gardens.

Decades ago, it was the norm for the bridegroom to wear a veil of flowers around his head to cover his face completely when he went to the bride’s house to pick her up on the night of the wedding.

The procession that went to pick her up, comprising of the groom, his family and companions was called the “baraat”. The bridegroom’s nephew, a young boy, would be dressed in exactly the same clothes as him in the baraat, and would be called his “shah baala” (best man). It was also traditional for the bridegroom to wear a high-collared, full-sleeved, formal tunic called “sherwani” over his shalwar kameez, a turban on his head, and decoratively embroidered shoes called khussa’s on his feet to complete the look.

Before going off to the bride’s home, the groom’s close relatives would get together at his parents’ house and help him tie the flower veil called “sehra” on his head. This ceremony was called “sehra bundi” (“tying the sehra” in Urdu).

Today, while hardly any bridegroom willingly wears the sehra on his face, the rest of the traditional attire, comprising of an ornate formal sherwani, turban, and khussa’s, is still worn by most bridegrooms. His neck is draped with heavy flower wreaths/garlands once he has arrived.

Once the bridegroom arrives to pick up his bride, the Islamic nikah having been convened earlier at the masjid, usually the same day, he is presented with gifts and money from the close relatives of the bride. This is known as “salami”.

The bride is dressed in heavily embellished and embroidered clothes made of silks called jamawar and banarsi, which are exquisitely adorned with a myriad of threads and beads, her dupatta draped over her head, and traditional jewelry such as theteeka, jhoomar, and maatha putti ornamenting her coiffed hair, in addition to necklaces, bangles, rings and large earrings. Pakistani brides are some of the most beautifully dressed in the world!

On the wedding night or the next day, the bridegroom presents his wife with a special gift, which is called “moon dikhai”. Usually, it is jewelry, mostly an exquisite family heirloom, which she can opt to wear on the subsequent walimah ceremony, which is a large dinner party hosted by the bridegroom’s parents, usually in a marquee.

After arriving at his house after the wedding, the bride and groom proceed to share a glass or bowl of sweet milk or a milky dessert such as kheer (both of them have to partake from the same vessel). Some couples also cut an elaborate wedding cake at this point, amidst his close family members, before retiring to their bedroom amidst their dua’s, gifts, and blessings.

The bedroom of the bride and groom has already been meticulously decorated with stringed flowers especially for this night, after previously undergoing extensive remodeling with new paint, furniture, and fittings.

The bride is presented with an elaborate trousseau prepared by her mother-in-law, known as the “bury”, which comprises of about a dozen embellished formal dresses along with matching shoes and accessories. These dresses are placed in her cupboard, and she is expected to wear them to the formal dinner parties hosted for the couple by their close family members in the subsequent weeks.

In Pakistani weddings, it is traditionally customary for the couple to receive gifts of cash from attendees and guests. The bride is also gifted formal jewelry by her close relatives.

All Muslims, whether they are religiously practicing or not, adapt the above customs and traditions according to their preferences.

For example, practicing Muslims gender-segregate all the parties, remove all music besides the duff, and commence the festivities with an Islamic lecture (dars) given by a scholar or imam. The groom gifts the moon dikhai to his bride with the intention of it being her mahr - the obligatory dower prescribed in shari’ah. Extravagance and showing off is shunned to keep things moderate.

Last but not least, one of the highlights of any Pakistani wedding is the food! Chicken Biryani, chicken tikka and succulentgulab jamuns are the standard staples of any Pakistani wedding menu.

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Do people think your teen looks older than she is? Are older men constantly checking her out? Does she wear clothing items that you could wear, or would look more appropriate on you? Are you faced with her cleavage or butt all day? Does she wear a full face of makeup daily?

If you answered "yes," your teen may be dressing too sexy.

Before we dive in, though, let's acknowledge two important points:

No matter how a teen girl dresses (or adult female, for that matter!), a man can and should control his stares and leers. He is not an animal; he's a human. People that say a teen or woman "made" the man leer or make lewd comments are forgetting the fact that men are humans, not beasts. We as humans have complex thinking and are capable of biting our tongues or veering our eyes downward. Saying a teen or woman "made" someone act inappropriately is in my opinion, almost akin to that old wrong argument in reference to rape and date rape: "She made him do it."

A tight skirt or revealing clothing does not force any man/boy to act inappropriately. A man is in charge of his choices!

There has been story after story about teenage girls who were sent home from school for wearing, well, just about anything! It's a bit ridiculous that teenage girls are taking the spotlight from schools and not boys. To me it sends the message that girls bodies are too tempting even in a t-shirt and pants, and that their bodies ALONE cause trouble amongst the population. The female body is not sinful or so powerful that grown adults cannot control their own behavior (see #1 above) and to police girls as such sends the message that schools find female bodies distasteful and worthy of shame.

Now that we've addressed those big points, we can get back to the fact that even still, there are teenage girls dressing way too sexy for their ages. Sex is enjoyable and teenagers should learn about their bodies and get educated about sex, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and more. However, far too often today teenage girls are running with the power of their body and sexual prowess without realizing how detrimental this is to their self-esteem and image.

Some girls are well-endowed. As one of those women myself, we fill out the most innocent item of clothes. However, I'm an adult and aware of the power of my body and the consequences of how I dress in certain social situations and amongst certain people. Your teens are not this savvy. If you can see cleavage and breasts 24/7, Mom, you are to blame!

It can be hard to be small cupped as a female, I am sure, but the advent of push-up bras marketed to young teens is sending the wrong message: you MUST have large breasts to be attractive. That's BS and untrue. Besides, small breasts don't sag later on in life . . . party bonus!

If your kid is donning push-up bras day in and day out or showing the goods, your teen is dressing too sexy.

Is your girl going out to a formal event and the dress would look perfect on you? Chances are it's too sexy. Sure, some moms and daughters are the same size and that's perfectly fine to swap clothes then on occasion, but you shouldn't swap everything. As an adult, you can get away with sexier attire for an event or a more fitted low-cut top than your teen. And there are some items your teen should wear and not you because the trends look silly on older women. Be careful with what you two swap.

I understand clothing companies are making things shorter for teens because I wear teenage sizes, but this doesn't mean as parents we should buy hot pants for a teenager. If the booty is on display or the yoga pants have the words "Kiss Me" or "I'm an Angel" above the butt, it might be a better idea for her not to wear them. Just saying.

I have seen 15-year-old girls with a fuller face of makeup than myself and while I am not against some concealer, blush, and lip gloss, a teen doesn't need to look like she just spent the day at the cosmetics department of Nordstrom. Their skin (minus the pimples) is dewier and fresher-looking than ours as adults!

The first time I got catcalled at 14, I could not handle it. Can your teen handle provocative or inappropriate comments well? Does she understand the power she could have when dressing provocatively? If the answer is yes, well then maybe she can handle those hot pants. But it's very rare for a teen to be able to do just that. As a teen who found the sexual attention of her body both enticing and terrifying, I can assure you that most likely, she can't. And yes it's sad that we have to say this to our girls, but as mothers of daughters, we need to prepare them for the world "out there." The mothers of boys need to train their sons to control their actions and realize they have choices. They are not animals.

But teenagers cannot properly harness a sexual power because they are not adults. Plain and simple.

A teenage girl could have a gorgeous figure but if she dresses very sexy, can she handle what comes from it?

Remember, you cannot control other people, but you CAN teach your girl how to be smart with how she dresses. You CAN teach her how to dress right for her body type and what styles work well for her frame. When she is old enough to manage that sexual power, that's when she should break out the clingy dresses, if she so desires.

Instead of having your daughter worry about her breast size and how her butt looks in those jeans, focus as a mom and woman yourself on the power of the body whether through sports, exercise, dance, or yoga. Compliment her on her strength and poise. Exercise with her or take hikes. Maybe even a bike ride. Put the focus back on all the wonderful things a woman's body can do, rather than all the ways to make her breasts look good in a tank top.

You may think it doesn't matter how she dresses or that I am being strict, but as someone whose body developed before she could truly handle it, please heed my warning. Unfortunately, there were too many parents who didn't teach their boys that they weren't animals and indeed had the ability to make good choices instead of acting like pigs. I came face to face with boys like that and suffered hard for their choices and my inability to believe I deserved better. For years, I focused on my body and weight. I didn't focus on what my body could do, but how it looked. How I pleased others if I looked good enough or not. Don't let this happen to your teenage girl before it's too late and her self-esteem ends up suffering.

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Tears run down the deeply wrinkled face of the North Korean man in the wheelchair as he embraces his now elderly South Korean daughter for the first time since she was two. An 88-year-old South Korean woman looks on with an expression of shock as she sees her North Korean husband for the first time since war drove them apart more than six decades ago.

As the rival Koreas on Wednesday continue their brief reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 fighting, dramas like this are everywhere at the North's scenic Diamond Mountain resort.

Ri Hung Jong, 88, on Tuesday had no words as he gazed at his daughter, Lee Jeong-sook, 68. She had been raised in South Korea since being separated from her father during the war. Ri simply wept in silence as his daughter touched his face and smiled.

About 390 South Koreans traveled Tuesday to the mountain resort to reunite with their relatives for three days. In a second round of reunions, from Saturday until Monday, about 250 South Koreans are to reunite with about 190 North Korean relatives. Dressed in business suits, formal dresses and traditional hanbok, they brought long johns, medicine, parkas, calligraphy works and cash to give as presents to about 140 family members in the North.

The reunions, as always, are a mixture of high emotion and media frenzy. Some of the participants were speechless around the reporters and the flashing cameras. Journalists crowded around South Korean Lee Ok-yeon, 88, as she reunited with her husband, Chae Hun Sik, for the first time in 65 years. She lives in the same house her husband, also now 88, built and that the couple shared as newlyweds. Both appeared to be in shock at the reunion.

"Father, why can't you say anything? Didn't you tell me you had a lot to say?" Kang Mi Yong, Chae's North Korean daughter-in-law, asked Chae as he struggled for words.

The images are broadcast throughout South Korea, where the reunions are big news. North Korea's government worries that scenes of affluent South Koreans might influence its grip on power, analysts say. In a typical piece of propaganda, Pyongyang published a report about the reunions through its state media that said the North Korean participants explained to their South Korean relatives how their lives have been "happy" and "worthwhile" under the North's socialist system.

The deep emotions stem partly from the elderly reuniting after decades spent apart, partly from the knowledge that this will be their only chance. None of the past participants has had a second reunion.

At a table covered with a white cloth, bottled water and soft drinks and a vase of flowers, South Korean Kim Bock-rack wept as he clasped the hands of his sister as a cameraman silently filmed.

South Korean Lee Soon-kyu, 85, reunited with her North Korean husband, Oh In Se, 83. As camera flashes bathed them in glaring white light, she cocked her head and looked with amazement at Oh, who wore a dapper suit and hat and craned backward to take in Lee

The reunions are a poignant yet bitter reminder that the Korean Peninsula is still in a technical state of war because the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The Koreas bar ordinary citizens from visiting relatives living on the other side of the border and even from exchanging letters, phone calls and emails without permission.

North and South agreed in August to resume family reunions during talks to end a standoff that began when land mine blasts blamed on Pyongyang maimed two South Korean soldiers.

South Korea uses a computerized lottery system to pick participants while North Korea reportedly chooses based on loyalty to its authoritarian leadership. Nearly half of the 130,410 South Koreans who have applied to attend a reunion have died.

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Jacqueline de Ribes has an actual title — she’s Jacqueline, Countess de Ribes — and she’s been given many more. “Reigning Queen of Paris,” for example, and “Empress of Café Society.” Unlike the formal title, which she was both born with and married into, the others she earned over 86 years of totally over-the-top living, doing things like arriving very late for dinner dressed in a Turkish disguise. Her father-in-law once described her as a cross between a Russian princess and a showgirl from the Folies Bergère.

De Ribes had a dark, if privileged, childhood in wartime France. There were châteaux, sure, but there were also Gestapo staying in them, and her parents were as glacial as they were glamorous — she often says that as a child she was kissed only once.

At 18, fresh out of the convent, she married Edouard de Ribes, and a particularly flamboyant uncle took her to buy some dresses at Christian Dior (“I’m the last customer on Earth who remembers the actual Christian Dior,” she points out). What followed was a lifetime of haute couture patronage (Dior, Jean Desses, Emanuel Ungaro, Yves Saint Laurent) and attendance at a never-ending cycle of charity galas and bals masqués.

De Ribes is unusually beautiful, with a long, graceful neck and a big, distinctive nose that inspired Richard Avedon (who photographed her dozens of times at the suggestion of Diana Vreeland) to express pity for all the other girls in the world with noses less extreme. Soon, lots of people were calling her Nefertiti.

As a fashion client, she could be quite imperial. “I always wanted bigger sleeves or shorter sleeves,” she says. “And they always said okay. They knew that Monsieur Saint Laurent would always agree with me.” Then, at age 53, de Ribes began her own label, picking up clients in America (Barbara Walters, for one), Tokyo, and elsewhere with a collection that matched her lifestyle: black-tie dresses with long sleeves and necklines, but also suggestive panels of sheer black lace. When her family refused to invest, she found backers on her own.

A few years ago, Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute were invited to lunch at her Parisian hôtel particulier and discovered an astonishing cache of perfectly preserved couture. On November 19, an exhibition opens featuring clothes from all the major couture houses as well as from her own line.

At 86, the countess is a great-grandmother of three and still quite busy in Paris. She was widowed several years ago and mourns her husband deeply. “My real admirer was my husband,” she says. “He was wonderful, and I am just so sad without him every single day.” She still keeps up with fashion (she likes the new team at Valentino) and has lots to say about style. Like on the topic of vulgarity: “First of all, loudness in general is vulgar. You can have loudness in so many ways. The way you move, the way you talk. If you laugh too loudly, it’s vulgar.” And on sex appeal: “You must remember that you’re never going to be sexy for everyone. You are sexy for someone, and for someone else you are not. Being totally nude is not sexy. The art of being sexy is to suggest. To let people have fantasy.”

Asked whether, in all her titled years, she ever made a fashion mistake, she has this to say: “My mirror is my best adviser. Once I did make a mistake. There was a great hairdresser in Paris named Alexandre, and he was going to have a story on him in Life magazine. He said, ‘Could you give me the great favor that I will do your hair in front of the camera of Life?’ But then, after, when I saw the pictures, I discovered that I had hair up in the air and I was covered with too many diamonds! I only did it to be nice to him. And I hope he was happy.”

The Met show is a couture lover’s dream. These clothes were made perfectly, and they were worn in the context for which they were intended, a context that doesn’t really exist anymore. No one would’ve thought to whip out cameras at the parties de Ribes attended for most of her life, an idea almost inconceivable in an age when the whole point of fashion can sometimes feel like providing fodder for Instagram. There was never an ounce of democracy in any piece of this wardrobe, and now here it is, available for the world to lay eyes on. “My upbringing was always to be discreet,” de Ribes says. “When you are an aristocrat, you are not supposed to be in the press, so of course for me, this thing of being in a museum makes me go back in time — for the past 20 years, I have been very calm, and now to go back in the press when you are an old lady — I will just say that it is a very wonderful feeling.”

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If you've ever met Rebecca Hamilton, you'll have noticed her shoes.

Hamilton, who has been Louisiana's state librarian since then-Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu appointed her in 2005, is a woman who believes in the transformative power of a good pair of high heels. Rows of brightly colored footwear serve as a kind of crown molding in her Baton Rouge home's walk-in closet.

"When the world exploded in 2005 (when Hurricane Katrina hit), and I lost 30 libraries, we were going to work, work, work, go home and shower, go back and work more," Hamilton recalled during a recent interview. "If it wasn't for the ability to put on red lipstick and good shoes, I would have died. They made me feel powerful, and then I became known for them."

Standing at attention two rows deep, they swirl around a carefully curated closet featuring everything from a color-coordinated line of dresses and designer handbags to thrifted costume jewelry and a black leather jacket from her favorite punk rock band, X. In its own way, Hamilton's closet is like a study for the rest of her home: A little bit of glam, a lot of quirk.

"It's my goal to get people away from that 'schoolmarm' idea of librarians," she said.

And there is no schoolmarm living at Hamilton's home, which can be found just off Highland Road in a small neighborhood, chosen for its woodiness and the small lake that wraps around much of the back yard. It's here where Hamilton comes to escape from long workdays, like those spent preparing for the Louisiana Book Festival coming up on Oct. 31. She'll kick off her heels and place them neatly back in the closet before selecting one of her vinyl records, working on her documentary about punk music in Baton Rouge or playing with the cats she's rescued and occasionally fosters.

"It feels like the country back here. ... There are bats in those trees ... I've got a king snake that lives in my rose bush, and the little boys like to fish in the lake," she said of the neighborhood.

Growing up in a small house on her family's West Baton Rouge farm, Hamilton feels most at home in a cozy, approachable space.

"When people come here, they're not afraid to touch stuff," she said. "If it looks old and expensive, it is, but in general, I want people to come in and feel comfortable. ... If it gets scuffed, it just gives it a little bit of character."

The house was built in 1997, so it was basically move-in ready by the time Hamilton snapped it off the market in 2009. She switched a few wall colors, but otherwise got right to work showcasing her eclectic taste.

The only things bought together, she said, were the living room sofa and chairs. There are still a few things she'd like to update, like the kitchen appliances and a few wall colors, but those decisions are still to come.

"You'll see that my style is that I have no style. It's like, 'Oh, that's pretty, I'll just put that over there,'" she said. "It's a real mismatch."

Art pieces and a collection of small jewelry boxes reflect Hamilton's travels. One large piece — a tapestry-like canvas of shaved tree bark colored with mud, crushed berries and flowers — encompasses almost an entire wall in the entryway.

"As I find new pieces of art, it sometimes changes the layout," she said. "I'm always moving stuff around."

From replica Moroccan lamps to silvery-purple velvet chairs and stacks of music and fashion magazines, the living room beckons guests at the end of that long hallway filled with art and an iron church-like pew. The mirrored dining room table is anchored by a formal vintage carpet. A card catalog cabinet, which Hamilton snapped up when a library had tossed it out on the curb, holds bottles of wine in each drawer.

"I've literally been carrying things around since about 1995, stuff I've bought here and there," she said. "I have a big Christmas party every December, and it's fun to see people sitting, moving stuff. They don't feel like it's too formal or whatever. Like Henry Rollins in Black Flag: 'Hang your hat/ put your feet up.'"

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