Every January In Style magazine provides readers with "The Hot List" for the upcoming year. Last year, In Style predicted that one of the hot items for 2003 would be home karaoke machines. Louis Vuitton’s Eye Love bags -- you saw them on every arm this summer. Electric cars, big hair and videophones were on last year’s list. "Today" contributor and In Style magzine's Charla Krupp shares a sneak peek at the items you will be obsessed with in 2004:
The item most likely to catch fire:
An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) flat screen TV disguised as a framed wall mirror when not in use. This brilliant idea just introduced by Philips Electronics will be available for home use in 2004. To order you can e-mail: philips.itv@philips.com. It can be used as a mirror plus a TV at the same time, so eventually, we will be able to watch "Today" and do our makeup simultaneously. The sleek and silver frame model is $2,500. These run up to $5,500 and can be custom made to match any décor. For more info, call 800-531-0039 or go to www.itv.philips.com.
Does everyone know what DIY means?
Do it yourself. Now that there are more than 30 shows on TV about home decorating, we are more inspired than ever to transform our surroundings. Now you can even lay your own carpet! It’s $7-10 for a 19 1/2 inch square. A five by seven room will cost $130-150 -- comparable to nylon broadloom wall-to-wall, but you don’t pay any installation charges as anyone can install this with a Stanley carpet knife. Flor squares from Interfaceflor allow your creativity to come through because you can choose your own colors and patterns. It's a great solution for a den, office, kid’s rooms, family rooms, dorm room. And if you spill coffee or wine on a square? You can pick it up, wash it or just replace that square. The squares just came out this year, so they're not widely available in retail stores yet. But you can buy them off their Web site: www.Interfaceflor.com. Or call for a catalogue: 866-281-3567. Now that you know about DIY, here’s the latest in PBN: Paint By Numbers. Paint by numbers oil paintings have been a hot flea market find. Now you can paint your own portrait by numbers. Just send a photo or jpeg to the 1-2-3 Art Company, and in three weeks, you’ll receive your kit: two outlines, two brushes, 42 colors of acrylic paint. On a cold winter night, it’s more gratifying than doing a puzzle. They're great for pet lovers. It's too late for this Christmas, but you can order it for next year. They start at $50 plus shipping. Order online: www.easy123art.com.
What’s up with the '50s theme?
Baby Boomer nostalgia! Even for Tupperware -- it’s cool again. There's a February PBS special on the cultural phenomenon of Tupperware parties narrated by Kathy Bates. (Reese Witherspoon loves the stuff.) Tupperware is finally getting the credit it deserves for coming up with the party at home selling concept. Post WWII, it was one of the only ways that women could make decent money on their own time. Now, you don’t have to be invited to a party, just go online to buy groovy kitchenware like silicone Magic Baking Forms. They squish into a crowded cupboard, and can go in the oven, microwave and freezer. From $27.50-$32 each at www.tupperware.com or call 888-TUPWARE.
A box (not bottle) of wine:
Boxed wine has been around since we were in college, but it’s never gotten any respect until now. The awards are pouring in for the wine from Delicato Family Vineyards, now available in the economical and practical Bota Box. For just $18, you get the equivalent of four bottles of wine -- and it stays fresh for one and a half months! That comes to $4.50 a bottle for award-winning wine. The time may have come for the box of wine now that corks have been getting a bad rap. (Tainted corks have spoiled some wines and vintners are looking for alternative ways to “cork it”). Find this great value at your local grocery or liquor store, or call 800-924-2024. (As of January 12, you can buy directly from www.delicato.com.)
Pomegranates are the hot fruit.
These beauties are only available from October to late December, so buy now. They’re so versatile for decorating, eating, drinking, and they’re even the star product in body washes, scrubs and candles from Origins. On the health front, pomegranate juice has been found to have more anti-oxidants than even green tea, cranberry juice, wine and orange juice. Drinking pomegranate juice has never been easier now that you don’t have to juice it yourself. Pom Wonderful is available in grocery stores in five flavors. Pomegranates can take the place of flowers as a centerpiece. Here’s an In Style tip: Put oil on the skin first so that the color really pops. And, It’s okay to eat the seeds. This ancient fruit is finally getting its day in the sun. (Pom Wonderful. $19.90 for six 15.2 oz bottles; www.pomwonderful.com.) P.S. -- Some scholars say that it was a pomegranate, not an apple, that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.Origins Pomegranate Collection for Bath and Body at Origins stores or origins.com. Wash: $15; Polish: $30; Glow: $22.50; Candles, 4x4, $16.50.
The must-have bag for 2004:
The Trigger Tote from Monica Botkier has so many separate zippered compartments, you’re ready on the trigger when your cell phone rings. Also, with your keys, pen, makeup bag, water bottle, Palm Pilot, even your dog fits into the middle section. Finally, a bag with separate compartments for your evening shoes or sneakers! Gwyneth Paltrow received one as a birthday gift. Sarah Jessica Parker, Beyonce, Demi, and Angela Bassett have them. Pewter and silver metallic leathers are new for spring. They range from $250-495. (At www.botkier.com.)
Charla Krupp of In Style magazine has been a beauty and fashion contributor to “Today” going on eight years in a segment that’s followed her from In Style magazine to Glamour (as beauty director) to eve.com (as editor-in-chief and vice president) and back to In Style. She’s an award-winning journalist known for her accessible, “real woman’s” approach to fashion and beauty. For more information you can call 888-689-1643 or visit the In Style Web site at: www.InStyle.com or pick up the latest issue of In Style magazine on newsstands now. You can read the entire "What's Hot" list in the January issue of the magazine.