Fashion

As a teenager, Christian Dior helped his mother design the garden at their home in Normandy, France. He carried his love of flowers — also the focus of the French Impressionists who came before him — along with him into his fashion career.

Irishman Philip Treacy is milliner to the stars, including Lady Gaga and Madonna. He was the creator of the 36 hats that we saw at the royal wedding — including Princess Beatrice's unforgettable hat. Now the celebrity hat-maker is the subject of a new book by photographer Kevin Davies.

As Fashion Week opens in New York on Thursday, all eyes will be on the Lincoln Center catwalk. But the real business of fashion will be happening a short distance away in the city's Garment District, the resource-rich laboratory that has launched the careers of countless designers.

It used to be unthinkable for high-end designers to sell their clothes at mass retailers. Now they regularly team up with Gap, Macy's and Target to bring fashion to the masses. The arrangement can help both the designers and the retailers.

Brewery heiress Daphne Guinness is known for her signature sky-high platform shoes and eccentric designer garments. Now, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York pays homage to Guinness' sartorial collection with an exhibit of her most stunning pieces.