RELATED EVENTS

• Simply Halston

Opening April 12: The Indianapolis Museum of Art exhibits "Simply Halston," a display of 33 pieces from the IMA's collection. (Frank Espich / Indianapolis Star)

"Tease" shows you how to refashion t-shirts with tutorials from Amy Sedaris, Todd Oldham and Debbie Stoller. (Submitted photo) (Submitted Photo for The Star)

The Softies Kit shows you how to make 15 small plush friends. (Submitted photo)

"AlterNation: Transform. Embellish. Customize." by Shannon Okey and Alexandra Underhill (Submitted photo)

Hello, Halston

We here in Indiana claim Roy Halston as our own. The designer was born in Iowa but lived here as a boy, only to scamper off to New York City and become a hot-to-trot milliner. (He created the pillbox hat that Jackie Kennedy wore at her husband's inauguration in 1961.)

Halston went on to design clothes, becoming a master of the cut and one of the kings of the Studio 54 scene. (He clothed greats such as Elizabeth Taylor, Liza Minnelli and Lauren Bacall.) Then he lost control of his name and his licensing.

The designer, who died in 1990, is gone but not forgotten. His fashion house recently showed at New York Fashion Week (with the designs of Marco Zanini) and on April 12, the Indianapolis Museum of Art opens "Simply Halston," a display of 33 pieces from the IMA's own collection.

The exhibit is a chance to pay homage not only to one of the masters of design and cut, but to a notable Hoosier. Visit www.imamuseum.org for more information.

Five on it

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I shop a lot. But I'm thinking about taking a break. My closets are overflowing with pieces I don't wear. I'm working on refashioning some old stuff, so T-shirts become new-to-me, skirts become wearable and sweaters are things I don't sweat. The buzzwords for this week are refashioning, reimagining and ripping out old seams.

1: "Tease: Inspired T-Shirt Transformations," by Sarah Sockit ($15.95). Refashion huge T-shirts with tutorials from Amy Sedaris, Todd Oldham and Debbie Stoller.

2: "Rip It! How to Deconstruct and Reconstruct the Clothes of Your Dreams" by Elissa Meyrich ($15). Great for beginning recrafters, this book's focus expands beyond T-shirts and shows you basic alteration techniques.

3: "T-Shirt Makeovers: 20 Transformations for Fabulous Fashions" by Sistahs of Harlem ($25). Step-by-step instructions for street-savvy T-fashions.

4: "Second-Time Cool: The Art of Chopping Up a Sweater" by Anna-Stina Linden Ivarsson, Katarina Brieditis, Katarina Evans ($24.95). That giant box sweater from the '80s suddenly regained a purpose in your life.

5: "AlterNation: Transform. Embellish. Customize." by Shannon Okey and Alexandra Underhill ($19.99). Make a crazy scarf out of scraps or a two-piece dress out of your old bed sheets.

Shopping

If you've got a new kitty or puppy that is as of yet unaltered, you've got a bargain in store for you. The free FixerUpper mobile spay/neuter clinic will visit the John H. Boner Center (2236 East 10th Street) on April 12 and 17, May 3 and 13 (cats only), June 5 (cats only), 14 and 19. Registration is required; contact Donna Brobst at (317) 783-4101.

If you take your hair inspiration from Pete Wentz or fireplace pokers, Nexxus' Salon Hair Care Sleek Memory Straightening Smoothing Spray ($11.99, drug stores and other beauty supply stores) will train your hair into straightness. Keep using the spray, and your hair will become smoother, even before you bust out the flat iron.

"The Softies Kit" by Therese Laskey (Chronicle Books, $24.95) does not teach you how to make your own twee pop band. Rather, this little box set shows you how to make 15 small plush friends, including a hat-wearing bird, an ice cream sandwich or a waddly penguin. The kit includes patterns, cards, a booklet on techniques, and all the felt you'll need to make your own wee felt cake, with a pompon "cherry" to go on top.