DETROIT - NOT long after singer Aretha Franklin finished belting out 'My Country 'tis of Thee' at President Barack Obama's inauguration, the designer of her big felt hat with a Swarovski rhinestone-bordered bow started getting flooded with calls.

Franklin, who wore a gray felt custom-designed hat from Mr Song Millinery, has inadvertently caused an economic boom for Luke Song's store.

PERTH - THE family of actor Heath Ledger celebrated his posthumous nomination for an Oscar on Friday, but their joy was tempered by the timing, coming as it did on the anniversary of his death in New York last year.

PARIS - PARIS designers spurned the temptation to play it safe during the economic crisis, sending out challenging, fun and bold collections that went well beyond the basic, perennially marketable suit.

Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto dared bankers to go to work in their PJ's with a collection of sleepwear-inspired suits, while French wild-child Jean Paul Gaultier served up jazzed-up zoot suits for the entire family.