Jae-Ha Kim

HGTV designer Monica Pedersen can be seen regularly on programs such as “Bang for Your Buck,” where she shows homeowners how to maximize their living space and beautify their homes. A well-seasoned traveler, Pedersen — who resides in the Midwest — sees the potential in taking trips to Wisconsin, as well as heading overseas for a longer family vacation.

By Jae-Ha Kim Chicago Sun-Times September 14, 2004 Michael Phelps may not have matched Mark Spitz’s record seven gold medals, but the Olympic swimmer has him beat hands-down when it comes to style. The 19-year-old — who won six gold and two bronze medals at last month’s Olympic games in Athens — set tongues wagging [...]

Today marks the opening of Chicago’s Fall gallery season. Whether you’re a serious art buyer or a simply a looky-loo like each of us, there’s surely something for everyone at this weekend’s openings. Paintings, sculptures, photography–it’s all covered here. We’ve even got the 411 on a 3-D computer project. You can’t beat the price–it costs nothing to look. Then, too, there’s the bonus of chatting up the artists. Many will be on hand at the openings of their new exhibits.

Some women might take offense at being dubbed a Wacky Chick, but Jacklyn Kim revels in it. “I love being wacky and different.” Though she’s employed at one of the city’s most luxurious spas, Jacklyn rarely indulges in manicures and massages. The tiny dynamo–who is almost always clad in New York black–can’t sit still long enough to relax.

Never mind how good Ben Affleck looks poured into his Daredevil costume. Let’s talk about the headgear. Why does such a fierce fighter have such teeny-tiny horns? Size must count for something, especially in the land of superheros. With that in mind, we’ve decided to dissect the functionality (and fashionability) of our top superheroes’ masks.

In 1976, Yann Arthus-Bertrand was a journalist dabbling in photography. Then 30, the Frenchman, his wife and their two small children moved to Kenya to study the behavioral patterns of the lions living on the Masai Mara reserve. “At this time, I was mainly a journalist,” says Arthus-Bertrand, phoning from New York. “But I began to understand there was a lot I could do with photography that I can’t do with text. My wife and I began collaborating–me doing the photography and she writing the text.”

More than 1,500 artists from 87 galleries around the world will exhibit pieces made from ceramics, glass, metal, wood and textiles. There’ll also be a book sale, lecture series and nine special exhibits. SOFA Chicago touts wider aisles this year, making it easier for specators to navigate Navy Pier’s Festival Hall and leaves more room for the exhibitors.

Get ready for the latest in summer street art. Two years after Cows on Parade won worldwide media attention for Chicago, the city is installing “Suite Home Chicago”–a series of 350 pieces of life-size sofas, chairs, ottomans and televisions, decorated by more than 150 Chicago area artists. Workers began installing the fiberglass pieces at 8 p.m. Friday. By summer’s end, the city expects to have at least 500 of the exhibits on display along Michigan Avenue, on the museum campus and in the Loop. O’Hare and Midway airports will get exhibits, as well. (There were only 320 cows.)

Back in the late 1940s, Wayne F. Miller was quietly documenting the South Side Bronzeville neighborhood with his expressive photographs. He didn’t play favorites. He shot–with equal enthusiasm–the city’s stockyards, steel mills, churches, nightclubs, celebrities and street scenes.

My mission, should I choose to accept, was to test a new product being touted as a spray-on “bra.” I went to grad school for this? The “bra” in question is in quotation marks because Yves Saint Laurent’s Haute Tenue doesn’t really squirt a brassiere out of its glossy, silver can. Nor does the nice-smelling lotion (retailing for $69 per 3.5 ounce aerosal can) alleviate women from wearing the actual undergarment.