Stylin':  Whether it's boosting a favorite team or commemorating a first marathon, many of us have old T-shirts we just can't let go.

Mike Parks has a simple philosophy when it comes to his facial hair. "I like to keep the manscape tight." Scoff if you'd like. That approach, and some social media campaigning, earned Parks the 2011 Man of the Year prize from Wahl Products, a maker of grooming tools.

Granted, men had some 750,000 cosmetic procedures to women's 8.6 million last year, but increasingly, the male gaze is turning to itself.

Burt's Bees is looking to gain sales from younger women with a whimsical new brand of natural products that focus on fragrance as a key selling point.

Stylin':  When the documentary "Good Hair" premiered in 2009, it took viewers into the salons, barbershops and cosmetic companies that cater to the grooming needs of African-Americans.

If the 20-something guy from the mailroom, your waiter at Mozza and hipster music moguls all seem to be sporting the same haircut - trimmed buzz-cut short on the sides, left long on the top and swept back from the forehead - it's not your imagination.

Stylin':  From sales to new collections to happy hours, there's plenty going on this week at local boutiques.

Exercise: The real wonder drug, Part 5:  Determined to lose weight and keep it off, our Dieting Dispatches bloggers have spent a year writing about their journeys to better health.

Somebody get Katey Sagal a record deal. No, really.

Looking both professional and fashionable can be challenging. Just ask Betsy Fisher, who from her Washington store of the same name has been catering to a clientele of lawyers and journalists since 1988.

A story on Page 1D Thursday about a local man winning acclaim for his facial hair included an incorrect city of residence. Michael Parks lives in Wake Forest.

Stylin':  Not so long ago, Raleigh Denim was little more than a fledgling jeans company started by the husband-and-wife team of Victor and Sarah Lytvinenko.

With the price of gold hovering around $1,660 an ounce, it's no wonder there's been a surge of interest in other metals for use in jewelry.

Winter fashions can mean big investments. Slick leather jackets, cozy cashmere scarves and sleek tall boots aren't like the bikini you bunch up and toss in the drawer at the end of the summer.

Beauty books come and go, traded for younger models. But Charla Krupp's "How Not to Look Old" has remained a bible for women since its 2008 publication.

The new year brings new opportunities for change and that includes style. So we talked to some local observers and asked them to reflect on what they see being served next on our fashion plates.

Before

Stylin':  For many college students, sororities mean bonding, parties and a new appreciation for the Greek alphabet. But for two North Carolina college students, sororities mean business - their business, specifically.

Skinny French chicks and roly-poly straight men. Lesbian chic and the chaotic state of style.