Stick to it
Creative high school juniors and seniors, start your rolls.
If you can create and accessorize a pair of prom outfits using duct tape -- or, more specifically, Duck brand duct tape, you can win $6,000 in scholarships plus another $3,000 for your high school.
Duck brand duct tape's eighth annual Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest is now accepting entries. Go to www.stuckatprom.com for an entry form and details. The deadline is June 11, and the public will vote online for the 10 finalists.
Duck tape is available in 20 colors and patterns, including camouflage and fluorescent pink, at most major retailers.
Just remember to tape the sticky side to something other than your skin.
Already a winner
It started out as a class assignment. But the alpaca coat designed by Olga Pasman, 34, of Schaumburg, might end up launching her fashion career.
Pasman, who moved here from Russia four years ago, recently won a national fashion contest by making a trendy, knit, knee-length coat out of luxurious alpaca fiber. She made it in her textiles class at Harper College, and her teacher was so impressed, she suggested that Pasman enter it in the contest.
Because she won, Pasman's coat will be manufactured by Inca Fashions and sold online this spring at www.alpacaunlimited.com. Pasman will receive the royalties from the sales.
While the coat's price tag has yet to be determined, it will probably not be cheap; alpaca fabric is in the same league as cashmere.
Autism awareness
Lake in the Hills jeweler and philanthropist Cindy Hock designed a new 100 percent cotton "Shimmer for Autism" T-shirt and bracelet in honor of Autism Awareness Month, which is this month.
The T-shirt is $28, and the bracelet is $55. Hock will donate 5 percent of the proceeds to Autism Speaks.
Go to www.shimmerbycindy.com to order or see a list of the suburban boutiques where her products are sold.
Fashion calendar
• The designer sample sale this weekend at the High Gloss boutique (www.shophighgloss.com) will feature prices up to 80 percent off.
Some of the designer lines being discounted are local, including SiaHou, Phizzaz and Yana Collection.
The sale starts at 5 p.m. Friday at the 6,000-square-foot loft at 344 N. Ogden Ave. in Chicago. A parking lot is located behind the building.
-- Jamie Sotonoff