Tweed crosses over from clothes to home

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
If you buy one clothing item in the next year, make it tweed.
The fabric, once associated with traditional tailored menswear and uptight Brits, has been looming high on the fashion horizon for a couple of years. Badgley Mischka offered it in a sleek coat dress for fall 2003.
But it exploded on designer runways during the recent New York Fashion Week. Jackets and full-skirted suits popped in colors as diverse as pale yellow or bronze. Oscar de la Renta took it to another level by drenching a stunning silver tweed coat with crystal embroidery.
Now we find the material has made the leap to the home. Elle Decor magazine identifies it as one of those crossover trends and shows it in a series of silk, wool and cotton swatches for upholstery or a pillow.