Milan

As they whittled down dozens of outfits for Saturday's Dolce & Gabbana men's fashion show, designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana paused earlier this week to debate a sandal made of rope, its cord wrapped around an ankle. "This looks too fashion, too wild," Mr. Gabbana said. Mr. Dolce grabbed a rope flip-flop. "That looks more adult," Mr. Gabbana said approvingly.

It's that tension—tweaking men's classics without going too far—that has helped Messrs. Dolce and Gabbana build one of the biggest and most successful men's businesses. Half of the company's €1.2 billion ($1.48 billion) in 2008 sales was generated by its men's collection, a balance few other major fashion houses have achieved. Whether that has helped the design house better weather the downturn remains to be seen, though retailers say the line is selling
"Women are into fashion, men are into style," said Mr. Dolce, in between fittings for the 20th anniversary runway collection, which kicks off Milan men's fashion week. "Style is forever."

Men have more style than ever to choose from. The men's segment is seen as a major growth area in fashion, even as the economic crisis paralyzed consumer spending. "Men are innately not fashion people," says Jim Moore, creative director at men's fashion magazine GQ. "But there's an inner peacock and we know what looks good on us." Luxury labels from France's Hermès to America's Ralph Lauren are opening stores dedicated to men. Online retailer Net-a-Porter announced earlier this month it is creating a men's site, Mr. Porter, with labels such as Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent and Balmain.

Balance has always been a big part of Dolce & Gabbana because of its two very different designers. Tall, 48-year-old Mr. Gabbana, extroverted and flashy with a large ruby stud in his ear, brings the brand its richly baroque element visible in velvet slippers and brocaded jackets. The short, bald Mr. Dolce, 52, likes muted colors—gray, blue, black, beige—detests prints and refuses to wear tank tops: "I'm ashamed that I don't have big arm muscles."

This year Mr. Dolce definitely got the upper hand with the new collection, "Sensual, Sartorial, Sicilian," which marks a return to the brand's roots. A nautical theme permeated the looks, from the sailing rope Mr. Dolce stranded through belt loops to a rugged beige fisherman's sweater. A striped linen jacket, however, was deep-sixed by Mr. Dolce; Mr. Gabbana cut a silk blouse because he thought there was too much silk in the collection.

Dennis Hopper celebrities who are really concerned this is old fashion, ranging from a neat hair style, dress according to her, fashion pants are neat and also how he choose accessories to complement the fashion had worn until the harmonious and enchanting.

Dennis Hopper Dead at 74

Dennis Hopper, the Easy Rider director best remembered for playing whacked-out characters during an acting career that spanned six decades, died after a long bout with prostate cancer. He was 74.

Hopper died Saturday morning, the office of his agent, Liz Dalling, told TVGuide.com. No immediate details were released.

See other celebrities who died this year 

Critics and fans often said no one did crazy roles better than Hopper. For a long time, those roles reflected how he was living.

The Dodge City, Kan., native was a bit of prodigy, appearing in feature films such as Rebel Without a Cause, Giant and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral by the time he was 21.

After making Rebel and Giant together, James Dean and Hopper became fast friends. When Dean was killed in his Porsche in September 1955, Hopper was devastated.

Much of the work he did in the '60s was generally undistinguished — until he directed 1969's low-budget Easy Rider, in which he co-starred with Peter Fonda and a still upcoming Jack Nicholson. It was a huge success — both at the box office and as a talisman for the turbulent times, leading to other anti-war, anti-establishment films. The movie was nominated for the top honor at the Cannes Film Festival, (where it won "best first work") and Hopper received an Academy Award nomination for original screenplay.

Hopper's next directing effort, however, 1971's The Last Movie, bombed.

See photos of Dennis Hopper through the years

Hopper then went on a colossal bender that he subsequently wasn't shy about discussing.

In 2001, the actor/filmmaker/artist talked about being sober for 18 years — and not only from booze. He did various hallucinogens and narcotics. "I only used to do cocaine so I could sober up and drink more. My last five years of drinking was a nightmare. I was drinking a half-gallon of rum with a fifth of rum on the side, in case I ran out, 28 beers a day, and three grams of cocaine just to keep me moving around. And I thought I was doing fine because I wasn't crawling around drunk on the floor."