Sun protection on the chic

Living in Florida, we need to take sun protection seriously. But as any dermatologist will tell you, suncreen is the least of your defenses. If you can't avoid the sun during peak hours, it's better to wear protective clothing than to drench yourself in lotion.

Finally, designers are taking note. Sun protective clothing is finally getting cute.

The New York Times wrote this weekend about the plight of big-name designers stuck wearing hideous rash guards when they took up surfing. Inspiration struck. Now chic abounds in these lightweight jackets, which protect the skin from rubbing against surfboards. They also offer great protection from blistering sunburns....

Saturday: A new line by Kate Spade

I've been going drooling over ads for the new Kate Spade line, a casual dressy look appropriately named Saturday. (How do you know me so well, Hulu?)

The look is beachy prep, with lots of color and chic stripes. Hello, happy! That is, until you look at the prices.

A t-shirt dress for $150? I don't think so. So I'm using the Saturday lookbook as a primer on how to turn staples into so much more....

Local hospitals help identify better way to fight MRSA infections

A national study involving six local hospitals could answer a heated medical debate over how best to protect patients from the dangerous MRSA super bug.

Screening patients for MRSA and isolating those who have it is the most common strategy used today at hospitals. But it isn't the most effective approach, researchers found in the study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine....

Perfect summer tee (and it's cheap)

For me, the start of Florida's hot summer days always comes with a shopping downer: Have you seen the price of a t-shirt these days?

I'm not looking for fru-fru. I want the basic black, white and assorted colors t-shirt that will be a summer staple. Something with enough shape that I won't look like a snowman. Of sufficient quality to last the next three months. And under no circumstances do I want to spend more than $10....

Diva horror: Upsold at the cosmetics counter

I recently dragged the hubby and the toddler to the Bobbi Brown cosmetics counter at Nordstrom's. Call it a family foundation emergency.

When it comes to makeup, I continually learn the hard way that some things are worth paying for. My most recent lesson came when I replaced by beloved Bobbi Brown foundation, $47, with a Sephora brand that was only slightly less painful at $42. The result was a sticky, tacky mess that I had to live with for months....

Shop your closet: Cheapest wardrobe update ever

My wardrobe is enjoying a renaissance that didn't cost me a cent. I've been shopping my closet.

Like Deal Diva Kameel, I've been in need of inspiration. In my case, a move plus a baby created a disorganized closet stuffed with once adored dresses and tops that I haven't worn in two years....

Angelina Jolie's decision draws praise from Tampa Bay patients, physicians

TAMPA — Just last week, Terri Comeau completed the grueling surgeries she has needed since making up her mind to have her healthy breasts removed to prevent cancer.

"It's a tough decision to remove your breasts, the toughest decision I've ever made. But it also was the most logical thing to do," said the 29-year-old Lutz wife, mother and sales analyst.

That kind of deeply personal decision on Tuesday became a topic of national conversation when Angelina Jolie revealed that she, too, underwent a preventive double mastectomy and reconstruction. Like Comeau, the Oscar-winning actress has a genetic mutation that sharply increases a woman's risk of breast and ovarian cancer....

Tampa Bay hospital charges vary widely, Medicare data show

Shopping around for hip replacement surgery? Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater charges $49,370 on average, while Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville charges more than twice as much at $118,735.

In downtown St. Petersburg, Bayfront Medical Center charges $75,739, but you could pay about 30 percent less at St. Anthony's Hospital less than two miles away. Or $93,130 at nearby Edward White Hospital....

Mother's Day guide: Do's and Don'ts

It's T-minus two weeks to find a wow gift for Mother's Day. A few do's and don'ts:

Do bling: An initial pendant (yours or hers) is fool-proof. Or if you know her tastes well enough, try a statement necklace.

Don't be tacky: Why they sell diamond hearts with "M-O-M" down the middle is beyond me.

Do pamper. It's awfully hard to go wrong with a mani-pedi gift certificate.

Don't work. No matter what she says, she doesn't want a new vaccum....

Disabled in Iraq, triathlete faces toughest race at home

ST. PETERSBURG — When the starter's gun goes off this morning at the St. Anthony's Triathlon, Kathy Champion will wade carefully into Tampa Bay, a slim yellow rope linking her at the waist to her training partner.

They'll avoid the fiercely kicking scrum of top competitors. But they face challenges all their own.

Service in Iraq left Champion, 48, blind and half-deaf, without feeling on much of her left side. As a consequence of severe post-traumatic stress, she fears crowds....

Derek Lam hits Kohl's

Next up in the annals of fru-fru designers clothing the masses: Derek Lam is at Kohl's.

But not forever, like Vera Wang. Lam has released a time limited collection for the spring inspired by the colors and prints of Rio.

It's not only lovely but also already on sale (bless you, Kohl's.) A few of my favorite pieces include a striped drop-waist dress, $37.80, and a chambray pleated skirt, $35....