Consider the hat. No other item of apparel has the ability to transform one's look so drastically in an instant. "A hat frames your face like a picture frame," explains Victor Osborne, whose signature line of headgear -- ranging from tight caps to fedoras and even berets -- has been making waves since 2006. The 26-year-old Brooklyn hatter has found a comfortable niche in a "weird corner of the fashion industry," and his atelier on a sleepy block of Leonard Street in Williamsburg is a hive of activity, turning out hats for the wholesale, retail, custom, ready-to-wear, and "crazy editorial" markets (see full gallery). Recent credits include a line of hats for the Diesel show at Fashion Week, a holiday collection for Barneys, and even a hat line for Barbie's 50th birthday.

The final evening of a sorely-needed spring break called for a splurge at an obscenely expensive restaurant. Seeking fancy steak and a sophisticated crowd, we whetted our appetites in the hotel room with Campari and soda and made our way to Kobe Club Miami, entering the dimly-lit black-and-gold dining room for a taste of the rich life. The somber atmosphere was enlivened somewhat by the image of dancing flames on a widescreen display and the glint of light from 2,000 shiny Japanese katanas hanging threateningly from the ceiling -- a less-than-subtle metaphor for the seared flesh that awaited us.