Trends for Oct. 14, 2002

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Oct. 14, 2002 | 8:31 a.m.

Pretty pill

There are designer jeans and designer watches. So why not designer birth control pills? Such was the thinking at Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, which recently introduced a pair of patterns, created by fashion designer Nicole Miller, to adorn packages of the company's Ortho Tri-Cyclen birth control pills.

The "fashion-forward pill packaging," as those wacky pharmaceutical folks call it, resembles a cosmetic compact with fun, funky themes.

Miller's limited-edition designs (her signature is on both drawings) are "Red High Heels," featuring a pair of said stilettos on a leopard-print background; and "Zebra Kiss," sporting a retro-looking striped bag, lipstick and mirror.

In honor of the designs' launch, Ortho-McNeil made a donation to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, a not-for-profit organization that works toward development of diagnostic treatment programs and research of the disease.

The Miller-designed packages join four other pill cases in the Ortho-McNeil line: "Leopard Print," "Fuchsia Daisy," "Lapis" and "Onyx." Each costs $4.95 (plus $1.50 shipping and handling) and can be ordered by calling (866) 221-1031 or by visiting orthotri-cyclen.com.

Book 'em

Of course, no amount of pretty packaging will make a difference if the pill isn't taken properly, according to directions.

If that's the case, another website may end up being more suitable:

babEbook.com is a "web-to-print, multimedia baby book service" that hit the Internet earlier this year.

Forget about generic baby books, where it's up to Mom and Dad to fill in the mass-produced blanks as Junior reaches milestones. BabEbook is for parents who want to create their own topics to write about; use photos and sound to breathe life into baby's first steps and words; and rely on family and friends to contribute to the book via e-mail.

The basic babEbook "kit," featuring one year's worth of service, 10 megabytes of "multimedia space" and the publication of a 45-page hardcover book of Baby's memories is $42.50.

Snooze news

One thing most new parents are better off forgetting about, however, is sleep.

Nevertheless, mattress-maker Serta thought it best to commemorate the wonderful fall sleeping weather by commissioning its "Comfort Counts" survey: