The end may be near for easy access to cheap, unauthorized knockoffs of designer clothes. Capitol Hill has taken up the cause of fashion.New York Democrats Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Jerrold Nadler took the stage last week at the Fashion Institute of Technology, along with designers Narciso Rodriguez, Nicole Miller, Richard Lambertson and others, to champion the Design Piracy Prohibition Act. During an hour that was one part C-SPAN and one part Style Network, the group pushed for the passage of the bill, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate this month and would give copyright protection to designers' work. (A similar bill has also been proposed in the House.)Unlike other creative products such as movies, music or books, clothing has never been given copyright protection. Designers can trademark a logo, such as a polo pony, graphic lettering or a brand name.

For Heiresses & Oscar Winners

Brazilian designer Carlos Miele's texture-rich collection comprised standout red-carpet evening gowns, and more casual, but equally feminine, looks that seem poised to grace the most-exclusive seaside parties next summer. The designs, cut from delicate fabrics such as renaissance lace and silk taffetta, exuded glamour of another time �-- and another hemisphere. Its inspiration was a nearly 40-year-old meeting between Frank Sinatra and the Brazilian bossa nova singer Tom Jobim, and the musicians' subsequent collaboration. Catwalk highlights included a deep coral, heavily ruched silk charmeuse gown with a subtle sweetheart neckline; a turquoise, one-shoulder silk-satin chiffon top with a flower detail, tucked into a, gray floor-length skirt in silk gazar, and a crocheted champagne minidress, worn over a bikini with aqua- and toffee-color swirls.