diff --git a/demos/selectmenu/custom_render.html b/demos/selectmenu/custom_render.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c2620c3db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/demos/selectmenu/custom_render.html
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="en">
+<head>
+	<meta charset="utf-8">
+	<title>jQuery UI Selectmenu - Default functionality</title>
+	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../../themes/base/jquery.ui.all.css">
+	<script src="../../jquery-1.6.2.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.core.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.widget.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.menu.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.selectmenu.js"></script>
+	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../demos.css">
+	<script>
+	$(function() {
+	
+		$.widget( "custom.iconselectmenu", $.ui.selectmenu, {
+			_renderItem: function( ul, item ) {
+				var li = $( "<li />" ).data( "item.selectmenu", item );
+				if ( item.disabled ) {
+					li.addClass( 'ui-state-disabled' ).text( item.label );
+				} else {
+					el = item.element;
+					var link = $( "<a />", {
+							html: icon = '<span style="' + el.attr("style") + '" class="ui-icon ' + el.attr("class") + '"></span>' + item.label,
+							href: '#'
+						});
+					li.append( link );
+				}			
+			
+				return li.appendTo( ul );
+			}
+		});	
+		
+		var files = $('select#files').iconselectmenu({
+			dropdown: false
+		});
+		files.iconselectmenu("widget").children("ul").addClass("ui-menu-icons");
+				
+		var filesB = $('select#filesB').iconselectmenu({
+			dropdown: false
+		});
+		filesB.iconselectmenu("widget").children("ul").addClass("ui-menu-icons customicons");
+			
+		var peopleA = $('select#peopleA').iconselectmenu();
+		peopleA.iconselectmenu("widget").children("ul").addClass("ui-menu-icons avatar");
+	});
+	</script>
+	<style>
+		form { margin: 100px 0 0 0 }
+		h2 { margin: 30px 0 0 0 }
+		fieldset { border: 0; }
+		label { display: block; }
+		select { width: 200px; }
+		
+		.ui-selectmenu-menu .ui-menu .ui-icon {	top: 0.4em; }
+		.ui-selectmenu-menu .ui-menu .ui-menu-item a { padding-left: 2em; }
+				
+		/* select with custom icons */
+		.ui-selectmenu-menu .ui-menu.customicons .ui-menu-item a { padding: 0.5em 0 0.5em 3em; }
+		.ui-selectmenu-menu .ui-menu.customicons .ui-menu-item a .ui-icon { height: 24px; width: 24px; top: 0.2em;}
+		.ui-icon.video { background: url(images/24-video-square.png) 0 0 no-repeat; }
+		.ui-icon.podcast { background: url(images/24-podcast-square.png) 0 0 no-repeat; }
+		.ui-icon.rss { background: url(images/24-rss-square.png) 0 0 no-repeat; }
+		
+		/* native select with CSS avatar icons */
+		option.avatar { background-repeat: no-repeat !important; padding-left: 20px; }
+	</style>
+</head>
+<body>
+	
+<div class="demo">
+
+<form action="#">	
+
+		<h2>"popup" style with framework icons</h2>
+		<fieldset>
+			<label for="files">Select a File:</label>
+			<select name="files" id="files">
+				<option value="jquery" class="ui-icon-script">jQuery.js</option>
+				<option value="jquerylogo" class="ui-icon-image">jQuery Logo</option>
+				<option value="jqueryui" class="ui-icon-script">ui.jQuery.js</option>
+				<option value="jqueryuilogo" selected="selected" class="ui-icon-image">jQuery UI Logo</option>
+				<option value="somefile">Some unknown file</option>
+			</select>
+		</fieldset>
+		
+		<h2>"popup" style with custom icon images</h2>
+		<fieldset>
+			<label for="filesB">Select a File:</label>
+			<select name="filesB" id="filesB">
+				<option value="mypodcast" class="podcast">John Resig Podcast</option>
+				<option value="myvideo" class="video">Scott Gonzales Video</option>
+				<option value="myrss" class="rss">jQuery RSS XML</option>
+			</select>
+		</fieldset>		
+				
+		<h2>"dropdown" style with custom avatar 16x16 images as CSS background</h2>
+		<fieldset>
+			<label for="peopleA">Select a Person:</label>
+			<select name="peopleA" id="peopleA">
+				<option value="1" class="avatar" style="background-image: url(http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/b3e04a46e85ad3e165d66f5d927eb609?d=monsterid&r=g&s=16);">John Resig</option>
+				<option value="2" class="avatar" style="background-image: url(http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/e42b1e5c7cfd2be0933e696e292a4d5f?d=monsterid&r=g&s=16);">Tauren Mills</option>
+				<option value="3" class="avatar" style="background-image: url(http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/bdeaec11dd663f26fa58ced0eb7facc8?d=monsterid&r=g&s=16);">Jane Doe</option>
+			</select>
+		</fieldset>
+		
+</form>
+
+</div><!-- End demo -->
+
+
+
+<div class="demo-description">
+<p>The whole rendering process is extendable to make custom styling as easy as possible.</p>
+</div><!-- End demo-description -->
+
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/demos/selectmenu/images/24-podcast-square.png b/demos/selectmenu/images/24-podcast-square.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c3e38f3f
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diff --git a/demos/selectmenu/images/24-rss-square.png b/demos/selectmenu/images/24-rss-square.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f59b69ed3
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diff --git a/demos/selectmenu/images/24-video-square.png b/demos/selectmenu/images/24-video-square.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ce50ccfde
Binary files /dev/null and b/demos/selectmenu/images/24-video-square.png differ
diff --git a/ui/jquery.ui.selectmenu.js b/ui/jquery.ui.selectmenu.js
index c0d6fbe40..4b385f6dd 100644
--- a/ui/jquery.ui.selectmenu.js
+++ b/ui/jquery.ui.selectmenu.js
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 			
 		// wrap and insert new button
 		that.newelementWrap = $( '<span />' )
-			.addClass( that.widgetBaseClass + '-button' )
+			.addClass( 'ui-selectmenu-button' )
 			.append( that.newelement )
 			.insertAfter( that.element );	
 	},
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 
 		// wrap list	
 		that.listWrap = $( '<div />' )
-			.addClass( that.widgetBaseClass + '-menu' )
+			.addClass( 'ui-selectmenu-menu' )
 			.width( setWidth )
 			.append( that.list )
 			.appendTo( options.appendTo );
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 			
 		if ( !options.disabled ) {			
 			// close all other selectmenus		
-			$( '.' + that.widgetBaseClass + '-open' ).not( that.newelement ).each( function() {
+			$( '.ui-selectmenu-open' ).not( that.newelement ).each( function() {
 				$( this ).children( 'ul.ui-menu' ).data( 'element.selectelemenu' ).selectmenu( 'close' );
 			});
 						
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 					.removeClass( 'ui-corner-all' );
 			}		
 									
-			that.listWrap.addClass( that.widgetBaseClass + '-open' );		
+			that.listWrap.addClass( 'ui-selectmenu-open' );		
 			that.list.menu( "focus", null, currentItem );
 		
 			if ( !options.dropdown ) {
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 					.removeClass( 'ui-corner-top' );
 			}
 			
-			that.listWrap.removeClass( that.widgetBaseClass + '-open' );
+			that.listWrap.removeClass( 'ui-selectmenu-open' );
 			this.opened = false;
 			
 			if (focus) that.newelement.focus();
