Swimwear Accessories: Buy the Bottle
DEAR HOT: To avoid a wild mix of tan lines, I stick with the same bathing suit day in, day out. Are there any new swimwear accessories, preferably on the inexpensive side, that I can add to keep from boring myself and my friends? --A.L., Santa Monica
DEAR A.L.: Though we prefer the ultra-pasty, mega-sun-blocked look ourselves, you might want to pick up some Zinka Glitter Dark Tanning Oil, a new SPF 2 product that contains glitter (turquoise or gold) and sells for $6.98.
As you may recall, the Zinka folks are to sunbathing gear what Ted Turner is to the movies. They colored zinc oxide in 1986, launching a war-paint look on beaches throughout the land.
(White zinc oxide has traditionally been used by sun worshipers to protect especially sensitive areas such as noses. Zinka Nose Coat, the colorful alternative, is still available and comes in neon pink, neon green, neon orange, green/blue, turquoise or white at $4.99 a tube.)
The firm that’s dedicated to making sunbathing more fun has another new product this year: Zinka Sand-Free Oil ($8.59), an SPF 2 tanning oil so light in weight that sand supposedly doesn’t stick to it.
The glitter oil is carried at Miller’s Outpost stores. Look for other Zinka products at drugstores, surf shops and bikini boutiques. If you have trouble locating them, you can call Zinka at (800) 435-6622.
DEAR HOT: I think I was born in the wrong era. I love Victorian anything--lace collars, gloves, delicate pins and earrings. I’m an ardent reader of Victoria magazine, but I’m frustrated because I can’t seem to find the things it features. I occasionally spot a few things at a thrift store, but I need more to truly get my fix. Any ideas?--B.Y., Long Beach
DEAR B.Y.: Before you rent “Somewhere in Time” from the video store once more and drool over Jane Seymour’s costumes, take heart--there is hope. We are aware that Victoria magazine has caused quite a run on Victoriana since its 1988 debut.
Your desire for those lacy, frilly, traditionally feminine things can be satisfied at a few stores around Los Angeles, including Lavender & Lace, 656 N. Larchmont Blvd. The store features floor-to-ceiling selections of Victorian jewelry, hats, gloves, boxes stuffed with lace pieces, lace collars and cuffs, piles of curtains and bedspreads, plus pottery, luggage and other items. Golyester, 1356 W. Washington Blvd., Venice, and 7957 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, offers a good selection of vintage Victorian clothing such as camisoles, bloomers, skirts and blouses.
And if you’re looking for more updated Victorian styles, try Westminster Lace. The chain of boutiques (in Century City, Sherman Oaks’ Fashion Square, Brea Mall, and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa) sells new, romantic-style dresses, jackets and blouses, plus lace by the yard, children’s clothes and accessories; enough to make any displaced Victorian woman happy.
SHOPPERS ALERT: Designers continue to launch their own boutiques. Some recent openings include:
--First Issue, a women’s sportswear division of Liz Claiborne, featuring styles not carried in department stores, in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa.
--Laura Ashley Home, featuring English traditional home furnishings and accessories in the spirit of Laura Ashley fashions, in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa.
--BB1, carrying all-cotton, casual clothing for men and women from Ton Sur Ton, in the Beverly Center.
Already sick of those “Dick Tracy” trinkets? Just looking to blow some bucks? Facing a wardrobe mess as unresolved as Laura Palmer’s murder? If shopping is your sport, send your gripes, etiquette dilemmas and questions on all facets of shopping to Krier and Stein, Hot to Shop, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, 90053. Questions may also be faxed to (213) 237-4712.
