Dance Fever

THE SHOW: “Living Color,” the Fox network, Sunday nights, 8 p.m.

THE SETUP: A comedy/variety show with a deejay, skits and the Fly Girls (pictured), Living Color’s dancers. Judging from the whoops and hollers that greet them when they are introduced at the top of each program, they are one of the most popular elements on the fast-forward comedy show.

THE LOOK: Fly Girl style is the best fashion show on television. It’s fun and funky and not particularly expensive and, best of all, it comes from right here in town. The basis for almost all of the costumes is spandex-based activewear with colorful toppings--flower-festooned bras, satin bomber jackets and zippered bustiers. The Fly Girls wear their suspenders backward and their studded bras on top of their T-shirts. They dance in heavy black patent Doc Martens (from Na Na) and are heavily accessorized with elbow and knee pads. The more outrageous the combination, the better the look.

THE LABELS: The names in the necklines are local. Helios and Van Buren head the list of tight-fitting, body-revealing knits that costume designer Michelle Cole favors. But almost everything is customized.

THE STORES: “I shop the town from Pasadena to Hollywood, the (California) Mart and alleyways,” Cole says. Her favorite haunts are Tiziana, Exit 1, Fred Segal and Comme Des Fous, all on Melrose Avenue. Cole has also found Santee Alley, the shopping bazaar downtown, a wealth of cheap fashion tricks.

THE PAYOFF: Hey, kids, try this look at home. But give it some serious evaluation before you go out in public. The Fly Girls look great in their costumes, but that’s exactly what they are--costumes.