Clothes Make the Caveman

The Flick: “Encino Man” from Hollywood Pictures starring Pauly Shore, Brendan Fraser and Sean Astin.

What’s Chillin’: Encino geek-boy Dave (Sean Astin, pictured left) is digging (not groovin’ on--really digging with a shovel) his dream pool with weasel friend Stoney (Pauly Shore, right) when an earthquake brings up a prehistoric Popsicle they name Link (Brendan Fraser, center). Dave and Stoney thaw Link out, clean him up, dress him and teach him the ins and outs of mall-like Encino High, driver’s education and feeding frenzies at 7-Eleven stores. Link becomes buff kid on campus but in the end everyone decides to hang with their own branch of the evolutionary tree as another earthquake sets Link’s Mesozoic Mama on the defrost cycle.

Clothage: Stoney goes almost as far back as Link for a real ‘60s look. It’s nice to see someone besides Prince trying to bring back bell-bottoms. With those wide-striped and purple bells, bright scarves and even a pink mesh blouse (I swear I saw that in one of those beach blanket movies), he is the unchilled on campus. Dave’s clothes are pretty nondescript, but then again, when you spend your afternoons excavating a pool there’s not a lot of time to shop. Together they create Link: white-boy dreadlocks, long baggy shorts (plaid for every day, checks for the prom), oversize T-shirts, big vests and high-tops. He is an instant Valley hit. Both Stoney and Link get three fashion stars for looking good without wearing much black.

Brandage: The movie’s strong street-fashion sense was created by costume designer Marie France. Stoney’s and Link’s wardrobes were made, not bought. MTV personality Pauly Shore has a pretty unusual sense of style on his own. For “Encino Man,” France took a look at Shore’s own wardrobe and created a slightly younger look. Link’s clothes were custom-made for more practical reasons: Brendan Fraser is 6-foot-4; off-the-rack oversize is not easy to find.

Resultage: 1. Baggy is always, always better. 2. Bell bottoms should never, never come back. 3. It’s getting harder to tell the truly hip from the homeless, except by tallying the man-made fiber count. 4. A caveman can make you more popular in high school than having your own Porsche. OK, maybe not a Porsche, but definitely more popular than your own Jeep.