SUIT YOURSELF : Invading a Male Bastion

Katharine Hepburn and Diane Keaton gave their personal stamp to menswear. Now, it’s Holly Harp’s turn. Not for her women’s fashion collections, but for her personal wardrobe. The petite designer known for her fanciful dresses has started wearing men’s suits.

“I didn’t want to spend a fortune,” explains Harp, who at 5 feet, 4 inches is not the easiest to fit with a men’s off-the-rack suit. Still, she found six styles in Size 37 and had them altered. Grand total: about $1,200. Harp isn’t the only woman who hunts for menswear at the source. Women buy plenty of sport jackets, relaxed suits and print vests at Politix, says assistant manager Irima Banuelos. Women can be fitted for Giorgio Armani’s menswear at the designer’s Rodeo Drive store.

Carol Rosenthal, of the Fox series “The Edge,” buys suits at thrift stores. “I just find ones that fit loosely, but not too big,” says the actress. “Then I cinch up the pants with a nice belt. I usually pay about $20 for a whole suit at the Salvation Army.”

Harp offers this advice for women who want to try shopping in the men’s department:

* Look at a suit’s fabric first. “Nothing too stiff. I picked wool fabrics that felt good to my hand (and) when I put them on.”

* For casual looks, “I went for unusual green colors.”

* Consider mixing casual suits with printed T-shirts, dressier suits with lace camisoles.

Harp credits suits with “bringing out a more assertive, male side of myself . . . (and for serving as) a tongue-in-cheek way of saying ‘I’m a woman, I’m free.’ ”