THE WORD ON WHAT’S HIP AND WHAT’S HYPE
All In the Family
The Lady Lunch crew and professionals have long collected handbags by designer Sharif. His focus on making items that “fit a woman’s needs in her modern lifestyle” includes using skins in multicolors and textures. Fans sought him out for an autograph--signed inside their several hundred-dollar Sharif purses--recently at Neiman Marcus in Fashion Island Newport Beach, where the Egyptian-born designer made a rare public appearance. He joked that he went into his current line of work because he “couldn’t hold any other job.” Maybe, but he comes from a family that has been making handbags since 1827.
Totally Tubular
The word for dresses this season? The Tube. Designers are continuing their fascination for long and lean with tube dresses made of fabrics that stretch in all the right places--including to the floor. But Dana Dartez of Spot Girl prefers to “think of it more as a comfortable T-shirt dress than a tube.” The Irvine designer hopes her loose but shapely silhouette ($49) will appeal to more women than the second skin tubes some fashion mavens are hawking.
Like Big Sister
The preteen set is raving over long necklaces like the ones the big girls wear, with one exception: They are opting for more playful motifs such as rings, stick people, dog tags and hearts, observes Jason Hufford, salesman at Kids R Us in Tustin. Large stainless steel and gold metal charms hang on the end of foot-long plus black cord or ID ball chain. What’s more, the Tea Party brand neckwear sells for $4--a better deal than what big sis pays.
Pile It On
The official arrival of grunge to the fashion stage comes at a no better time. The layers of flannel shirts over T-shirts over long underwear are perfect on these chilly nights. Females can appreciate the sweater leggings under dresses. The layering effect popular up Seattle way will no doubt stay only temporarily in sunny California, but in the meantime it’s one way of looking dress-down fashionable while staying comfy and cozy too. What a cool concept.
