Crosses to Bear, Major Hair

A glance at a few new videos gives some good pointers for summer style. Shorter hair and lots of silver crosses are among the leading looks for guys. Major “dos” to wear with cut-offs are a new twist for girls. David Bowie, Jon Bon Jovi and Jade, the all-girl group, are some names influencing the new styles.

Shiny Suits: David Bowie jumps off a building in his video, “Jump They Say,” but he sure looks good doing it. Bowie takes the leap in an indigo raw silk suit--with a bit of a sheen and a relaxed silhouette--that looks fresh from the most current men’s departments. This video is the first from his newest album, “Black Tie White Noise.”

Bowie’s dress style for the entire album is ‘40s-inspired, says Kate Harrington, Bowie’s stylist. She scoured Paramount, Palace and Western Costume in Los Angeles, doing research. Then she had suits made for him in a slightly slouchy ‘40s cut, using shiny ‘50s fabrics including gray and black shark skin and nubby silk. She refers to the look as, “from the Little Richard period.”

Short Cuts: Jon Bon Jovi’s new haircut is making waves in the rock business. It used to fall to the middle of his back, but now it clears his shoulders. And contrary to some reports, it wasn’t his father, a retired hairdresser, who cut it.

Helena Occhipinti did. She styles hair for fashion shows and works from the Oribe salon in New York. Occhipinti says Bon Jovi has inspired followers. “Guys who’ve had long hair all their lives are now coming in to get this haircut. It’s still long, but it’s not hiding-behind-your-hair hair.”

Bon Jovi’s new video, “In These Arms,” could start a few more trends. There is less leather and studs, more creative dressing here. His tapestry jeans are made up of upholstery fabric from Diamond Foam on La Brea Avenue.

Cross Dressing: Why are so many male rockers wearing crosses now?

“They have mass appeal,” quips Miss Rita, the jeweler who made some of Madonna’s earliest crosses, and sells her work at Fred Segal, Maxfield and Tiziana. “Guys are wearing them because it’s an OK thing. There’s no gender problem. It’s cool.”

Some current examples: Axl Rose in “Dead Horse,” Bobby Brown in “That’s the Way Love Is” and PM Dawn in “Looking Through Patient Eyes.” Bon Jovi’s guitarist, Richie Sambora, wears them in multiples, by jeweler Loree Rodkin who sells at Maxfield.

Hair Apparent: The hottest female group trend of the moment combines important hair with cropped athletic shirts.

In their “Don’t Walk Away” video, members of Jade wear hairstyles of braids with extensions that take one to two days to finish. Their outfits consist of athletic shirts, rolled shorts, patent leather boots, tank tops and dog tags. Runner-up in the hair department: Janet Jackson’s girlfriends, in the new “That’s the Way Love Goes.” They get points for making ‘70s hot pants, choker necklaces and crochet tops look contemporary, thanks to their new hairstyles--they didn’t fall into the trap of repeating those ugly-as-sin hairstyles of the disco era.