THE WORD ON WHAT’S HIP AND WHAT’S HYPE
Moore Is Less
Jewelry aficionados: Wyndham Leigh Gallery founder Stuart Moore is back in charge and showcasing the vanguard artistry he’s known for. At the Fashion Island Newport Beach store, check out his latest finds by seven young German and Swiss designers who work with platinum and 18-karat gold. “This generation represents the direction away from the opulence of the ‘80s to the simplicity of the ‘90s,” Moore notes. “Each piece is a phenomenal example of engineering. If you’re going to spend the money, then it should be made as well as it is designed.” Take Ursula Scholz’s dual-metal ring touched by specs of diamonds ($1,880). It perfectly considers the finger webs of the right hand.
Teeny Jeany
File this under fashion faux pas that no self-respecting gal--no matter how fab her bod--would dare wear: the bikini jean, which bares all the leg, hip and more, leaving just enough denim for pockets. Some young women don them with fishnets or (spare us) go au naturel. Cross Colours offers a French-cut pair pre-hacked for $46. “The influence comes from the Southern Daisy Duke look,” says a spokeswoman.
Fly Girls
“It’s classic Americana,” John Beck says about nose art--the Vargas-inspired pin-ups painted on bombers during World War II. “This is an art form that no other country can lay claim to.” The 24-year-old Fullerton entrepreneur got the idea to put nose art on leather bomber jackets back in high school. Now he employs seven artists to fill the dozens of worldwide orders his company, Fly Boyz, gets daily. Hand-painted leather jackets are $350 to $500; silk-screened styles go for $225 to $300. Much less are the sweat shirts, Tees and aviator caps he just added.
Saints and Other Trendsetters
The ‘do du jour sported by models, Madonna and other style priestesses comes from heroine Joan of Arc. It accompanies fashion’s latest fix with things religious. “The cut is a remodified version of the old shag,” notes Joseph Serrano of Carlton Hair in Crystal Court, Costa Mesa. “It’s not as heavy, but more flexible, accentuating the face. I wouldn’t say it’s pretty, but it’s very individual.” Before you consider shearing those tresses, be warned: Fashion-forward stylists are already deeming it passe.
