THE WORD ON WHAT’S HIP AND WHAT’S HYPE

Hot Tea

“With all the tea accessories now coming out for entertaining, it’s nice to dress the part” for a proper tea, says Vivian Heredia, co-owner of the McCharles House in Tustin. In her search for tea-themed jewelry, she found pewter charms, some strung onto necklaces with porcelain and glass beads ($58), others as earrings ($15) and brooches ($14). Along with related wares, the Victorian tea room and restaurant now serves up more than just yummy edibles at its My Cup of Tea Shoppe, in the back near the lemon tree. “People think as tea as feminine and prissy,” she notes. “But this jewelry is a handsome conversation piece.”

Star Kids

Small fries are hot at the local Planet Hollywood. But we’re not talking about a side dish at the celebrity hamburger joint. A spokeswoman at the P.H. shop says they can’t keep enough smaller-size duds in stock. Favorites: Tees for $8 and a denim jacket for $60, both emblazoned with the logo. “There’s definitely more of a demand for kids’ item at our Santa Ana restaurant than in New York. We get a lot more families here,” she added.

Good Fellas

As hip-hop goes be-bob, the style council is adopting elements that are as cool as Coltrane. Going for what designer Shawn Stussy (E2) calls the “wise-guy look,” hipsters are fast replacing the baseball hat with the driver’s cap. The jazz groove is there, but Stussy recalls the Italian Mafia as inspiration. Though the Irvine designer introduced a model a few seasons ago, he’s going forward with a wide selection of textures and fabrics: wool, brushed twill and nylon ($24 to $32). Preferred way to wear it: backward, of course.

Return of Paul Bunyan

So looking like an urban gangsta is not your style? Then head to the woods in overalls and a flannel layered over a T-shirt and a soft tank. Clothestime’s Jacque Friederichs dubs it “the ‘River Runs Through It’ look.” For fall, she notes, fashion goes back to nature. “It’s a lumberjack, outdoorsy feel with lots of layering of comfortable items. Not the grungy, oversized clothes that are so difficult to understand.”