Keds, Cutoffs and Surf ‘Dos

In her new column, which will appear regularly in View, writer and illustrator Michele Seipp looks at the fashions that get us through the day.

The Place: Back on the Beach, a place to eat breakfast (omelets), lunch (veggie burgers) or dinner (fresh fish), 445 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica; (310) 393-8282.

Atmosphere: Ultra-casual. Outdoor diners sit in the sand--often after strenuous bouts of bicycling, Rollerblading, surfing, swimming, walking, running and volleyball-playing. Lots of married couples with children and/or dogs. Some European tourists.

Serving Up Style: Tan waitpersons wear burgundy aprons and optional fanny packs over sun-reflecting white T-shirts, shorts, socks and tennis shoes. The Gidget-like hostess could be mistaken for one of the customers, in her ribbed white T, cut-off denim shorts, green sweat shirt, Adidas and wind-blown hair.

Customer Themes: Athletic-wear everywhere: baggy shorts thrown over damp bathing suits, bicycle shorts and leggings, Hang 10 T-shirts, denim jackets wrapped around waists, polished toenails in strappy sandals, bare chests, Keds and deck shoes. Also, foggy-morning wear: oversize sweat shirts or parkas worn over denim cutoffs.

Accessories: Baseball caps, backward and forward, logoed and unlogoed; bicycle helmets, carried in the crook of the arm; visors; wedding rings; ubiquitous sunglasses, including many oval-lensed Armanis; knapsacks; fanny packs, yelping puppies and dogs.

Hair Apparent: Big, messy ponytails bound by stretchy holders; loose manes tucked into baseball caps or corralled by visors. Some short “surf” ’dos for men and clean, closely cropped ‘dos for women.

Cardinal Rule: If thou carry a small child or dog in thy arms, all shalt stop and coo.

Observations: Waitpersons so relaxed they try to serve customers twice:

“Cheese omelet?”

“No, we’ve already eaten.”

“Oh! So you have.”

Overheard: “I told her fortune in French.”