HEAD AND SHOULDERS : Anchors come into our homes every day. But seldom do we get the whole picture on their wardrobes. Think comfy.

Tritia Toyota is between television newscasts and her silk blouse is not a pretty sight: It has been stained by coffee, a pecan roll and toothpaste.

To complicate matters, the KCBS anchor is scheduled to meet the emperor of Japan after work and she has just drizzled glue on her black shoe--in an attempt to reattach a bow.

Amused by the crisis, Toyota ties a stray grosgrain ribbon around her neck to dangle strategically over spots she can’t hide with her jacket. And a deft male colleague paints her shoe with a black felt-tip.

Pampered prima donnas they are not. In addition to making minor repairs, members of the L.A. anchor corps generally do their own shopping, pay for their own clothing out of generous salaries, and often do their own on-camera hair and makeup. Pointers from management on dress and grooming are rare, they say. And they don’t subscribe to the Joan Lunden method for avoiding frequent appearances in the same outfit. (The anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America” recently told W magazine that her wardrobe choices are noted on a six-week board in her office.)

A few of the anchors are parents who take children to school and dash home between newscasts for family dinners. All of them would be happy if viewers were riveted to the message, not the messenger. But they reluctantly concur that appearance, as Toyota says, is part of the package. “It’s not something I wish people paid attention to, which is why, I guess, I wear the same sort of things all the time.”

Visible from only the waist up, pivoting gingerly in their chairs, catering to Middle America, they make easy targets. Everyone has heard or hurled the barbs: cardboard; carbon-copy Kens and Barbies in boring, sometimes cheesy clothing; big hair; too much makeup and flashy colors.

But they must be doing something right.

Consider Ann Martin, the forever-pleasant media personality whom at least one fashion expert would love to revamp (see accompanying story, E1). She moved from KABC to KCBS earlier this year--without changing a hair on her head--for a rumored $1.2 million to $2 million salary. And viewers who contact her “are awfully nice,” she says, most often asking where she buys her blouses.

She personally answers the calls and letters, although her latest career move has put her “a little behind,” she says. “I have a stack of mail.”

The switch has also forced her to contend with a new, deep-blue set, which rules out a favorite navy blazer and other dark jackets. And shopping for replacements has become more difficult now that designers prefer “neutrals and ivories,” she says. “That can be fun for the real world, but not for television,” she says.

Guided only by “years of mistakes,” she looks for tailored, colorful clothing that will “show up against the background but won’t attract a lot of attention.”

Jewelry is equally tailored. “I don’t want people to watch my earrings swing back and forth, and anything too glittery isn’t professional. This is a pretty serious business.”

Her naturally curly hair is almost its original color. It gets some help from her hairdresser, she says. But she doesn’t get any nightly help: “Whatever I can coax it into is what it is.”

And despite her salary, Martin isn’t exactly rolling in clothes: “If you are always looking for something to wear to work, you’re not looking for the fun stuff to wear to a baseball game or out to dinner. So that’s where I’m lacking.”

KCAL’s Pat Harvey, who scored high with the experts, says viewers “pay attention to every little detail.” They recently spotted a ring on her left hand and called or wrote to ask if she is engaged. (She isn’t.)

She is most often asked the name of the product that adds shine to her jet-black hair (only her hairdresser knows) and where she shops. “Just about everywhere,” Harvey says, from Nordstrom to the Downtown garment district, where she recently discovered “great Armani-style suits for half the price.”

Her shopping strategy is similar to that of any business executive: “I have always tried to have a professional look,” she says. “At the same time, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a little color. The viewers like that. If I wear red or yellow, I get calls or letters saying: ‘That’s your color.’ ”

In fact, she says, she’s never heard a negative word; not even after she crossed her legs and revealed that, like all anchors, she occasionally cheats. Dressed in a blue blazer and pearls, she wore what she thought would be off-camera jeans for a dash to the airport. One viewer who spotted them called to say: “Boy, I’m glad to see you’re not so stiff.”

Perhaps no L.A. anchor aims for comfort as much as KTLA’s Barbara Beck in her 7-to-10 a.m. slot. Up at 4 a.m. and dressing at home means, she says, “that I often come in with two different black shoes. I put everything out the night before, just like when I was in school. But sometimes I forget and then I’m scrambling.”

Eighteen months ago, Beck made a fashion switch that includes softer shades of reddish brown, beige and camel.

“All through the ‘80s, consultants taught us to wear bright colors and happy, happy jewelry,” she explains. “I discovered bright pink and yellow are not colors for me, so I just decided to wear what looks good. I think the most important thing is to feel comfortable.

“I’m not a big jewelry person,” Beck adds. “For me it’s an added complication in the morning. I don’t want to think about earrings getting caught in the earpiece or necklaces getting caught in the microphone.”

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Her Barbra Streisand hairstyle, as one media expert describes it, replaced an asymmetrical cut that received plenty of viewer attention. “Everyone either loved it or hated it,” Beck says. “Now I’m just ordinary and I don’t hear as much (from viewers).”

Although the station has a makeup artist, Beck chooses to do her own. She uses a Lancome foundation, L’Oreal black Voluminous mascara and Paramount, a MAC lip color that is the clincher. “When I put it on, I know I’m going to work,” Beck says. “I usually don’t wear lipstick.”

Toyota’s 6 a.m. routine is so simple that she can be out the door in 10 minutes. The clothing she carries in her car--and almost her entire wardrobe for a last-minute assignment to Sarajevo--reveal the serious side of her work: Bullet-proof vest, ski parka, thermal underwear, jeans, shirt, hiking boots, yellow slicker.

Her L.A. anchor attire includes “some jackets and skirts I’ve been wearing for 15 years.” She shops second-markdown sales and outlet stores, and doesn’t obsess about clothing rotation. “I remember if I wore red yesterday,” she says, “and maybe I won’t wear red again today. But I can’t remember what I wore past last Thursday.”

KTLA’s Jann Carl tracks her wardrobe with a simple closet strategy. But the anchor with model-perfect looks doesn’t show a model’s interest in her wardrobe. “I like to shop, but not for clothes,” she says.

She buys from catalogues--Bloomingdale’s and Barrie Pace among them--and Ann Taylor, where, despite a litany of restrictions, she hasn’t alienated the salespeople.

“It’s hard when you walk in and tell them: ‘No green, no yellow, no white, no checks, no floral patterns.’ You go through this long list and they think you’re the pickiest person they’ve ever seen.”

Still, not everything goes over well. One viewer suggested that she donate a new brown suit to the Salvation Army. And a filigreed-patterned blouse, a present from her husband, was nixed by Carl’s agent and the news director as too distracting.

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Hal Fishman, Carl’s co-anchor, says no one has ever told him what to wear. The former political science professor has been on the air 34 years, making him “the longest running anchor in America,” he believes.

Fishman dresses as if he were visiting someone in their home: “Generally, I tend toward a dark blue blazer or a dark suit. I dress conservatively because I don’t want my clothes to be the point of interest.”

In all these years, he says, he’s never gotten a letter saying: “ ‘Hey, that’s terrible.’ Or, ‘Where’d you get that jacket?’ Or, ‘Maybe that jacket will be coming back someday.’ ” And no one seems to have noticed that he favors starch-free shirts.

KCBS anchor Michael Tuck says he takes special interest in his shirts, buying stripes and solids at Neiman Marcus or ordering custom-made styles from the Tom James Co.

Eight months ago, during what he describes as “a very positive conversation,” Tuck got some advice from his boss. “He wanted a stronger statement, more power ties, things of that nature. He made a very good point. I was dressing in too many light colors, and the ties were fashionable but they didn’t convey any sense of strength.”

So, was a clothing allowance thrown in with the suggestions? “Hell, no,” says Tuck, roaring with laughter. “You’re on your own.”