A Friendly Cut : Sitcom star’s flattering coiffure keeps local salons busy as versatile style catches on.

The NBC television sitcom “Friends” has launched a hit record of its theme song and at least one other successful spinoff--a haircut.

The long, shapely layers worn by actress Jennifer Aniston, who plays Rachel, is one of the hottest hairstyles requested of Valley coiffeurs.

“It’s enormously popular,” said LindaMarie Stella, a C.E.N.T.R.E. Salon stylist at Sebastian International Inc. in Woodland Hills, who said clients are hesitant about the haircut until she mentions the “Friends” character.

When the “Friends” cast was featured on a People magazine cover in April, “about every other client came in with the magazine,” said Stephanie Barton, a stylist at Jamie’s Hair Design in Westlake Village. Courteney Cox wears a similar style with more layering, she added.

The appeal of the cut seems to be its versatility and effect. “It’s one hairstyle that pretty much flatters all face shapes. It also goes across the age barriers,” Stella said of the heart-shaped style. “For older women, it gives a lift to the face and updates their look. It brings everyone into the ‘90s.”

Both stylists said the look brings straight hair to life and can be individualized by varying the layers and adding color or highlights.

Holly Sisselman, 19, of Sherman Oaks recently got her hair cut in the style at the C.E.N.T.R.E. Salon. “My hair is really heavy and this style makes it lighter,” she said.

Younger clients like to slick down the cut with styling products, Stella said, but to give more movement and volume, hair is blow-dried, which is how Aniston--who is said to wear Sebastian Potion 9 for moisturizing and lift--wears her hair on the show. Barton said people who wear the cut need to become “round-brush friendly” to style it.

LARGELY UNDERFOOT: Sports sandals are nearly walking over their athletic shoe counterparts, with their tire-like soles and sometimes intimidating sets of adjustable straps and styles for a range of activities--from the water to the street. Some sporting goods stores, such as Sport Chalet in West Hills, carry about 50 styles of the sandals, costing from about $30 to $100.

Jason Ring, a salesman with Sports LTD in Woodland Hills, said he sees the sandals worn by “everyone and anyone,” including children and his grandparents. “They’re comfortable and versatile. It’s like wearing a thong, but with the support of an athletic shoe.”

Will Divide, of Woodland Hills, said he appreciated the casual comfort and support of the sandals as he tried on a few styles in search of a second pair recently at Sport Chalet. Divide, who moved to California from Brooklyn, N.Y., three years ago said the sandals reflect this area’s lifestyle.

“You wear them with ankle socks and shorts and you’ve got the whole look,” he said. Besides looking fashionable, Divide said the neoprene material used in the Nike Selway sandals he purchased ($39.98), “doesn’t make your feet sweat.”

The sandals were first designed in 1982 by a Colorado River boatman needing a strong, but floating sandal.

Nature is a “design inspiration” for the artwork on the sandal straps, said Jeffrey Hoffman, vice president of marketing for Deckers Outdoor Corporation in Carpinteria, the parent company of Teva. The patterns are pulled from books on ancient art designs.

A French designer and a Los Angeles tattoo artist work on the designs, Hoffman said, adding that future Teva sandals will have more feminine patterns and colors, including one inspired by peacock feathers and another from a Muslim scroll.

KEEPING A COOL HEAD: If the summer heat becomes too much to bear, try new products that act like cold compresses, only they look fashionable and stay cool longer. Cool Products for Active People, manufactured by the Sherman Oaks company, DLG International, include visors, headbands, bandannas, wrist wraps and even bra inserts to add a little touch of relief here and there.

The products include water retainable crystals that plump up when soaked in water for about 10 to 20 minutes and offer cool hydration for a day or more without refrigerating or freezing. Ranging from $6.95 to $12.95, the items come in an array of colors and patterns. Linda Tobias of DLG International said the products are “just now starting to take off.”

One of the newest items, the Bra Coolers, are shaped like demi cups to fit on the lower inside of a woman’s bra. “They’re sort of a two-in-one product--they act as lifts,” Tobias said with a laugh. For information, call (818) 995-8470.