Puttin’ On the Glitz

There is no one look when it comes to dressing for holiday parties this season--no ball skirt and twin set uniform, mini-skirt or cropped pant standard. This isn’t cause for panic, but an opportunity to be creative and resourceful.

You don’t necessarily need a new outfit, because accessories are the focus for party looks. Update basics--a black dress, long skirt or tuxedo pants--with a shock of extras that shine for a spectacular entrance to any party.

Think “Charlie’s Angels,” “Dynasty” and Studio 54 all rolled into one. Glitz is it--sparkling hair clips, jewel-encrusted shoes and bags, crystal tattoos and sequined scarves--the more the

merrier.

As much as we’d all love to arrive dripping in diamonds, crystals are a sparkling substitute. “They’re affordable, classy and well-made,” says Los Angeles stylist Jeanne Yang, who calls Swarovski crystals “the family jewels of the future.” She makes her celeb clients dazzling with everything from sweet little necklaces to toylike tiaras. “Opulence is going on now. Be a little princess and wear a tiara.”

L.A. jewelry designer Tarina Tarantino wrote the book on glitz. She’s been crafting colored Swarovski crystals into playful 1960s-inspired cocktail rings, bumblebee-shaped barrettes and blossom-shaped brooches since 1994. “Everyone thought when it became 2000, we would all be wearing futuristic, sterile clothes,” she said. “Instead, everything went decadent.”

This season, she loves the look of chunky Lucite, especially in fuchsia and orange. Her Lucite bracelets are her No. 1 seller for the holidays. Other big sellers are crystal headbands and rhinestone belts.

For affordable glitz--presents, after all, are expensive--shop flea markets for rhinestone jewelry, shoe clips, or buttons to sew on a cardigan. Borrow a brooch from your grandmother or buy some glittery eye shadow at a drugstore.

Last year’s basic pashmina cashmere shawls are too blah for this showy season. The “it” wrap now, according to New York-based scarf designer Elizabeth Gillett, is the “Milly”--a velvet ombre scarf sprinkled with sequins. “Before, you used to come to a party and take off your scarf. Now you leave it on,” she said.

“People are spending more money on accessories than ever,” said Jennifer Kaufman, whose Beverly Center accessory boutique shares her name. In her shop, rhinestones sparkle on chain-link belts, metallic clutch purses, Puma sneakers, delicate evening watches and even body tattoos. “A little is good,” she said. “A lot is better.”