Training Ground

After a hiatus from the red carpet, trains are steaming back—and stars are riding them to fashion elegance. Witness Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron and Cher at the Academy Awards. The extra fabric "elongates your figure," says The View's Meredith Vieira, whose Oscars gown, a black stretch-wool Celine by Michael Kors, boasted a two-foot-long train. Adds actress Jane Seymour: "A train makes you feel regal."

It can also be a royal pain. To avoid tripping (as Cher did onstage), designer Jean Paul Gaultier advises clients to "push the tail end back with one's foot." But that doesn't prevent other people's clumsiness. "By the end of the night, 50 people had stepped on my dress," moans actress Jenny McCarthy of the Christina Perrin gown she sported recently. "This is the last time I'm ever wearing a train!"

behind the seams

If Charlize Theron looks particularly fetching these days, credit her mother, Gerda, who crochets the brightly hued fringed shawls the star has been seen swathed in lately. "I just think they're amazing," beams Theron. "I wear one every single day." She soon might have to stand in line to get her hands on more: Patrick Swayze, Natasha Richardson and Billy Bob Thornton recently bought several of the cozy cover-ups from Mom for $100 to $300 apiece. (Sorry, shoppers: She sells them only to friends.)...

Revealing an "If you've got it, flaunt it" philosophy, inhibitions-free Courtney Love recently paraded in front of staffers at a New York City designer's showroom in nothing but a nude-tone G-string while perusing the racks for a sassy little something to sport at an upcoming awards show....

Having a perfect body does have its drawbacks. Just ask Mark Wahlberg, who plays a heavy-metal musician in an upcoming flick. He couldn't slip his buff frame into the vintage 1980s leather garb once worn by scrawny rocker types, so costumers are altering the duds....

A dishy little birdie reveals that the rumors are true: Spanish stunner Penélope Cruz will be Wk the new face of Ralph Lauren, with famed fashion photog Bruce Weber to snap her for the designer's ad campaign....

The Oscars might be a distant memory for some, but not for the galaxy of stars who received a gift certificate for a pair of Bally's trendy new $265 to $270 Havana suede loafers in their gift baskets that night. Mike Myers, Cate Blanchett and Phil Collins recently trekked to Bally's Rodeo Drive outpost to pick up the footwear (they all chose basic brown or black), while Brad Pitt just phoned in his order for a pair of brown size 10½s....

Not to be outdone by Mariah Carey, Donna Summer and the other stars of last week's Divas 2000 special on VH1, the Backstreet Boys made sure they were nothing less than sartorially splendid for VH1's follow-up show on male singers, to air April 18. I hear the band's stylist looked at clothes from a slew of designers before deciding on some highly sexy black and burgundy duds from Helmut Lang, Gucci and others. Take that, divas!...

Seen: Fresh-as-a-daisy Minnie Driver, in a cheery mauve linen dress and matching flip-flops, grocery shopping with her mother in Hollywood....

Catherine Zeta-Jones, radiant in chic navy trousers and a pretty print blouse, eyeing Pucci togs at an L.A. boutique.

Sweet Smell of Success
Hollywood's hottest grooming trend has halitosis-fearing celebs hightailing it to the dentist for a tongue scraping. Many stars "won't go anywhere without doing it," says LA. dentist William Dorfman. Lisa Rinna and hubby Harry Hamlin, among others, even get their lickers vacuumed by Beverly Hills tooth-man Douglas Hauck. "You should see the stuff that comes up!" says Rinna. Uh, no thanks.

On a Lighter Note
Luther Vandross is singing the joys of having shed 146 lbs. since late 1998 using his own diet plan. His weight has yo-yoed in the past, but "this time it's different," the 180-lb. crooner says. "It's for good health." And good shopping. "I bought these python pants that are really tight," he says. "They are outta sight!"

winner's circle
American Beauty's Mena Suvari wowed the crowd at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards in a youthful, belly-baring Escada in aquamarine taffeta. "She loved the color," says Escada publicist Susan Ashbrook. "When she tried it on, she danced. She said, 'This is so much fun.' "

DOUBLE VISION
Talk about a fashion nightmare! At a recent L.A. premiere, actress Mimi Rogers and Jim Belushi's wife, Jennifer Sloan, turned up in the same Diane Von Furstenberg giraffe-print dress. Sloan, who did damage control by keeping on her F.A.L. turquoise coat all night, shrugged off the matching mishap: "That just means [Rogers] has good taste!"

Colors Are a Girl's Best Friend
Note to red-carpet walkers: Big white diamonds are out. Rare, candy-colored diamonds that match your dress, à la Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd and Tyra Banks at the Oscars, are in. The pink, yellow and lavender colors, all of which occur naturally, "are very girlie and very sweet," says stylist Jimmy Hanra han, who chose Banks's saffron-hued, 82-carat Harry Winston pendant. "It's a fantasy piece." Fantasy, indeed. The cost: $9 million.

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