The Big Picture

Is there Miracle-Gro in Hollywood's water? That could account for the jumbo flora and fauna on the ensembles draping Carmen Electra, Daisy Fuentes and other fashionistas lately. The new maxigraphics are "like eye candy," says New York City stylist Jimmy Hanrahan. "They're light and fun after you've gone through fall and winter." American Beauty's Mena Suvari seconds that. "Big prints are bright, youthful and colorful," says Suvari, who wore a Roberto Cavalli dress splashed with supersize sunflowers recently. What's more, raves Lisa Hartman Black, abloom in a Gianfranco Ferre floral at a press event last month, wearing plus-size patterns "makes me happy. They say, 'Here comes summer.' "

And in a kinder way than, say, a string bikini. "A graphic print can hide a lump or two," says Hanrahan. "It's like camouflage." Just make sure your personality can handle the competition. Says All My Children's Finola Hughes of her Indian-princess-emblazoned tee: "When I wear it, she upstages me!"

behind the seams

No, that wasn't a 1930s gangster costume Matthew McConaughey was sporting at a West Hollywood hot spot recently. The big-screen hunk was merely making the scene in a slick navy blue suit, pocket hand-kerchief and spats. To top it off, the Jimmy Cagney wannabe clutched what just might become the latest accessory for night crawlers: a pair of dice, which McConaughey kept rolling on the bar while booming, "Oh yeah!"...

Courtney Love needed a late-night hair house call. Love's locks were ravaged by glue from the extensions she wore while filming the just-wrapped Julie Johnson, so a stylist from L.A.'s Privé Salon was dispatched to give her the messy Farrah shag she wanted. During her clip job, Love watched an old western flick on the tube....

Also getting the tress treatment: actress Jenny McCarthy, who simply couldn't stand being a brunette any longer. (McCarthy dyed her hair black after filming Scream 3 last year.) Going back to golden blonde took seven hours, but it was worth it: Having shades-of-Elvis hair "was cool for maybe a second," McCarthy says. "Thank God I'm blonde again."...

Donatella Versace knows how to create a stir on L.A.'s Sunset Strip. Leaving her chauffeur-driven car in a traffic lane, the designer snarled rush-hour traffic while she and a flunky, serenaded by blaring car horns, piled shopping bags into the vehicle....

Sweeping into Jimmy Choo's Beverly Hills boutique recently, Lauren Holly giddily cried, "I want everything!" The ex-Mrs. Jim Carrey wasn't kidding. She scooped up 11 pairs of shoes—including Choo's $405 gold stilettos—dropping more than $5,000 in the process....

Seen: Singer Björk, sporting a where's-the-carnival get-up (one-shoulder blouse, gingham skirt and fishnets), barreling into a New York City salon and directing a stylist to "make my hair look like I just got out of bed."

DOUBLE VISION
The frill clearly isn't gone for model Heidi Klum and actress Julianne Moore, who donned the same flounced Marc Bouwer frock for separate events last month. "It has the perfect neckline," says Klum. "Flirty, but not so low you're worried about moving." Who wore the dress best? Bouwer's call won't ruffle any feathers: "They both looked sexy and feminine."

star talk

What's your favorite outfit to wear on an airplane?

Elle Macpherson
"A pair of chinos, a white T-shirt, a cream cashmere sweater and a pair of moccasins. It's comfortable; it's my uniform."

Mlra Sorvino
"A big brown cable-knit Armani sweater that I bought years ago. I'm always freezing on planes."

Matthew Modine
"I always travel in a suit. It's old-school. You get treated better."

Rosie O'Donnell
"I wear sweats only. No bra."

Billy Zane
"I try to wear the most constrictive suits. And I always wear a tie. It's a respect thing."

Thora Birch
"Shoes that I can slip off with no problem and a black button-down shirt and slacks."

Author Gail Sheehy
"Not a suit! Drawstring pants, so you can let them out!"

what was she thinking?
Here's a comforting thought: Even big-name designers like trendy bag lady Kate Spade sometimes make fashion faux pas. Told that a benefit she was attending at Manhattan's Tavern on the Green called for festive dressing, Spade scared up this multihued gown and wrap by Alpana Bawa. "She bought it because it was colorful and interesting," says a spokeswoman. Turned out her fellow guests' dresses were cocktail length and tastefully subdued. Spade's saving grace? Carrying a matching envelope clutch of her own design.

Showing Their Metal
Call it the Great Silver Rush: a hunt for summer shimmer that has celebs—including Monica, Road Trip's Amy Smart and American Pie's Tara Reid—totally digging mesh halters. "They're daring," says New York City designer Leeora Catalan, who created Smart's top, "and the material feels fantastic on the body." Where, thankfully, it stays. The halters are "connected in the back in two places," Catalan explains, so they won't slip and slide. Still, some have quirkier reasons for loving the look. Declares Reid: "It's the sexiest lobster bib I've ever seen."

The Eyes Have It
It's not just vanity that has stars such as Courteney Cox Arquette Arquette and Brad Pitt getting LASIK eye surgery. The procedure, which improves vision by reshaping the cornea, is actually a smart career move. "If people are doing close-ups of your eyes, you don't want the redness and irritation that comes with a contact," explains L.A. doc Robert K. Maloney, who zapped Cindy Crawford, among others. Crooner Barry Manilow says he now connects with the audience instead of "seeing a blur." As for Party of Five's Jeremy London, says Maloney, he got the fix while on the show because "he wanted to see [costar] Neve Campbell better." Say no more.

More From This Article

Send e-mail to stylewatch@people.com