Feeling Groovy
Like Halley's Comet, tie-dyed fabrics are making another pass through the fashion universe, with the celestial bodies of Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson and Carmen Electra hopping on for the ride. "Tie-dye is fun!" says MTV's Ananda Lewis, who wore gold-streaked Ungaro pants to September's MTV Video Music Awards. Adds Destiny's Child stylist Tina Knowles, who recently garbed the R&B group's members in Donna Karan tie-dyed gowns: "The colors are so vivid. It's a real young look."
That's what won over Electra. "It reminds me of high school and the fun '80s," says the ex-Baywatch babe, who made a splash in a multihued designer top at an awards show in August. Plus, "I like to be crafty, and tie-dye is easy to make."
Before heading to the sink, though, consider this. The freshest looks are not the rubber band-ringed designs cooked up at Girl Scout meetings 30 years ago. Today's tie-dyes, with their cloudlike puffs of color, "have a softer aspect," says New York City designer Erisa Katsura, and yet "the pattern is striking." So relax, and let the dyes be cast.
with Karen Brailsford in Los Angeles
Behind the Seams
If Elizabeth Hurley looks particularly dazzling in the comedy Bedazzled, kudos go to the fashion plate herself. A set source whispers that the actress was less than thrilled with the costumes created for her, so she called on pal Donatella Versace to supply some daring new duds—and also made do with some old frocks. "Half of the clothes came from my closet," Hurley boasts....
Though rumors persist about Charlize Theron and rocker boyfriend Stephan Jenkins' on-and-off relationship, the pair looked decidedly on at the Dolce & Gabbana boutique on Rodeo Drive the other day. Theron's guy was serving as her fashion consultant, giving the thumbs up on a rose-print halter dress—a little something the glamor girl nabbed to go with the one-of-a-kind silk kimono coat the designers had whipped up for her as a gift....
The Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines won't be singing the "I've got nothing to wear" blues during her pregnancy. After the songstress (whose baby is due in April) flipped for a black jersey-knit sweater by up-and-coming Chicago designer Amy Zoller, Maines sent her stylist on a mission to "get me more Zoller!" In a jiffy the designer rushed over two boxes brimming with maternity togs....
Is Courtney Love adding supermodel to her resume? The singer-actress was overheard chat ting up the owners of Agent Provocateur, the hot British lingerie company, over dinner in London not long ago, suggesting that she the face of the label's new fragrance....
Seen: David Bowie doing his best Little Red Riding Hood impersonation in a red hooded sweatshirt, casual gray slacks and white sneakers, strolling along Sixth Avenue in New York City.
Toe-rrific!
Now there's help for stars longing to be chic down to their fingers and toes: having designer fabric lacquered onto their nails. Says Lisa Xavier, co-owner of L.A.'s Frank Studio: "Pucci is the most popular." And a fave of Roseanne, who, with Leelee Sobieski and others, has embraced the look. "I'm so cutting edge," says the comic. "My hands reflect that."
star talk
What's the weirdest beauty treatment you have ever tried?
Claire Forlani
"That mud bath at [Two Bunch Palms spa in] Desert Hot Springs, Calif. My God, it's disgusting, and you wonder how long that mud has been in there. I'll never do it again."
Reba McEntire
"I put mayonnaise on my hair. It made it real oily."
The Sopranos' Michael Rispoli
"I had a sea-salt scrub It felt very tingly."
Coyote Ugly's Maria Bello
"I had ACE bandages dipped in mud and hot water wrapped around my whole body to take away cellulite. I was sweating, thinking, 'I must be crazy!' "
Winner's Circle
Lisa Kudrow traded Friends' hippie chic for Old Hollywood panache at her Lucky Numbers premiere recently, donning a cashmere-and-wool dress and rabbit-trimmed jacket by Dolce & Gabbana. "We were going for the '40s glamor look," says makeup artist Collier Strong. "She looked fantastic!"
DOUBLE VISION
Looking like two sides of the same beautiful coin, Gwyneth Pattrow and Gisele Bündchen recently stepped out in the only two existing copies of a Versace one-armed wonder. Paltrow wore the sequined mesh top with camel cashmere pants for a September premiere in Toronto; supermodel Bundchen strutted her stuff in the outfit at the Oct. 20 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. "Gisele loved it," says stylist Inge Fonteyne, adding, "We both thought it was sexy and modern—and more rock and roll than a dress."
The Hottest Place for Lace
Lace is back, but not the over-the-top gloves-to-bows look favored by Madonna in the '80s. These days such stars as Lauren Holly, Cameron Diaz and Meg Ryan are donning little dresses and tops embellished with just a few strips of the material, usually in a contrasting color. The look "reminds me of lingerie," says Young and the Restless star Heather Tom. "I always like my dresses to be a little flirty." Actress DeDee Pfeiffer goes straight to the point: "Lace is sexy." Especially in these measured doses. Lace trim, says L.A. celebrity dresser Ricci DeMartino, "lets you show a little skin without revealing a whole lot."
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