THE STYLE FILES: THE PLAYERS : You Know the Type. . .
Is there a Southern California Look?
People from other parts of the country might say it’s the surfer dude.
But a closer look at the local fashion traffic turns up as many indigenous styles as categories of vegetarians: the party girl, the hippie / homeboy, the Ivy league agent, the rock star wife, the serious young actress . . ..
Stereotypes, perhaps. But eat lunch at the slick Maple Drive restaurant in Beverly Hills, and get a lesson in power dressing, agent style.
You’d better look fast, though.
Who’s to say that today’s meat-eating agent won’t be tomorrow’s tofu-loving hippie?
1) Party Girl
Shops Joss, Theodore, BCIG; would be lost without Azzedine Alaia black net bodysuit, Versace high-heeled sandals, Prada thigh-high boots; still uses hair spray; wasn’t aware miniskirts had ever gone out of style; has practiced 7-step lipstick process (foundation, pencil, lipstick, blot, loose powder, reapply, reblot) since age 12.
2) Serious Young Actress
Has the skin of a 14-year-old; doesn’t bother with mascara; grew up reading Genet; believable in parts like art-student-by-day / hooker-by-night; wears Emporio Armani, Richard Tyler, Calvin Klein--clutter-free clothes that let her soul shine through. Would be lost without Donna Karan mock-turtleneck bodysuit.
3) Rock Star Wife/Girlfriend
Has a home Pilates system; looks stunning in jeans and skimpy white T; looks stunning in body-baring evening gown (see Mrs. Sting); shops Shauna Stein, Agnes B, Les Habitudes,; dresses offspring like mini-rockers in Fred Segal kids clothes; if from Texas, is borderline trashy (see Jerry Hall).
4) Ivy League Agent
Keeps personal and work life separate; places own calls; steers clients--sometimes kicking and screaming--toward high-quality projects; has found Barneys New York in Beverly Hills and will never look back; puffs on his favorite cigar out on the store’s terrace after a fitting in the Tower.
5) Hippie Homeboy
Lovers, not fighters; think Jimi Hendrix, the Veldt, Giovanni Salah, Lenny Kravitz; long sideburns, wide belts, love beads, psychedelic pants; shops Melrose--especially The Wasteland and X Collection; owner of extensive beret collection.
