Gab and Garb : Talk is cheap but TV hosts don’t have to <i> look</i> that way. We rate who’s tuned in and who needs adjustments-- sartorially speaking.

The airwaves are abuzz with the sound of talk, talk and more talk. For veterans Oprah and Geraldo and their many daytime TV disciples (we’ve lost count), that’s hundreds of wardrobe changes a week. And as they parade up and down the aisles, their clothes come under as much scrutiny as their outrageous guests (most of whom deserve to be zinged for the tacky, dingy clothes they wear while basking in their 15 minutes of fame).

Among the latest purveyors of gab and garb are Carnie Wilson, Danny Bonaduce, Tempestt Bledsoe, Mark Walberg, Lauren Hutton and Gabrielle Carteris. We’re not sure how they’re faring against Ricki (and Charles and Montel and Jerry . . .) in the ratings race, but we do know how they’re holding up in the wardrobe wars. So settle into your favorite chair, kick off your shoes and tune in as we bring you today’s straight-from-the-hemlines topic: “You May Think You’re a Talk Show Host Who’s All That . . . BUT . . . Where Did You Get That Outfit?”

Rating: 4 microphones

Show: “The Montel Williams Show”

Host: Montel Williams

Air time: 4 p.m., KNBC-TV Channel 4

The Look: Always looking as if his clothes just came off the ironing board (a holdover, no doubt, from his former life as a U.S. Navy intelligence officer), Montel is an eclectic, elegant dresser. He’s a detail man: print ties--flowers, abstracts and geometrics--always worn with striped shirts; patterned socks with shoes so shiny you can see your reflection; vests with zippered pockets; vests with Edwardian collars; vests that tie, snap and button in the back, and striped band-collared shirts (as seen on “Daughters Who Hate the Sleazy Way Their Mothers Dress”). One favorite look is a double-breasted charcoal gray Joseph Abboud suit worn with a pale blue shirt--with a spread collar so smooth the tips curl ever-so-slightly--and blue and gray flower print tie.

Signature Style: Collarless shirts and vests.

Confidential to Montel: What can we say? Montel, you are all that!

*

Rating: 2.5 microphones

Show: “Ricki Lake”

Host: Ricki Lake

Air time: 10 a.m. (repeat) and 5 p.m., KCOP-TV Channel 13

The Look: In her third season, former heftyweight Ricki has gone chic and sporty, trading in that dowdy college-girl-on-a-budget look. Now it’s miniskirts, pantsuits and sexy dresses in velvet, wool and satin. She hits with a cropped lipstick-red jacket over a pleated mini kilt, but misses with a brown charmeuse blouse worn with a skinny belt over a black charmeuse mini. Ricki gets the prize for best makeup--heavy black liner for glamour-girl eyes.

Signature Style: A study in basic black--pants, velvet jackets, jumpers, blouses. Must be from living in New York all this time.

Confidential to Ricki: You’ve got the style down, now just punch it up with a little color and you’ll go, girl!

*

Rating: .5 microphones

Show: “The Jerry Springer Show”

Host: Jerry Springer

Air time: 11 p.m., KCAL-TV Channel 9

The Look: Tired, one-suit Springer attire that ought to be retired.

Signature Style: Dark suit, light-colored shirt, drab tie, moppy hair.

Confidential to Jerry: Hire a stylist.

*

Rating: 2 microphones

Show: “Danny!”

Host: Danny Bonaduce

Air time: 1 p.m., KCOP-TV Channel 13.

The Look: Danny pulls off his post-”Partridge Family” look with casual cool. On a recent show titled “Hooked on Looks,” Danny admitted to spending $3,000 on “brand-new teeth” and confessed: “I own one tuxedo. I own jeans and T-shirts. These clothes I get from the show.” Well, no wonder you’re stylin’, buddy. At the time Danny was in a gray mock turtleneck, dress slacks and a glenn plaid, two-button blazer--a guy-on-a-date style if there ever was one.

Signature Style: Blazers (usually plaid) over buttoned-to-the-neck knit shirts and jeans.

Confidential to Danny: Stay away from that black leather vest with kangaroo pockets over a black and white plaid shirt--the one you wore on a show about daredevils. Yes, it was blaring, er, daring, but don’t even go there.

*

Rating: 3.5 microphones

Show: “Lauren Hutton and . . . “

Host: Lauren Hutton

Air time: 1:30 a.m., KCAL-TV Channel 9

The Look: Model-turned-actress-turned-professional talker Hutton is a study in simplified chic. Her elegant Giorgio Armani jackets and blouses suit her less-is-more style. Makeup is minimal (pale pink lips, neutral eye shadow), hair hangs calmly to her shoulders, and jewelry is nonexistent. True, the lovely Hutton needs little embellishment, but on this weird, dimly lit techno-set she can look washed out.

Signature Style: Hutton’s array of Armani jackets runs the gamut from bright coral to basic black, notch collar to collarless. Since she’s shot only from the waist up, it’s good she’s gone for the best.

Confidential to Lauren: C’mon, would it kill you to wear a little pair of earrings or a string of pearls once in a while?

*

Rating: 1.5 microphones

Show: “Tempestt”

Host: Tempestt Bledsoe

Air time: noon, KCOP-TV Channel 13

The Look: The perky former Cosby kid is all of 22 now, but she dresses as if she’s blown her allowance at Contempo Casuals. One forgettable outfit consists of a fitted baby pink Angora polo sweater belted over a black leather miniskirt with top-stitched patch pockets. Ouch. She fares better in a long black jacket over pleated black pants with a periwinkle T-shirt underneath. Her hair is up one day, down in a flip the next, and we once thought we saw blue eye shadow . Overplucked eyebrows give her a preternaturally surprised look.

Signature Style: Bledsoe’s definitely the trendiest of the female talk hosts, mixing the latest denim vests, little T-shirt tops and cropped jackets.

Confidential to Tempestt: Courting a younger audience doesn’t have to mean dressing as if you’ve been trolling the mall all day. And give the tweezers a rest.

*

Rating: 1.5 microphones

Show: “Gabrielle”

Host: Gabrielle Carteris

Air time: 4 a.m. (repeat) and noon, KTTV-TV Channel 11

The Look: It’s been a long time since Carteris graduated from “Beverly Hills, 90210,” but she’s still clinging to her high school wardrobe. Casual clothes are fine, but Carteris favors dumpy jeans that look as if they spent the night on her bedroom floor. Better is a floral, flared mini-dress with black stockings and black lace-up ankle boots. Hairstyles range from a modified “That Girl” flip to a fetching chignon that’s a bit dressy with her sportiest looks. Jewelry is low key (small drop earrings, little beaded necklaces), and so is makeup.

Signature Style: Those pathetic jeans have become definitive. So have the oval glasses, which, while they lend a smart-girl look, pull the glamour quotient way down.

Confidential to Gabrielle: Trust us, you can still relate to your audience in a nice pair of pleated pants.

*

Rating: 2.5 microphones

Show: “Geraldo”

Host: Geraldo Rivera

Air time: 1:35 a.m., KCBS-TV Channel 2

The Look: Depending on the subject du jour, Rivera volleys from uptown suave to down-home sportswear. For a serious show on the O.J. Simpson verdict, he wore a tailored double-breasted gray suit with a pinch of an abstract-print tie peeking through. For the silly “Gangsters in Drag: Armed and Glamorous,” a ribbed turtleneck and tight-fitting pleated trousers showed off his well-muscled physique. The transvestite bad girls--Selina (a Susan Powter look-alike), Pinky (a pickpocket in Lycra), Treasure (silicone injections wrapped in a leather trench coat) and Muscles (a vision, though not an angelic one, in sheer white)--couldn’t keep their eyes off the host with the most.

Signature Style: Turtlenecks and double-breasted suits.

Confidential to Geraldo: You’re fab in those European-cut suits, but kick those “Father Knows Best” sweaters to the curb.

*

Rating: 3 microphones

Show: “The Oprah Winfrey Show”

Host: Oprah Winfrey

Air time: 3 p.m., KABC-TV Channel 7

The Look: The trimmed-down queen of daytime talk dresses like the diva she is. Her spare-no-expense, sophisticated wardrobe includes impeccably tailored suits and luxurious knits. Still, we’re surprised by some ill-fitting ensembles, such as a charcoal gray pin-stripe pantsuit whose trousers pulled at the hips, distorting the stripes. Much more flattering is a fuzzy oatmeal turtleneck sweater tunic over full mocha pants. Oprah’s new short ‘do could use a little shaping to make her head less blocky, but her subtle makeup gets points for accentuating her best features.

Signature Style: Her strong suits are her strong suit.

Confidential to Oprah: Take one hard, last look in the mirror for fit before leaving your dressing room.

*

Rating: 3 microphones.

Show: “Carnie”

Host: Carnie Wilson

Air time: 2 p.m., KCBS-TV Channel 2

The Look: We’ll skip the Omar the Tentmaker jokes. Yes, Carnie is plus-size, but her wardrobers have found clothing that flatters. Vests in brocades, velours and damasks layer over loose-fitting, untucked blouses and full pants in rich colors ranging from chocolate to burgundy to tomato. One standout is a plaid vest in shades of fuchsia, gold, orange and red over a cream blouse with bold gold buttons. Her makeup teeters on clownish; a little less mascara might help. Lanky, middle-parted hair with bangs seems a bit stale.

Signature Style: Vests, vests and more vests.

Confidential to Carnie: You prove that big can be beautiful. When the vest thing becomes too monotonous, try some simple tunics or long flowing dresses.

*

Rating: 3 microphones

Show: “Charles Perez”

Host: Charles Dabney Perez

Air time: 5 a.m. (repeat) and 1 p.m., KTLA-TV Channel 5.

The Look: Oh, no--cue The Rembrandts--he’s a “Friend!” Young and painfully hip, baby-faced Charles plays the fashion field with flair, relying on designers Hugo Boss and Replay. Talk about fickle, he’s all over the place: buttoned-down denim shirts, knit shirts, blazers in browns and grays, suspenders, faded jeans, khakis, plain-front and pleated trousers, hip-hop-styled shirt jackets over a T and vest. . . . Perez gets the nod for whitest teeth--sorry, Danny--on TV.

Signature Style: Blazer, jeans, T-shirt--a style New York-based Perez calls “masculine and contemporary. I tend to stay away from too much of the ‘downtown’ [Soho] look.”

Confidential to Charles: Settle down. We were glued to “Women Who Commit Crimes for Their Mates,” but the felony in progress was the court jester-like shirt on your back: a long-sleeved charcoal-gray knit with black and white zigzags up the front.

*

Rating: 1 microphone

Show: “Mark Walberg”

Host: Mark Walberg

Air time: 10 a.m., KTTV-TV Channel 11

The Look: Mark, you miss it. Too basic, too blase describes your wardrobe. V-neck sweaters tucked in; T-shirts scrunched up under the V-necks tucked in; blue shirts seemingly cut from the same pattern (yawn), always with the top button undone, sleeves sometimes rolled; occasionally, a blazer (brown to match your hair, we suppose) to cover up those drab shirts.

Signature Style: Shirts in shades of blue to match those baby blues.

Confidential to Mark: Didn’t you learn a thing from the transvestites on the “Yes, I’m a Drag Queen, Don’t You Think I’m Fabulous?” segment? You need some pizazz.