Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, April 3, 2000

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, April 3, 2000 | 12:59 p.m.

Lisa Ferguson is an Accent feature writer. Her Trends column appears Mondays. Reach her at lisa@lasvegassun.com or 259-4060.

Diva dance

So much for puffy sleeves and itchy tulle: Chances are the belles of the ball at this year's high school proms will be dressed more like their favorite pop stars than princesses.

David's Bridal (with stores throughout the country) is offering tips for teens to help them pull off famous looks for the big event.

If you idolize teen tart Britney Spears, the company suggests wearing a "shimmering kint top and coordinating shimmering skirt" that expose "an itty bit" of midriff. Pull hair up in high ponytails topped with "fluffy pom poms" a la Spears' debut video, "Baby One More Time."

Copy 19-year-old songstress Christina Aguilera's style with a stain "triangle top and coordinating satin skirt." Also, to mimic the "Genie in a Bottle" singer, make sure to wear "lots of sparklin' eye shadow."

"Outrageously colored hair extensions" are a must if you're going as Gwen Stefani, the pink-coiffed frontwoman of No Doubt. *** "Gwening it," as the company puts it, includes decorating bare shoulders and arms with fake tattoos and Henna body art. And ditch the high heels for shoes with chunky, clunky soles.

Watch your mouth

Swear and the whole world swears with you. Or so it seems these days. And author James V. O'Connor is working to change that.

"Cuss Control: The Complete Book on How to Curb Your Cussing" (Three Rivers Press, $12.95) hits bookstore shelves Tuesday. Meanwhile O'Connor, founder of the Cuss Control Academy in Northbrook, Ill., offers "10 Tips for Taming Your Tongue" on his website, cusscontrol.com. Among them:

* "Recognize that swearing does damage. ... You really don't win an argument by swearing," O'Connor writes. "You don't prove that you are smart or articulate. You don't earn respect or admiration."

* "Start by eliminating casual swearing. ... Be more descriptive instead of using the 's' word to describe everything from objects, work and the weather to the way you feel, the way someone looks and the way something smells."

* "Stop complaining. Before you start griping and whining about something, remind yourself of a very important reality: No one wants to hear it!"

Getting crafty

And you wondered why those massive craft superstores keeping opening up everywhere. According to the Hobby Industry Association, do-it-yourself craft and hobby product sales have surpassed the $10 million mark for the past three years.

So, what are people crafting? According to a study conducted for the organization, older women still favor needlepoint, while paper crafts -- scrapbook making and rubber stamping -- are tops with young mothers.