Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for Oct. 20, 2003

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Oct. 20, 2003 | 8:19 a.m.

Warming trends

While autumn is nearly a month old, you wouldn't know it by the look and feel of Las Vegas. Nevertheless, it's high time we desert dwellers got in the spirit of the season, starting with our wardrobes.

Granted, it's still too toasty outside to even consider climbing into a coat, but there's no reason for women, in particular, not to ponder what sort of outerwear they'll want to don when the wicked winds and bitter cold finally arrive (as though that will happen).

Hope Brick, vice president and fashion director for the Robinsons-May/Meier & Frank department-store chains, offers a sneak peek at what styles are bound to be red hot once the weather cools off:

It's in the jeans

Of course, one can never go wrong by sliding into a tried-and-true denim jacket. The same goes for a pair of jeans.

Serving up some misplaced introspection with those dungarees this season is another department-store fashion guru Kate Rice of the Mervyn's chain whose not-so-scientific theories about how denim duds define today's teens relate directly to the current crop of Hollywood hotties. Too bad the Nobel Prizes have already been awarded for this year.

Gals looking to capture the hearts of Justin Timberlake wannabes should attempt to recreate "The Britney Spears/Cameron Diaz look" by opting for low-rise denim pants loaded with lace and fringe trim, studs, patches and such. The look, Rice says, communicates "a look-at-me kind of attitude."

If the tables are turned, and it's aspiring Timberlakes in need of fashion advice, guys should go directly to the rack featuring the "basic five-pocket jean." Do not pass go or stop to consider cargo pants. "These guys have too much going on to spend a lot of time shopping for a pair of jeans," Rice reminds. The look, apparently, is also suitable for those in a Ben Affleck state of mind.

A mixed bag

Finally, some fashion advice that may actually prove useful this fall: While overhauling the contents of your closets, ladies, don't forget to also give your cosmetics bag the seasonal once-over.

Susie Galvez, a Richmond, Va.,-based makeup artist/aesthetician and day-spa owner, has authored the new book, "Hello Beautiful: 365 Ways To Be Even More Beautiful (MQ Publications, $12.95). She has tips for storing the war-paint supply so it will be in shape again for next year.

Don't pitch favorite summer-suited products and shades; simply prepare them for winter's hibernation. Remove the top coating of powder from blush, bronzers and eye shadows by gently scraping them with a butter knife to remove facial-oil residue. Preserve eye and lip pencils by sharpening them before packing them away.

It is best, however, to bid bye-bye to last summer's liquid foundation, as it likely came in contact with bacteria via your hands or an applicator sponge (um, gross). Also, say adios to that tired tube of mascara, which as a rule of thumb was only good for three months at the most.