Style Watch

• Smear Tactics
• Looking eye-catching is a star’s stock in trade. But some of Hollywood’s young sirens, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Debra Messing, are really laying it on thick these days, rimming their peepers with dark, smoky hues. The mod makeup, which smoldered on models at the recent runway shows of designers Catherine Malandrino and Badgley Mischka, signals “a return to drama,” says makeup artist Vanessa Scali, who applied her brushwork on actress Christina Ricci for an awards-show appearance last month. “People want a little more glamor now.” Adds cosmetics queen Laura Mercier, who put the focus on Sarah Jessica Parker‘s orbs at January’s Golden Globes: “Since her face is long, it’s flattering to do her eyes in a rounder way.” All it takes is a few simple strokes. “Start by using a kohl pencil to darken the lash line,” instructs Mercier, “blend it with a brush, add translucent powder to set the eyeliner, then top with eye shadow.” The result? “It looks really cool,” raves Van Wilder’s Tara Reid. “It’s fun and beautiful.” Just don’t go too far. “Keep the shading close to the lash line,” warns Scali, “or else you’ll end up looking like you have a black eye.”

with Amy Baumgartner in Los Angeles

behind the Seams

Some expectant mothers put off donning maternity togs until absolutely necessary, but not eager beaver mom-to-be Brandy. The six-months-pregnant warbler has been shopping gleefully for maternity gear since early in her first trimester. She recently popped into A Pea in the Pod in Beverly Hills, where she stocked up on a slew of items, including a $195 gold minidress with a $290 matching jacket, and a $225 long white ruffled skirt. While getting zipped up, the chatty star bubbled that her look will be “pregnant and proud!”…

Marian Carey’s fashion stylist Blaire Levine thought she had zeroed in on a novel cadeau for the songbird’s 33rd birthday on March 27: pale pink $490 Giuseppe Zanotti satin stilettos with butterfly appliqués on the heels that Levine had special-ordered from Beverly Hills’s hip I Love Shoes shop. Fab idea for the butterfly-loving star, who named her hit 1997 CD after the winged insect, but not an original one. Turns out Levine had to cancel the buy when she learned Carey had already received two pairs of the same shoe….

When American Vie 2 star Shannon Elizabeth ties the knot with actor Joe Reitman this June, the bride will sport an untraditional look for the intimate wedding, which she’s staging on a Mexican beach. A casual setting to be sure, but she didn’t want to give up on glamor entirely. So Elizabeth came up with a Bohemian-meets-Babylon idea: She will don a glittery beaded wedding gown custom-made by Badgley Mischka, but will go barefoot down the sandy aisle….

Seen: Jerry Seinfeld, working a paratrooper-chic look in olive green parachute material pants topped with a navy blue zippered sweat jacket, jumping into a black vintage Porsche in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel.

• The Plush Life
• Leave it to Jennifer Lopez and Madonna to find a way to be sexy in sweats. They’re doing it with velour versions being made by the likes of Juicy Couture and Lopez’s own line, J.Lo. “It’s ’70s retro with a twist,” says Frankie B. designer Daniella Clarke of her $198 hipster pants and hooded tops. Plus, the fabric makes the downtime duds extra cozy. “It’s rich looking,” says stylist Tameka Foster. “And so comfortable they feel and look chic.”

Winner’s circle

Andie MacDowell seemed to score effortlessly at a premiere last week with Escada’s black web-throated dress. In fact, she had her eyes on the prize weeks earlier in the showroom. “She said, ‘I want to wear that black dress,’ ” recalls an Escada rep. “It was that easy.”

Star talk

Call it do-it-yourself vintage! What’s the oldest fashion item you own that you bought new?

Will & Grace’s Megan Mullally

“I have a pink nightgown I got in second grade that has Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Linus on the front. It says, ‘Happiness is having someone sleep over.’ Now it’s like a mini on me.”

Halle Berry
“My Mickey Mouse jeans from when I was 16. Believe it or not, they still fit.”

Actress Vivica A. Fox

“My first diamond watch by Gucci. I’ve had it for about six years. It was like $7,000, and it’s still working!”

Lord of the Ring’s Orlando Bloom
“A pair of old Levi’s, and I wear them all the time. I wore them to a premiere with a Fendi suit jacket. They’re falling apart, but keep getting them sewn back together.”

Natalie Cole

“My gown from the Unforgettable video. It’s about 12 years old and was made by a man named Fabrice, who passed away. It was huge and ballroomy.”

The View’s Lisa Ling

“My senior-prom gown. It was black with a jeweled collar, leave it to your imagination why I keep it. possess fond memories of that evening.”

presto change-o

The Late Late Show host Craig Kilborn has been getting rave reviews from his guests for his new choppy do, but don’t applaud him for the transformation. Credit goes to his sly clipper Darin Birchler of Los Angeles’s Chop Chop salon. Since Kilborn is prone to directing Birchler’s scissors, the hairstylist decided to get a little sneaky. “Craig is so meticulous, I couldn’t let him look in the mirror. I had to distract him by making him look at this pretty woman on the other side of the salon,” Birchler says. “By the time he turned back around it was too late.”