What's new is old, and Rocket 898's spring collection shows it. The label embraces retro, fusing the softer details of the 1940s with edgier, punk looks of the 1980s to create a you-go-girl type of line selling for $24 to $60. Here's a look at some of the collection's themes:
Street Goddess: Ripped hemlines, dark colors, graffiti prints, micro-minis and short shorts combine for that body-baring, bad-girl look straight from the '80s.
Glamour and Gloss: Halter, one-shoulder and tube tops in orange and bright pink are paired with those satin hoodie jackets no roller skater was without 25 years ago.
Nudies and Nylons: Subtle is still sexy. Delicate crochets, knits and silks in neutral colors pare down the in-your-face appeal of the punk look. Lots of 1940s flowing chiffon skirts and silk slip dresses.
Beach Party Bingo: Annette Funicello, eat your heart out. Hipster shorts in a rainbow palette matched with hand-knit cardigans and colorful, striped bikinis - perfect for poolside posing.
Rocket 898 is available locally at Delia's in Towson Town Center (410-296-9676), online at www.alloy.com or through its catalog - call 888-552-5569 for a free copy.
The wider path
Big-footed babes can stop clunking around in sneakers and forgiving Birkenstocks because designershoes.com actually has sexy little numbers in their sizes: 9 to 14 with widths of AAAA (extra narrow) to WW (extra wide).
Spring styles include a '40s-inspired pair of heels (Batik by Nickels, available in salmon and pink leather or black and white leather, $112); a closed-toe, funky-heeled slide (Wow by Moda Spana, available in seven colors, including silver, $65); and Stuart Weitzman's Bonami, a leopard-print heel with red accents described by designershoes.com as "a cross between low art and high Kitsch" ($190). Shop online or over the phone, 888-371-7463.
Bracelets fix anything
For those of you who subscribe to the notion that shopping cures all ills, Stella Pace has designed a collection that's right up your alley.
The line of Power Prescriptions cuff bracelets combines the power of "crystal healing" with the power of buying new stuff. Packaged in a prescription bottle, each of the $50 bracelets is labeled with its specific talent. The four-strand "Femme Fatale," made of amazonite and fluorite, is supposed to beef up your beauty and brains. The "Complexion Correction" says it can help you put on a happy face through its blue howlite and picture jasper. Moss agate and coral "Get Over Him" is supposed to help you do just that.
There's a bracelet for losing weight, enhancing your career and getting lucky in love, but even if you don't quite buy the claims, buying the bracelets might just cheer you up until the next disaster.
Available online at www.stellapace.com.
Scholarships in fashion
Fashion students, take note: The greater Washington, D.C., division of Fashion Group International (a nonprofit association of professionals in the apparel, beauty and home industries) is accepting applications through April 23 for scholarships and grants up to $5,000.
To apply, you must be pretty good at what you do; live in Maryland, Virginia or Washington; have graduated from high school (by June); and have been accepted into a fashion-affiliated program at an accredited college. If you're already in school, that works, too. For an application, write to FGI at P.O. Box 11537, Washington, D.C. 20008.
Style File welcomes fashion news and tips. Send suggestions to Tricia Bishop, Style File, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278, or fax to 410-783-2519.