Fashion
Even as temperatures drop, the fashion forecast is already heating up as flashy items for spring hit store shelves. The most eagerly anticipated accessory is a pair of Pharrell Williams-- designed LOUIS VUITTON SUNGLASSES. Inspired by Brian de Palma's Scarface, they are big and bold and bear the inevitable LV logo in hard-to-miss gold. Also a must for spring: TOD'S WEDGE SHOE in citrus colors like orange and green. To finish the look, Christian Dior designer John Galliano has produced a special line of SNUG-FITTING JACKETS inspired by Dior's 1950s version. Galliano has cut the jackets out of funky fabrics like stonewashed denim, brocade and cargo khaki, giving them a modern edge.
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Cars
The trade-off for performance and luxury used to be lousy gas mileage, and it still is for most cars. But eco-luxury has become the hottest trend in the auto industry, and the latest hybrids from both Honda and Toyota's LEXUS division are all about going green in pulse-racing style. Honda's new hybrid Accord, which went on the market in December, packs 255 h.p.--15 h.p. more than the conventional V6--and comes with luxuries like a leather-trimmed interior, heated front seats, power windows — and even an electronic noise-dampening system. Not to be outdriven, Lexus plans to roll out a hybrid SUV in April, the RX 400h, generating 270 h.p. and up to 27.6 m.p.g. in city-highway driving. It's off to a fast start, with 11,000 vehicles already presold.
Tech
Why have multiple speakers when one unit will do? The Yamaha Sound Projector YSP-1 (due out in March) is a $1,500 panel that takes the place of five speakers, bouncing sound to all corners of a room by manipulating sound waves. You still need a subwoofer, but it's great for tight spaces and people who don't like wires all around. Camera lovers, smile and say cheese to the OLYMPUS M:ROBE MR-500I, due in January. You can think of this as an iPod with a built-in camera: it has a 20-GB hard drive for music and photos, and a 3.7-in. color LCD screen for viewing pictures. It can combine still shots with music and make funky slide shows that include zooming and panning. Also look for the release next year of the PSP, a portable PlayStation. The new gizmo's short battery life may annoy some, but the buzzed-about player could pose a credible threat to the Nintendo Game Boy.
DVDs
The cynic's adage is true: If there is more than one of any film or TV show, it will soon be a DVD boxed set. So, sure, you can own the American Pie trilogy or Father Murphy: Season 2. But there are better uses for your player, money and capacity for wonder. The great Japanese anime auteur HAYAO MIYAZAKI is packaging three of his sublime early films — Nausica of the Valley Wind, Porco Rosso and The Cat Returns — all with A-list English-language voice casts (Feb. 22). Josephine Baker,
the girl from St. Louis who wowed Paris as an erotic free spirit, beguiles again in a Kino collection (April) that includes Siren of the Tropics, Zouzou and Princess Tam-Tam. Another form of volcanic energy was unleashed in the '50s TV shows headlined by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. A package of their zaniest work, When TV Was Funny (Feb. 8), should prove that the French are not fou in their amour de Jer. This year will mark 50 years since the death, at 24, of the movies' all-time tragic man-boy, James Dean. A DVD will package his three starring films — East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant — as well as a new documentary assessing Dean's uncanny staying power. For a recent expression of dramatic power on a single disc, get the DVD of HBO's Emmy-winning Something the Lord Made (Jan. 25), with striking performances by, left, MOS DEF and ALAN RICKMAN.