Trends in Life, Looks and Love.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Jackie White

You're staring out across a crowded hospitality room. Should you approach the redhead in the stiletto heels? What do you say to the guy with the goatee?

Enter here a new high-tech gizmo to guide you through those awkward moments at the next convention or seminar. As the New York Times explains it, you tap personal information into a device that looks like a name badge. And as you move around the room, it picks up similar data from another badge, say, by the buffet table or near the bar.

So as you get within a few feet of the other person, the device matches the data to showcase something you have in common. It flashes conversation-starting messages on the liquid crystal display screen.

"Hi John. I'm Jane. We both went to Harvard."

The equipment is made by a New York-based company nTAG, the Times says, which rents the devices for a minimum of $30 a person. Each weighs about 6 ounces and is similar in size to the usual conference name tags.

I wonder if it works at a singles party.

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KEEP ON TRUCKING

Here is the question: Are trucker hats cool?

They are, of course, the high-crowned version of the baseball cap with an ad or clever saying on front and mesh on the back. They're a spin-off from the down-and-out redneck looks that have been floating through the quirky fashion atmosphere along with construction jackets, muscle shirts and Dickies' work jeans. "Blue collar chic," the pundits call it.

It's almost the same mentality of the guys who want CBS to air a reality show based on "The Beverly Hillbillies."

The New York Times says the trend is not only over, but also the hats have begun to annoy people. They "have the ability to draw venomous rage," one New Yorker writes on gawkers.com.

But having moved from the cool, self-conscious artsy crowd, trucker hats now have a strong following among a certain blase mainstream who wear them with ripped jeans and worn boots.

Arizona Trading Company has them priced from $3.50 to $8. You can also find them at www.urbanoutfitters.com.

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A VERY BIG ROCK

If your cousin got engaged, you politely oohed and aahed over the little rock on her third finger. And then you got on with your life.

But that was the past. These days a somewhat more exuberant reaction may be demanded. The little rock is probably not as small as it was a decade ago.

Diamonds are getting bigger. The Wall Street Journal reported recently the benchmark size of "an impressive diamond has risen from a single carat in the 1990s to two or three times that today."

Brandee Dallow, public relations spokeswoman for the Diamond Information Center, says that between 1996 and 2002, sales in the half-carat ring jumped 77 percent while sales in diamond rings of a carat or more grew 81 percent.

In a recent Internet study, conducted for the diamond center, 82 percent of all women stated they wanted a larger diamond. (And blue skies, world peace and fat-free chocolate.)

The Journal credits celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, in part, with their mega-rock engagement rings. Another reason is older brides, with higher expectations.

Also, technology such as irradiation transforms flawed diamonds into perfect-looking colorful stones, The Journal notes. And another thing _ Internet sites marketing big diamonds for less money have helped lower prices.

On the downside, with fluctuating value, diamonds are not necessarily the best investment. Big stones, at best, keep pace with inflation.

And of course, the luster of newness eventually wears off. Then what do you do?

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THE HAPPY OLD TIMES

As the media have noted repeatedly in recent months, this uneasy world has triggered a renewed passion for nostalgia. We long for things, clothes and foods that remind us of a happy innocent childhood.

At the International Contemporary Furniture Fair recently at New York's Jacob K. Javits Center, an overriding theme of edgy design was innovative contemporary futuristic style, the New York Times reported. But nostalgia and comfort were powerful pushy elements.

A wooden breakfast table had a scalloped top with a daisy that resembled a childhood breakfast table, and a chair upholstered with stuffed animals seemed willing "to give you a hug," said Times writer William Hamilton.

Another strong trend was home theater chairs. With DVD players, flat screen televisions and surround sound increasingly popular, home viewing rooms are a new wave. The chairs tend to be bulky and ugly but the idea is heaven-sent for the recliner chair industry. La-Z-Boy is introducing one this summer.

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STRIPE IT RICH

They're on pillows and glassware at Pottery Barn stores, sofas on the cover of home magazine Elle Decor, a long dress at Missoni fashion house, and women's shirts in almost every trend-influenced retail store at every price range in the Western world.

We're talking stripes, which swept the world of home furnishings and fashion this spring. Here, yet again, is proof of the synergy between the two design worlds, Elle Decor magazine notes.

Some stripes, including those on the Missoni gown look like more like awnings. Others are skinny like palm tree trunks and decorated with quirky hues.

Where did the idea come from? Some pundits think the trend was triggered by Kate Spade's striped tote bags a year ago.

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(Jackie White is the fashion editor at the Kansas City Star. Write to her at jwhite@kcstar.com.)

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(c) 2003, The Kansas City Star.