HERE'S WHAT'S UP.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Fashion Editor

Feeling overwhelmed at the mall?

Think Santa's looking less authentic than last year?

Clueless about what's hot and not for your hipster daughter or fashion-maven friend?

Read on. On a recent mall patrol, we scouted out some of the still-hot stuff and also some new items on the cutting edge.

Buffy and McBeal go retail

Killer fashions usually mean something high on style, but these little baubles from TV's ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' might help you battle evil. At least they help Buffy boost her ratings.

The Buffy collection includes necklaces, bracelets, rings and hair clips priced from $5 to $12 at teen shops such as Miller's Outpost and also WB stores.

Think Buffy jewelry is kids' stuff?

How about ``Ally McBeal'' pajamas.

No, not those cloud-covered jammies that are sooo last year, but the official ``Ally McBeal'' line of loungewear featuring your favorite ``McBealisms,'' such as ``This isn't pain I'm feeling, it's nostalgia.''

The collection of pajamas, night shirts and drawstring pants are priced from $24 to $78 per item at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and Fred Segal stores.

Pashmina mania

By now you know all about pashmina stoles - those soft cover-ups made from the hair of certain cashmere goats - but wait, there's more. The ever-expanding Carolee Co. (best-known for faux pearls) has a pink pashmina purse that's perfect for the season's bohemian mood as well as the new take on '50s fashions we'll be seeing in the spring. The handbag is $160 at Bloomingdale's in Century City.

And if you'll settle for its cousin - cashmere - Banana Republic has soft knit holiday stockings for $48 in blue, gray and winter white, as well as those hippie-chick triangle scarves for $25 each and witty little Peruvian hats with tassels and braids for $45 (very cool with parkas).

No. 5 is still No. 1

Designer Gabrielle ``Coco'' Chanel made Chanel No. 5 in 1925, and became the first couturier to have a signature scent. While it became a classic among the well-heeled, it was Marilyn Monroe who gave it sex appeal in the '50s when she said she slept in nothing but Chanel No. 5.

Now it's almost everybody's fave.

At least according to ``Guinness World Records 2000, Millennium Edition,'' the silvery new coffee-table book that lists Chanel No. 5 as the all-time best-selling fragrance.

Coincidentally, Chanel has its own millennium edition. It's a huge limited-edition bottle (only 2,000) of Chanel No. 5 fragrance. Each bottle is numbered, can be used for holding flowers or liquor when empty and costs $400 at Chanel boutiques.

Silver still shines

At smaller boutiques (such as Siany in Woodland Hills and the Calabasas Commons), check out the new Brighton collection of silver-trimmed accessories. The company famous for purses now has snazzy black leather cell-phone cases for $53 that feature silver ornaments on the flap and a shoulder strap option, as well as leopard print faux fur totes for $110. And, yes, leopard print is now a must-have for all ages, while black-and-white pony prints are edgy with younger women and teens.

Fleece is fab

Everybody's got fleece, but it's the Gap and Old Navy stores that are pulling rank. They're colorful pullovers - yellow, pink and orange - and have the all-important utility-chic zip front. Plus they're budget-conscious at $15 to $30 each.

Also at Old Navy are women's tees with Y2K champagne bottles, plus a selection of shirts with ads from '50s magazines, priced at about $15 each.

Attention, shoppers

Abercrombie & Fitch is the newest fashion resource in town, with stores at Westfield Shoppingtown/Topanga Plaza in Canoga Park and Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks.

But it's got a limited appeal with all those woodsy, outdoor styles, and not a single leopard-print pump in sight.

Overhearing a few parents, we quickly learned that the store's faded sweat shirts (priced at about $50) are the current must-have for middle schoolers - or at least running neck-and-neck with Tommy Hilfiger jeans and tees.

But the really big news is the store's catalog that requires identification to prove readers are 18 or over. It's created such a commotion that several of the models will be meeting and greeting customers at noon, Saturday at Fashion Square.

Also new at Fashion Square is Pajama Party, a boutique entirely devoted to flannel pajamas, night shirts and chenille robes. The cocktail collection, which comes with real cocktail recipes, are groovy, especially when paired with marabou-trimmed jelly sandals.

At The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, there's a new venue for finding peace and prosperity. It's called Wind & Water, and specializes in the ancient art and science of feng shui.

Other news for shoppers at The Oaks: Godiva Chocolate, the Belgian chocolate boutique, has added coffee, ice cream and biscotti to its inventory, and the mall is welcoming Sephora, the contemporary approach to fragrance, where there are no salespeople blasting samples of perfume in your face. It's more like a supermarket ambience where you can pick and choose from products not always found in the mainstream stores. P.S.: Sephora is also at Fashion Square.

Timely details

Swatch has yet another collectible timekeeper, this time called the Mille Stelle (Thousand Stars) Swatch. It's covered in reflective sparkles and has a silvery shifting cloud trapped in a double crystal over the watch face. When you tilt it, all the particles flow like liquid to expose a mirror face without numbers. It's $80 at most department stores.

Martha's babies

Over at Kmart, Martha Stewart has moved on from towels and gardening trowels to baby gifts. The first items in the new line include cotton flannel blankets and old-fashioned bibs embroidered with the days of the week, priced at under $10.

Camryn's hangout

``The Practice'' star Camryn Manheim has made plus-size fashions fashionable and given Lane Bryant stores a new image ... a hip-to-the-beat image.

Among the trendy items seen this week were denim jeans, size 14 to 28, with decorative ribbon trim on the ankles that look awesomely similar to those in skinny-girl boutiques. We also spotted drawstring peasant tops.

Beauty biz

First it was the nail polish craze (think silver and gold), followed by body glitter. But now MAC Cosmetics has a Time Rocker collection that includes fake tattoos. Not the tacky types we saw earlier in the decade, and not even hearts and flowers. These are called couture tribal types in lacy patterns to wear on bald heads and elsewhere, priced at $11 each.

Yves St. Laurent also has taken a different approach to makeup with its One Love collection inspired by Queen Amidala, the mythical heroine of ``Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.'' Like Amidala's lips and cheeks, the packaging of products from makeup to lipstick is all red, very radiant and very festive for the holidays. Prices are $15 to $38 at upscale cosmetic counters.

Other beauty news: products that smell like a gourmet cook's kitchen. And the main ingredient is olive oil.

The new bath and beauty line is Oliva, made by Cali Cosmetics, the coolest in the collection is Oliva Viso, a miniature olive oil bottle filled with liquid facial cleanser. Ingredients, besides olive oil extract, are chamomile, lemon verbena, orange, rosemary, myrtle, dandelion and eucalyptus. Prices are $15 to $18 at specialty stores, including L&M Unlimited Day Spa and Salon at 1415 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. Or visit its Web site at www.calicosmetics.com.

CAPTION(S):

16 Photos

Photo: (1 -- 4 -- color) Top right: Pajamas from ``Ally McBeal.'' Right: Jewelry from `Buffy the Vampire Slayer.''

(5 -- color) no caption (Pink pashmina purse)

(6 -- color) no caption (Peruvian hat with tassles)

(7 -- color) no caption (Chanel No. 5)

(8 -- color) no caption (Black leather cell phone case)

(9 -- color) no caption (Denim jeans with decorative ribbon trim)

(10 -- color) no caption (Fleece)

(11 -- color) no caption (Mille Stelle Swatch)

(12 -- color) no caption (Baby gifts)

(13 -- color) no caption (Oliva Viso)

(14 -- color) no caption (Time Rocker collection)

(15 -- 16 -- color) no caption (Queen Amidala, One Love collection)