The Blush Of Spring

Get a head start on Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz this coming season. Hollywood's actresses with the keenest sense of style, like the rest of the fashion-focused world, are no doubt going to be paying close attention to the following trends as spring rolls around:

THINK PINK
Attention, Molly Ringwald fans! Fashion designers want women to be pretty in pink this spring. Carolina Herrera is cutting jackets in pink leather. And Donna Karan is selling pale cashmere T-shirts and floating chiffon gowns. But the most surprising purveyor of pink has got to be Helmut Lang. The starkly minimalist Austrian is serving up rose-hued silk coats and men's trousers. ''You so expect him to do the black, white, and gray thing,'' says stylist Wendy Schecter, who dresses Parker Posey and Ben Stiller. ''Pink will be a great accent color.''

COOL THE CATCALLS
Despite the uproar over her nude scene in the Broadway show The Blue Room, the fact remains that Nicole Kidman does wear clothing most of her time on stage. The item generating the most buzz is a classic Burberry trench. Dubbed the Cromwell, the $795 coat — already in high demand at Burberry's New York store — is perfect for braving spring showers. Or flash floods.

TICKER SHOCK
Timepieces by the Swiss manufacturer IWC, the International Watch Co., are getting wrapped around a slew of celebrity wrists. Sean Connery wears a white-gold model in his May thriller, Entrapment. Other fans include Jay Leno and Harrison Ford. But hold on a second: With price tags ranging from $4,000 to $350,000, these are perfect gifts for $20 million movie stars — and that's about it.

UTILITY CHIC
Forget the fanny pack: The hottest spring bag sounds like a plumber's accessory. Utility bags — worn around the waist or over a shoulder — are the epitome of high fashion. But if you don't want to pay more than $400 for one by Louis Vuitton, the cool alternative is Custard Shop. Just $95, it's a favorite of Hollywood stylists. ''A lot of so-called utility bags are functional in purpose but dysfunctional in aesthetic, but these look great,'' says Jennifer Kaufman, who sells them at her L.A. store. The best feature? The cell-phone holder on the front of the strap.