pvccorsets

     Fur headbands, velvet catsuits, and silver platform moon boots. You've seen that garb on fashion runways. Now it's time to sport it at New England ski resorts.
    That's right. Ski wear these days can be funky and just as stylish as the city clothes hanging in your closet.
    Fur-trimmed jackets, boots, and hats (either faux or actual raccoon, fox, and lamb) are de rigueur on the slopes this season. Intricately embroidered ski suits, often in waterproof faux suede, are also popular. And who can swoosh down a mountain without donning a velvet latex catsuit, faux leather vest (it's waterproof), or fleece jacket with matching fleece baseball cap? Lounging at the lodge, the fashion musts are corduroy-looking ribbed stretch pants worn with silver platform moon boots.
    "There's a certain level of fantasy involved in skiing," says Paul Turner, clothing manager at St. Moritz Sports in Wellesley. "Where else can you go, dress up in costume, and no one knows you?"
    For the more fashion-cautious, fur headbands, in raccoon, fox, and mink, can keep ears warm and stylish, while calf-fur boots (some with embroidered patterns) can keep feet dry.
    Three-quarter-length tailored jackets (sleek and cinched at the waist) have virtually replaced shorter bulky down jackets on ski lifts. With new insulation technology, ski experts say, the thinner jackets are just as warm as down, and easier to maneuver in - not just on skis. Says Suzann Dwyer, manager of Bogner Boston in Chestnut Hill, "Fifty percent of our jackets don't make it to the slopes."
 If you loved the movie "Titanic," don't miss skimming the holiday issue of the J. Peterman catalog. Yes, the catalog's well known for being spoofed on "Seinfeld." But this time around, it got the last laugh.
    Just for fun, J. Peterman offered, at sky-high prices, some of the actual props and costumes used by actors in "Titanic." Amazingly, almost everything sold out within weeks.
    Actress Kate Winslet's chiffon ballgown - made with a faux pearl bodice - sold for $ 11,500, in less than two weeks. Leonardo DiCaprio's outfit (a six-button wool vest, cotton shirt and cordoroy pants) sold for $ 9,000 within three weeks.
    Thirty-two crewman's caps, with the words "White Star Line" embroidered on the front, sold for $ 150 each. "Titanic" water pitchers and ashtrays sold out at $ 375 and $ 350 apiece.
    You can still order an authentic 28-foot lifeboat for $ 25,000. None of the six boats have sold. Nor has the $ 25,000 13-foot fiberglass anchor.
    But based on sales so far, John Peterman, chairman and chief executive of the J. Peterman Co. in Lexington, Ky., is optimistic. "There's a bigger intrigue with movie history than I had perceived," he says.
    Not wanting to miss an opportunity, the mail-order company plans to offer memorabilia from six other movies in its spring catalog, which comes out in February. The movies include "Casablanca" and "Out of Africa."
    If you haven't gotten enough of "Titanic," though, don't despair. Unlike the movie script, J. Peterman still has life jackets available for people, at $ 95 each.
 Local clothes designer Geoffrey B. Small has moved his Newbury Street store - which opened in early 1997 - to a larger site in downtown Boston, next to his factory on Kingston Street.
    The 38-year-old Newton-born designer is known for using recycled clothing to create street-chic fashions. He's the only local designer to regularly present his collections in Paris.
    Small's new store, called Edge, has a larger inventory than the old site and, with its proximity to the factory, provides more custom-designing services. "We wanted to be closer to our customer," says Masaaki Okamura, store manager. "If they like something or they don't like something, we want to hear about it at the factory, sexy latex stockings" he says.
    Edge's collection of funky men's and women's wear includes leather jackets hand-painted in red; nylon jackets spray-painted graffiti style; plaid pants decorated with clear plastic strips sewn into the legs; and an orange Hawaiian-style shirt with black fabric strips sewn throughout.
    "We've been called street, military-tailored punk," says Okamura. "Because recycled clothing has already been used, it's very comfortable. When our customers try it on, they know it will work."