VIDEO VOGUE : Bellies Need Jewelry Too

Music videos of the moment offer lots of innovations: an unusual place to wear jewelry, a way to achieve the most vulnerable waif look yet and the very best new hairstyle. Plus, they show a few fashion adventurers breaking out of their R&B; or heavy-metal modes--and yet another take on the short-shorts craze.

Gone to Waist: In her latest video, “Again,” Janet Jackson swaps her trademark choker for a new piece of jewelry--call it a belly necklace, for want of a better term. It’s revealed in flashbacks, when the singer’s then-boyfriend seductively reaches over and pulls on a slender chain around her waist. Perhaps it has some deep significance or perhaps Jackson just wanted to show off her perfect stomach muscles. Either way, Janet wanna-bes have something new to try. Think of the delicate chain as a feminine alternative to showing underwear, a la Marky Mark, when oversize jeans bag a bit below the waistline.

It’s a Wrap: A great new hairdo, reminiscent of Josephine Baker, has popped up on the streets and moved quickly into videos, specifically Toni Braxton’s “Another Sad Love Song” and “Hey Mr. DJ,” by the duo Zhane (pronounced Ja-Nay). For this pasted down, close-to-the-head style called a wrap, hair is either wrapped clockwise around the head or arranged in waves. Then it’s jelled or sprayed down to look as if it’s painted on.

Tiny Tears: Bjork’s Kafka-meets-Goldilocks video, “Human Behaviour,” gives a new makeup tip to teens: Achieve that vulnerable, teary-eyed waif look by pasting either clear sequins or rhinestones just below the lashes. In the video, featuring carnivorous teddy bears and oversize insects, Bjork, former lead singer of the Sugarcubes, wears a single clear sequin beneath the center of each eye--as if she’s just broken into tears.

Just Dandy: One expects ruffles and velvets on the English Gothic bands, but it’s a fashion statement when they show up on the R&B;/soul guys. Tony Toni Tone does its latest video, “Anniversary,” in clothing that would make Lord Byron proud: shirts tied with floppy bows, ruffled cuffs, ankle-length vests and dandy suits. Stylist Kelle Kutsugeras started with Dolce & Gabbana velvet vests, pin-striped jackets, lace bows and cuffed shirts (the line is sold at Traffic, Maxfield, Studio and Neiman Marcus), then added a few thrift-shop finds.

Metal Working: With the exception of Nine Inch Nails’ foray into opera-length gloves, it’s rare to see heavy-metal bands show any fashion sense whatsoever. White Zombie, Beavis and Butt-head’s favorite act, treads sartorial ground untouched by its metal brethren. In “Thunder Kiss ‘65,” a parody of bad B movies, the fashion is eclectic and overboard and resembles landfill. A few of its creative quirks: multicolored dreadlocks, patterned stockings on guys and patchwork jackets. Lead singer Rob Zombie designed his own colorful Mad Max outfit, down to the tattoos. Female bass player Sean Yseult wears green hot pants, matching bolero and fishnets.

Short Orders: Remember the short-shorts craze that the rap video “Dazzey Duks” created last spring? (These were the shortest shorts ever--too short to show in a family newspaper.) The trend is now getting a second wind, after the video was re-cut to go with the new “Dazzey Duks” line dance for the country-Western crowd. MTV rejected the original and even a second, more “wholesome” version, but C&W; dance clubs such as Victoria Station and Denim & Diamonds play it. Although some women still go for the cheeky Dazzey Duks hyper-abbreviated shorts, (according to the song, you show “one-tenth” of your derriere), longer styles are now appearing in a multitude of pop videos: the ladylike, cuffed, Mariah Carey “Dream Lover” version, which hits the top of the thigh; the rolled style SWV (Sisters With Voices) wears while fishing in “Right Here/Human Nature,” and Salt-N-Pepa’s athletic take in “Shoop” that pairs shorts with striped tops and hockey kneepads.