It’s been a blast doing Style Scoop for almost two years … alas, my real passion lies not in shopping, but eating.

I want to thank Style Scoop’s small but faithful group of fans, thank you for reading.  You’ll still find trend stories and sales events info online in the Life, etc. section and in the paper on Tuesdays.

Otherwise, find me over at the Register’s dining blog.

The Wall Street Journal had a fun story recently about the new trend in men wearing spandex undergarments to achieve a smoother, slimmer effect — basically, a man-girdle.

Can you imagine having a romantic rendezvous with your guy, and you’re running your hands across his chest only to realize he’s wearing a tummy-tucking girdle? Hot!

If you think that’s erm, interesting, there’s actually companies like Undergear, an online retailer that sells push-up thong underwear for men, which come padded in the crotch.

Just kidding. Somewhere, Chuck Taylor must be rolling in his grave. Someone decided to slap a heel on a Chuck-Taylor-esque high-top sneaker to create the uh, sneaker pump!

Punky Brewster would have loved this, for sure. With three layers of different colored socks.

Ash shell satin high-heel sneakers, $130 at Shopbop.com

Seems everyone is starting to add sunglasses to their brand, from Jimmy Choo to St. John. Forget the recession, sunglass prices are climbing. Where a high-end pair used to be $200 to $300, now they’re hitting $500 and up. Tiffany & Co. recently launched their debut collection of luxury eyewear. These shades above, retail for $1,150 at Bloomingdale’s at South Coast Plaza. They come with a diamond affixed to the stems of the frames and I suspect that sunburst embellishment is real gold, too. The sunglasses come packaged in the signature robin’s egg Tiffany blue box.

But seriously, $1,000 for a pair of sunglasses? Are you kidding me? I’m betting these luxe shades are for the die-hard Tiffany fans who have, or insist on having everything Tiffany. I already feel the pain forking over anywhere from $200 to $300 for a pair — which I do every two to three years at most. I buy cheapie glasses in between.

Click below to see more Tiffany & Co styles …

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Two trunk shows in Costa Mesa on Thursday (3/13):

• Goat boutique in Costa Mesa hosts a handbag trunk show featuring wares from Dautore, Sissi Rossi, Lesa Wallace, Mimi Turner and Acne. Enjoy 20% off all purchases that evening. The event will he held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Newport Lofts, 505 30th Street, Newport Beach. Info: 949.645.1111
• Harlow boutique at The Camp in Costa Mesa hosts a trunk show featuring men’s shoe designer George Esquivel. Esquivel will be on hand to do custom-fittings and to answer any questions about his high-end, limited collection of handcrafted leather shoes. The trunk show will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at 2981 Bristol St. Suite B-2. Info: 714.966.6616

… shoes that is. I’m still a major fan of the nude-hued shoe, especially with all of the vibrant colors for spring and summer. With the emphasis these days on metallic sandals, a nude flat or pump is a great alternative that will go with everything. Found these as part of Gap’s Design Editions, a limited collection of internationally-inspired footwear. Price: $98 for the Mary Jane flats on the left and $78 for the sandals on the right.

It just occurred to me that as a kid, I always thought nude leather shoes looked like they belonged on the pantyhosed/white socks-clad feet of senior citizens.

Here in blessedly sunny O.C., when do you not need a pair of sunglasses? My fave happens to be Oliver Peoples but I’m also a fan of Dita Eyewear (from the guys who made the infamous oversized shades seen on the likes of Nicole Richie and the Olsen twins). So I’m happy to see that there’s going to be a Dita Legends boutique opening up at Fashion Island early June. I love Dita’s ‘Voulez-vous’ pair ($375) above, even if it’s biting off Tom Ford’s ‘Angelica’ frames.

The shop will carry all of the Dita eyewear. Dita’s two founders, John Juniper and Jeff Solorio — are originally from Dana Point. Click here to check out the current sunglass styles, which retail for about $200 to $500 a pair.

*L.A. designer Trina Turk is also opening a boutique at Fashion Island, as retail reporter Hang Nguyen mentioned.

OC native Patrick Robinson — who’s now the lead designer for GAP, offers some spring style tips in a series of video clips posted on the GAP’s website. You might recognize him as a previous Target GO International designer (May 2007). Robinson, who graduated from Fullerton’s Sunny Hills High, has an impressive resume, having designed for fashion houses like Giorgio Armani, Anne Klein, Perry Ellis and Paco Rabanne.

Trend tips include how to wear color khakis and how to mix-and-match florals with stripes.

OK, so gladiator flat sandals aren’t going anywhere. But in heel form? I don’t know. I can see celebs like Mary-Kate Olsen and Rihanna rocking ‘em, but with that extra height, I immediately think S&M/bondage girl.

Above: Pura Vida ‘M354′ sandal, $360 at Nordstrom.com – a few more styles after the jump …

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Radar magazine this month has an interesting story on Forever 21 and its recent spate of legal skirmishes. The couple behind the billion-dollar fast-fashion company has always remained elusive. They’ve never been interviewed by the media for an in-depth profile, not even after agreeing to an interview with The New York Times, only to send a spokesperson at the last minute, according to writer Jeff Koyen. Read the article by clicking here.