Neighborhood residents said that the first half of 1997 had done nothing to reverse that trend, that the novelty of Mr. Lee's movie merchandise had worn off and that the urban wear he offered was available elsewhere.

Purveyors of urban wear, like purveyors of more rarefied kinds of fashion, experience a mixed success once the early adapters have moved on.

"We try to keep it bright; the look is everything from Afro-eccentric to urban wear," she said.

There's also an immediacy to the grit; this isn't faux "urban wear".

"We saw a big increase in the areas of men's wear and urban wear."

Today they produce several lines of "urban wear," including one made for Japan.

Inside this shopping gallery, you'll find stores selling locally designed urban wear, bonsai trees, stylish home knick-knacks, Portuguese indie rock and other hipster-pleasing delights.

Instead, a small compact figure attired in correct urban wear with a moustache - such a moustache as Hercules never dreamed of cultivating -- a moustache magnificent yet sophisticated.

Here you'll run into bright, uninhibited urban wear and accessories.

In the D&G scheme of things, consumption is axiomatically conspicuous, flash is good and the borders between retail categories - urban wear, sports, formal - are permeable, to say the least.