Fashion: Today's pop stars strive for diva flash

They call themselves "Queen Bees" - modern-day diva candidates.<br><br>But too many of the new divas, suggests designer Anthony Mark Hankins, are wanna-bees.<br><br>"They think that the louder they sing,

Wednesday, June 21st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

They call themselves "Queen Bees" - modern-day diva candidates.

But too many of the new divas, suggests designer Anthony Mark Hankins, are wanna-bees.

"They think that the louder they sing, the more jewelry they wear, the more they're gonna be noticed," he says.

Here's the list - and their diva-defining moments:

 Mary J. Blige: "I've had the Farrah Fawcett feathers, but now everybody's doing them, so I have to change again." - June issue, InStyle magazine.

 Toni Braxton: Wears Gucci onstage, owns more than 500 pairs of shoes.

 Foxy Brown: Unrelenting, youthful, cartoonishly bad taste.

 Mariah Carey: Never carries a coat. Why, when you're chauffeured in a limo 24-7?

 Sean "Puffy" Combs: Favors full-length furs, has his own clothing line; now his pre-teen son has launched a clothing line, too.

 Da Brat: Outspoken and sassy, but following the usual path from baggy jeans and braids to designer wear.

 Missy Elliott: Has a trademark: inflatable black vinyl bodysuits. Has her own "Misdemeanor" lipstick.

 Eve: Wears paw-print tattoos - one on each breast - and has a fondness for frequent manicures.

 Lauryn Hill: Wore Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana for the cover of her '98 CD, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (which got raves). Was one of the first to blow $5K on those embroidered Gucci jeans.

 Whitney Houston: Regular consumer of designer duds who heroically stands by her man.

 Lil' Kim: At the '99 MTV Video Awards, wore a lavender wig and dress that covered one breast only; the other breast, strategically covered with a lavender pastie, was gently patted by Diana Ross herself.

 Janet Jackson: From military togs to bare midriff to her current "space android" getup - Janet changes her look as often as that other chameleon, Madonna.

 TLC: Endlessly entertaining squabbling among the three members. Cover girls for July Mademoiselle.