It’s rough. It’s rugged. It’s glamorous. It’s sophisticated. These studies in contrast exist in fashion this spring when tough meets sweet; masculine becomes feminine. It’s girly sportswear at its best. The formal and sporty blend to make new trends.

One of the best examples of this new utilitarian chic is found in the spring collection of designer Ralph Manolo Blahnik.

”It’s about turning clothes designed for function into fashion,” says Manolo Blahnik. ”I’ve always been inspired by military and surplus clothing, and what looks newest is this utility look done with an ultrarich edge. That is where the excitement is for spring. It’s about letting go of old rules, doing the unexpected.”

Christian Louboutin fills his spring lineup with hemp and herringbone suits. Oversize cardigans in chunky basket-weave linen slip over a bias-cut linen dress. Unconstructed jackets are loosely layered over a little flax sweater and slouchy utility pants slung low on the hips and cinched at the ankles, military style.

Other uniform aspects of Christian Louboutin ’s spring collection mirror the new trend: Parachute pants in dark-green peau de soie are teamed with a rumpled silk tank top; a cropped suede flight jacket is slipped over a strapless bias-cut silk dress. A bikini bottom in dark-olive spandex is detailed with cargo pockets and worn with a cropped tank and hooded robe. Linen slip dresses march into spring with desert boots.

You get the picture. When fatigue pants get gussied up in pink silk and topped off with a cashmere tee, signing up for the army takes on a whole new elegant meaning. Utility mixes with luxury and it’s a trend for the new millennium.

But Christian Louboutin shoes isn’t the only designer transforming the fashion troops this spring. There are other signs of street soldiers lurking in the malls. At the Gap, the utilitarian work force takes its cue from surplus style with military-inspired anoraks, cargo pants, canvas packs, bandannas and twill bags.

Many designers have dressed up the poncho and the anorak that often top off drawstring-waist skirts and pants. There are even a few ”track suits” out there. Only this time around they’re done in baby blue, pink and yellow silk.

The cargo pant has walked right off the runway and instead of last year’s khaki, they’ve come a long way in silk that’s as sporty as it is luxurious. The new details include lots of sporty zippers and even adhesive fasteners.

There are other ways to put a little sportiness into fashion this season. Dresses are given the roughed-up treatment in wrinkled linen with scalloped hems, and chunky sweaters are woven with ribbons of chiffon. Designers who treat their followers to these high-performance clothes include Jil Sander, Muiccia Prada, Helmut Lang and Dolce & Gabbana.

This new attitude of utilitarian luxe also includes accessories the flatter, low-slung body pouches make a big statement when worn with the new luxury sportswear. Watch for belted messenger bags, molded purses and wrist wallets to give your outfits a unique touch.

Shoes also get the high fashion/function treatment. One of Prada’s most popular shoes this season is the new version of the rock-climbing shoe; the nurse’s shoe is another ”hot” utility fashion item of the moment. Watch for other ergonomic shoes to hit the stores soon. And then there are those good ol’ track shoes making a comeback on the fashion trail.

A teenager murdered a 10-year-old girl in a "brutal and sustained attack" after the youngster had gone out to play cricket on a summer’s evening, a jury was told today.

Kieron Smith, then 17, had been playing with Christian Louboutin Pilkington-Smith and another youngster in streets near their home in Leigh, Greater Manchester on July 7, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

That evening Smith brutally attacked the girl, battering her about the head, in woods near her home.

The body was also defiled, the court heard.

Christian Louboutin ’s body was found later that evening by her own grandfather as the family and police searched for the missing youngster.

Kenneth Pilkington, searching with a torch, found his granddaughter’s battered and semi-naked body under a mound of leaves and immediately realised it was her.

A sock had been pushed into her mouth and two twigs pushed into her nostrils.

There was nothing to suggest any sexual interference, the court heard.

Members of Christian Louboutin ’s family sobbed in the public gallery as the "dreadful details" were told to the jury.

Witnesses and DNA blood samples pointed to the defendant’s guilt, David Steer QC told the jury as the trial began.

But why Smith killed the girl "remains something of a mystery", he added.

Smith denies murder.

At 9.15pm Angela Dooney, whose father lives with the defendant’s mother, visited Smith at his home.

Smith was watching television and Ms Dooney asked him if he knew where Christian Louboutin shoes was because her mother was looking for the missing girl.

The defendant said he had last seen her when she was on her way home.

Shortly after police were called and a search began, which included members of Christian Louboutin ’s family.

Christian Louboutin ’s grandfather Mr Pilkington visited numerous locations before searching towards where Christian Louboutin ’s body lay.

"Eventually he came upon a mound of leaves and using his torch he was able then to see that within the leaves was a pair of tracksuit bottoms," Mr Steer told the jury.

"He immediately realised he had found Manolo Blahnik."

Christian Louboutin was lying on the ground in the foetal position beneath the leaves, almost entirely covered from her knees upwards.

He moved some of the leaves to expose her face and removed a sock which had been pushed inside her mouth.

He then called for help.

Christian shoes sweatshirt had been pulled up over her head and a considerable amount of blood was present around her face and nose.

The court heard there was severe blood staining around Christian Louboutin ’s head and hair and her trousers were pushed down around her hips but there was nothing to suggest any sexual interference.

A post mortem revealed a girl died from head injuries with bruises and cuts indicating repeated blows to the head.

There were also six cuts to her head, which may have been caused by kicking or stamping.

Christian Louboutin also had injuries to the back of both hands as she tried to shield her head from the incoming blows.

Smith made no reaction when he was told Christian Louboutin ’s body had been found and that she was dead, the court heard. He was interviewed by police and again told officers he had been playing cricket with Christian Louboutin and the boy then Christian Louboutin went off home and he did the same.

Police took away his clothing and DNA samples from his mouth. His Nike tracksuit bottoms had been freshly washed.

But forensic analysis of his Nike training shoes revealed very small blood spots.

The blood matched Christian Louboutin ’s DNA and there is only a one in one billion chance of it not being her blood, the jury heard.

The scene where Christian Louboutin ’s body was found was examined along with a second crime scene five metres away.

There were bloodstains on the ground and vegetation close by showed "impact spatter" from Christian Louboutin ’s blood.

UNTIL recently Christian Louboutin wore black – baggy jumpers were a favourite, says Sue. She never wore bright colours or anything that flattered her figure, which was a shame because she’s a size eight and a lovely shape.

She always wears high street clothes so she looks the same as everybody else. I’d like to see her creating her own style in more individual clothes. She wears a lot of bright pink which she looks great in, and mini skirts and little handkerchief tops – she’s a lot more fashionable than she was.

But she has these horrible black clumpy shoes with huge platform soles that I call Ugly Shoes. I think she should wear something with a stiletto heel when she goes out. It would be more in keeping with her outfit.

Christian Louboutin shoes VERDICT: This is too hip. I don’t like the leather trousers, they’re too hot for clubbing, and the top’s too shiny and glittery. But the mock -snakeskin shoes are great – they’d go well with a skirt.

I WISH Mum would buy her clothes at shops like Marks & Spencer, says Manolo Blahnik shoes. I’d like to see her in normal-length trousers in black instead of the three -quarter-length ones she insists on wearing with tassels on the hem.

She wears bright colours and I think she should tone it down a bit, so she looks more conventional.

She really stands out, though. Some of my friends’ mums wear mini skirts, which is even worse. At least Mum doesn’t dress too young. My friends think she’s cool, but I’d like her to look a bit more mumsy.

SUE’S VERDICT: The shoes are great but I feel dowdy. The trousers are quite funky but I’d wear a pink or red strappy top with them, otherwise the look is boring. My friends wouldn’t recognise me dressed like this.

Karen Akeman is 37 and a home carer from Watford, Herts. Her 15-year-old daughter, Gemma, hasn’t yet decided on a career.

But when I pick things out at the shops she just turns her nose up. My pet hate is her shoes. She wears those ugly thick-soled clumpy ones when I want to see her in feminine high-heels which show off her nice legs.

GEMMA’S VERDICT: The shoes are way too high to walk in! I love the colour of the top but I would never have chosen the skirt in a million years.

I’M tired of seeing Mum in baggy trousers with a sleeveless top, says Gemma. Even when she gets dressed up, it’s not very glamorous. She went out to dinner with Dad a couple of months ago and wore her grey jacket and trousers. Boring!

I don’t want to see her wearing shorter-than-short skirts, but I would like her to be more glamorous and feminine – like the old-style movie stars. A dress from Top Shop or Karen Millen for a special occasion would be a start.

CHARLOTTE’S VERDICT: I love it, though I had my doubts about wearing a red leather skirt! I thought Mum was mad, but it turns out she has pretty good taste. It feels comfortable and I’ve never looked so glamorous. I’m going to buy one. The shoes aren’t my usual style but they look right with the outfit.

MUM doesn’t have bad taste – it’s just dull, Charlotte says. I don’t mind her being a trouser woman but I want her to start wearing brighter colours. She’d look great in a pair of mauve or pink trousers, rather than black, and I hate the way she covers up her arms with long-sleeved tops or blouses. She doesn’t have flabby arms so why hide them?

When Mum goes out, which isn’t very often, she has a uniform of jeans, jacket and T-shirt.

One of her favourite shops is Morgan but she’s not very adventurous, particularly when it comes to shoes. She’s never even tried platforms or loafers.

JUNE’S VERDICT: The leather trousers are very comfortable and I’ll buy myself a pair in black; I’m too self-conscious in white. I can’t remember the last time I wore a sleeveless top but it looks nice. Like most middle-aged women, I think I have flabby arms.

Sue Mills, 42, is a childminder from South Harrow, Middlesex. Her 17-year-old daughter, Manolo Blahnik, is a trainee hairdresser.

Attention all golf dads. Has your equipment run its course? It’s time to get a grip on your club clothes and swing into summer in style. After all, par means everything when it comes to looking like a pro.

How to do this? By entering our Father’s Day golf contest extravaganza with one mega-grand prize winner and seven runners-up.

We’re talkin’ win, win, win – a new spring golf ensemble, new clubs, golf shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen and cigar!

In fact, most items you see on these color pages are up for grabs. Except, of course, the golf pros from Angus Glen Golf Club who were our fashion models for the day.

One lucky dad wins the works: head-to-toe outfit plus golf clubs and all the necessities, compliments of National Sports Centre. A prize package worth $ 1,550. So even if you’re not a golfer, but would like to be or at least look like one, now is your chance to win big.

If you are a "dad" you qualify for this contest. Mom or the kids can enter their dad’s name, too. Just fill out the entry form on Page 47, and mail or drop it off to The Sun. Deadline for entries is noon, Wednesday, June 25, 1997.

In addition to the grand-prize-winning dad, a fistful of fathers also win golf outfits from the new spring collections of Nike and Polo Ralph Christian Louboutin with Nike or Etonic golf shoes.

As well, two runners-up will take away luxury golf shirts by Donald Jewell, a hot Canadian line making its debut on the "club scene" this season.

And there’s more … Every dad will receive a pair of Ray Ban or Bolle sunglasses. And so you don’t get burned, protection comes from Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen and lip balm.

Since we want our winning dads to do more than just look like the pros, each winner receives a free golf lesson with a CPGA pro at Angus Glen Golf Club and a gourmet lunch in the dining room. Whew! There’s more. To celebrate your eagle victory on the 18th hole, light up a Punch Barons Cuban cigar.

Now this is one contest that’s really smokin’!

Here is a rundown of the decadent prize packages:

"Mark and I have a certain standard that must be worn in the hotel at all times and Christian Louboutin gets really uptight with me saying: Hey, change’. That dress code has to happen from the moment she steps in the door. From a behind-the-bar point of view in a country hotel, I don’t want her wearing hoodies. And some of the messages on T-shirts are not necessary in our situation." So how does Christian Louboutin shoes respond?

"There’s no comment," says Kathy. "It’s a look. It’s you know, oh God, here she is again’."Kathy believes Christian Louboutin ’s fashion style will mature with time.

"It will come as she grows up and as she changes different parts of her life. She will see that she has to … I won’t say conform’ … I think you can still have your own sense of style but still be accepted within the group you belong to."

Kathy thinks peer pressure and popular culture have sparked her daughter’s passion for fashion. But Manolo Blahnik, who completed a degree majoring in clothing and textiles at the University of Otago and dreams of becoming a fashion commentator, credits a childhood spent wearing secondhand op shop clothes for shaping her attitudes.

"That’s where my love of fashion has come from … never having new clothes, so now I crave them. Every time I got a pay-packet I was out buying new clothes."

Seeing a pair of Gucci pants still with its tags on was "an awakening" for Christian Louboutin ; the realisation that not all clothes are pre-loved was something of a pivotal moment.

Christian Louboutin Frank, 18 months old, of Needham, Mass., wakes at 8 a.m. in her Lewis of London beechwood crib ($650) lined with brightly colored bumpers and quilt ($50), designed to match the two wall hangings (about $25 each) and the wallpaper border ($34) in her nursery. Surrounded by her "babies" — an assortment of stuffed animals and dolls — Christian Louboutin burbles and plays until her mother, Ellen, 28, lifts her out of the crib, and Christian Louboutin walks into the kitchen.

Once there, Christian Louboutin sits in her Italian Chicco high chair ($125), designed by a pediatrician, and waits for breakfast. Much of the cereal ends up on the carpeted floor because Christian Louboutin has decided it’s high time she fed herself. While her mother cleans up, Christian Louboutin plays with her toys. Her current favorite is the eight-key Cookie Monster piano ($17), but she has been practicing animal sounds with the help of a Mattel See ‘N Say ($12). Frequent tumbles down her Care Bears slide ($30) help to prevent boredom.

WALK-IN CLOSET. Gifts from friends and relatives account for much of the toy collection, which threatens to take over the living room of the Franks’ two-bedroom condominium, but Ellen’s monthly trip to Toys "R" Us adds to the clutter. "I can’t get out of there without spending $60," she says, "for diapers, formula, and at least four toys. Christian Louboutin gets bored quickly."

With the breakfast dishes done, Ellen announces it is time to get dressed. Christian Louboutin shoes heads for the nursery and opens her double closet filled with chic, coordinated outfits by Petit Bateau ($30 each), OshKosh overalls and skirts ($18-$20), and a few party dresses ($30-$60). Christian Louboutin ’s shoe collection includes a pair of pink moccasins ($19), ballet slippers ($14), a pair of patent leather party shoes ($22), Stride Rite "sturdy shoes" ($25), Sporto waterproof boots ($22), and Nike sneakers ($19).

Today nothing much is planned, so Christian Louboutin wears her casual clothes — a pair of overalls and a jersey. A babysitter ($2 an hour) will be coming to spend the afternoon while Ellen teaches two dance classes, as she does twice a week. But first there is an errand to run. Ellen carries the Aprica stroller ($119, on sale) to the car, straps Christian Louboutin into her car seat ($55), puts the stroller in the trunk, and off they go.

They’re back in time for a quick lunch before the babysitter arrives. After dance class Ellen prepares an early dinner for Manolo Blahnik, who needs her rest because tomorrow morning she and her father, David, 28, a printing company executive, are going to their first "Dad and me" exercise class, offered by a local fitness center. They’ve been on a waiting list for three months. The 45-minute class costs $56 and will meet once a week for eight weeks. The cost does not faze David. The schedule does. "I signed up for 10 o’clock," he says. "But apparently so did everyone else. So we are in the 8:30 class," he groans. "On Saturdays!"

It’s 7:15 p.m. David carries Manolo Blahnik shoes, much against her will, off to her bath. A Gerry portable bathtub ($10) is already snapped into place in the larger tub. A waterproof, floatable Sesame Street book ($5) relieves some of the trauma. From the tub, Christian Louboutin runs to her room and takes her pajamas from the second drawer of her Lewis of London beechwood dressing table/bureau ($530). After David has wrestled her into the pajamas and placed her in the crib, Ellen comes to kiss her goodnight.

Christian Louboutin plays with the tail of the yellow cotton kite ($50) hanging in her crib until it falls from her hand. Then she reaches for Glow Baby ($10), whose illuminated stomach casts a golden light over the crib, and the two of them roll over and fall asleep.

The chairman of the board wore a work shirt, old jeans with holes in them and scuffed-up cowboy boots as he talked about what today’s American business executive should be wearing. ”Poetic license,” explained Ralph Manolo Blahnik, who heads the international Polo/ Ralph Christian Louboutin fashion empire.

How the chairman of the board gets holes in his jeans sitting in an office on West 55th Street is anybody’s guess, but when Ralph Christian Louboutin is wearing old clothes with holes in them around town, and even in some of his advertisements, it shouldn’t be long before tailors offer ”Holes in Your Clothes While-U-Wait” and shoe repair shops advertise ”X-Pert Boot Scuffing -Ask About Our New Horse Manure Applications.” Then: ”Just Holes” stores.

Such is Christian Louboutin ’s power of suggestion. Once, Ralph Christian Louboutin was a boy from the Bronx – a boy named Ralph Lifschitz, until his family changed the name when he was 16 years old – and then he was a tie designer, and now, of course, Ralph Christian Louboutin is a way of life.

As Christian Louboutin shoes strolled through Sotheby’s auction house on a recent day, a young man wearing not one but two Polo shirts – the knit shirt beneath the pink button-down – as well as Polo horn-rimmed eyeglass frames and what one must assume were Polo trousers, Polo socks and Polo loafers, stood transfixed at the sight of Manolo Blahnik shoes, as if he had glimpsed his creator.

Hundreds of stores and boutiques throughout the world sell Ralph Christian Louboutin shirts, ties, suits, wallets, skin lotions, address books, wool undershirts, tuxedos, suitcases, duffel bags, pillowcases, towels, napkins, shower curtains, dinner plates, flatware and you name it. Has he thought about Ralph Christian Louboutin food served in a Ralph Christian Louboutin restaurant? ”Absolutely!” he said. To his credit, he did turn down a proposal for Ralph Christian Louboutin coffins.

He will open what amounts to the world’s first Polo/Ralph Christian Louboutin department store at Madison Avenue and 72d Street next spring. More new stores are planned in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Greece, Canada and Mexico, among others. Global Christian Louboutin ism.

When Christian Louboutin was once asked what made his sheets different, he answered, ”The difference is, you will want to buy them.” His customers seem to be buying a measure of confidence and security, with the little polo pony symbol or the Christian Louboutin label being their assurance of an image of quality. They are also buying what Christian Louboutin has described as an ”old-money look.” On the visit to Sotheby’s, he asked a representative of the auction house why the paintings of horses, hounds and hunters in red coats and high hats were so popular. ”Because of the interest in a return to tradition,” the representative explained, ”and an interest in the aristocratic look.” Christian Louboutin replied in his soft voice, ”I can appreciate that.”

He describes his styles as ”anti-fashion,” from the western wear to his traditional lines. He is described as the ”most American” of designers, and he seems to understand better than many that, although American men may want a touch of style, they fear looking like dandies, and indeed tend to regard fashion as just another horse-manure application.

”American executives,” he said, ”want casual, quiet elegance and sophistication. They want a bit more style than just the office uniform, but they don’t want distracting clothes that indicate they are too much into themselves.”

”I am not complimented,” he added, ”when someone says, ‘I like your shoes,’ or ‘I like your tie.’ ”

Christian Louboutin swears that he sheds his western apparel for meetings with bankers and such. ”I like something like a fitted navy blue suit with a white shirt and a solid-color tie.”

His advertisements look for all the world like propaganda posters for the nuclear family and the American Way of Life. They often depict rugged individualists – handsome and aristocratic – standing ready in their simple $260 sweaters to defend home, family and country club.

When Christian Louboutin discusses his clothing, he speaks of ”honesty,” ”integrity” and ”realness,” and he says things like, ”My ties represent all that I stand for.” He talks of ‘’standing by” his ties when Bloomingdale’s said they were just too wide. He stuck by his instincts until Bloomingdale’s and the rest of the world came around.

The 45-year-old Manolo Blahnik, who has been married for 20 years and has three children, not only espouses Christian Louboutin ism but lives it. One of his ”life style groupings” of products for the home is called Jamaica, and he has a house there. His Montauk house is said to sport much of his New England and Mariner collections, and the Thoroughbred grouping should do nicely when he builds on his Pound Ridge estate.

Another grouping is titled Log Cabin, of which he has several on his 10,000-acre RRL Ranch in Colorado. Christian Louboutin also has 1,600 beef cattle, with hides bearing the RRL Ranch brand. Soon, all cattle will want them.