Patterned After the Master
Want to really, really wow your friends? Whip up a Christian Lacroix dress or suit. Well, maybe get a dressmaker to do it for you. Butterick Co. Inc. announced this week that the December-dated Vogue Patterns catalogue, available Oct. 1, will carry three styles from Lacroix’s new ready-to-wear line. Details of the $12.50 patterns are still hush-hush, but Nicole Gorden at Butterick describes the dress as “fit and flare.” One suit combines a bolero jacket with a slim, high-waisted skirt, and the other features a jacket (no additional information) with a flared skirt. Joan Watkins, director of product for Vogue Patterns, says the trio was selected “because we wanted styles that were truly representative of Mr. Lacroix’s look. We chose them on the basis of their colors, shapes and fabrics.”
Sean, Madonna Sign Up
We caught a glimpse of the guest list, and what did we see but a Sean Penn and Madonna RSVP. They’ll be tasting fancy deserts, sipping champagne and watching the fashion show Thursday when Saks takes over the Stock Exchange (the downtown Los Angeles club, that is) for the evening. After the sweets and the show of tasty clothes for men and women, there will be dancing too.
Close to Motherhood
On the maternity front, Glenn Close was at A Pea in the Pod, the Beverly Hills shop, stocking up on maternity clothes. The actress, according to Pod’s spokesperson Barbara Trister, bought two tops, two pairs of leggings and a royal-blue-and-black splatter-print swimsuit.
Bejeweled Designs Debut
“There’ll be jewels sewn right into dresses.” That’s the word from the office of Kenneth Jay Lane, who’s making special-order costume jewelry to be seen for the first time during next week’s New York fall fashion shows. Lane’s partner, Melissa Parker, says Bill Blass will show dresses with jeweled ornaments at the neckline, and Carolyne Roehm will use Lane-created rhinestone buttons on some of her newest outfits.
Feminization of Perfume
When Michael Nader (a.k.a. Dex on “Dynasty”) and wife Robin were in Sami Dinar’s Beverly Hills menswear store recently, they bought a special French cologne, Bois du Portugal by Creed. Robin liked the fragrance so much she wanted a bottle for herself, but Dinar says he put a damper on that. “It’s too masculine. I promised I would try to find something similar for her.” Dinar says he will look for something feminine along the lines of Bois du Portugal: It’s concocted of all-natural ingredients, dates back to 1760 and supposedly was created for Napoleon. (We imagine Josephine will have to be the inspiration this time.)
Shirt Mightier Than Sword
Listen dined with neighbors the other night who told us they’d gone from “a white picket fence to a two-picket family,” meaning they’re both on strike with the Writers Guild of America. They were both wearing T-shirts with the latest social statement: a quill split down the middle. Naturally the shirts are union-made and union-printed, and anyone can buy one. Just find the picket line nearest you, and be ready to dish out $6.
Acting Like a Designer
She’s at it again. Joan Collins, who already has her name on jewelry, sunglasses, lingerie and sleepwear collections, is adding blouses to the list. Collins’ spokesman Jeffrey Lane says she will unveil her first designs this summer for Gailord Classics. It’s too soon to say which stores will carry the collection. But Lane tells us prices range from $80 to $100--”reasonable, not expensive,” by Collins’ standards. And she’s already tried out a couple of styles on her TV soap character, Alexis Carrington. “Joan’s always said if she wasn’t an actress she’d be a fashion designer,” Lane tells Listen.
Booking a Tour
Judith Krantz is taking it from the top to get ready for an upcoming book tour. She has had a makeup lesson with Jeff Angel--he works with big-name New York models--to learn about TV makeup. (“It takes an hour and a half to put it on,” she whispers in amazement.) And she’s got a new haircut. “A friend sent me to the Dusty Fleming salon for something radical,” she says. Now for the big one: what to wear. On other tours Krantz was outfitted in Nolan Miller dresses or Adolfo suits. This time, she says, “My dream is to wear Emanuel Ungaro chemises.”
Winning by a Hair
We’ve got the scoop on this year’s Oscar winners for best actress and best actor--for their hair styles. The folks at Redken Laboratories in Canoga Park took a national poll, and most hair dressers agreed that Cher wins for her long, frizzled fall in “Moonstruck.” And Michael Douglas got voted in for his slicked-back look in “Wall Street.”
