A ‘Big’ MomentA certain white cutaway with...

A ‘Big’ Moment

A certain white cutaway with gold braid all over it that Tom Hanks wears in “Big” has been driving us to distraction. Who made that band leader look-alike suit, that homage to Captain Kangaroo? We asked Mary Hall Ross, because she told us ages ago that most of Hanks’ wardrobe was by Nino Cerruti, the Italian designer she represents. “It’s not by Cerruti,” she sniffed. “He doesn’t make tuxedos with gold braid.” So, we tracked down the show’s costume designer, Judianna Makovsky, who gave us the lowdown. “We found the suit at Western Costume,” she says. “We wanted it to have a rented look.” She doesn’t remember seeing a label inside.

Reagan-Blass Ticket

First Lady Nancy Reagan and New York designer Bill Blass are teaming up for this year’s fashion ticket. Together they’ll oversee and chair an exhibition called “500 Years of American Clothing.” It will be part of a birthday salute to the United States, scheduled for 1992. Even at this early date, one question begs to be answered: Will Mrs. Reagan exhibit anything from her personal wardrobe, to which so many American designers have contributed so much? “We don’t know yet,” said Betty Maurceri, press liaison for the show. “The project is still in its infancy. We’ll ask for donations a year from now.” Also not settled yet is where in Los Angeles the show will open. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is considering it now, Maurceri says.

Grey Breaks the Trend

You can tell when a crowd is trendy-chic by the count of small, round, bottle-green sunglasses on their faces. Well, the count was so high we lost track at Chaya Brasserie’s fourth anniversary party on a recent Sunday, which was fun, fun, fun. (What a combination--sushi and cotton candy!) This crowd was seriously into fashion--men in ponytails and wide ties, women in teeny weeny skirts and huge Chanel earrings. Then there was Jennifer Grey, of “Dirty Dancing” fame, who wasn’t the least bit of-the-moment, but she sure looked great. She wore: a man’s white linen shirt, wrapped instead of buttoned, by Agnes B; Levi’s and handmade moccasins with bows, which she said came from Belgian Shoes of New York.

Banking on Scents

Here’s the update on Fred Hayman’s coming-out party. It’s scheduled for Jan. 14 and will mark his 27 years on Rodeo Drive, as well as the official renaming of his store (currently called Fred Hayman’s Giorgio). And, provided he is 100% thrilled with his new fragrance, the party will herald the first in a series of new scents. A well-placed rumor has it that the event will take place on a sound stage at Fox, and the guest list will be “limited” to 1,200.

Fame Is Skin Deep

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors one type of star, and now, the Academy of Legends honors another. It’s a national organization for skin-care and cosmetics experts with its own hall of fame. And this year’s new members (from Los Angeles, anyway) include beauty experts Aida Grey and Aida Thibiant and Hollywood makeup artist Marvin Westmore. Grey tells Listen she’ll celebrate by extending her empire to include two new salons, one in Honolulu to open in September, the other in Hong Kong to open next November. That makes a total of 91, she says.

Designer Grocery Bags

Seen any good-looking designer bags lately? We have, at Trader Joe’s fancy food emporium, no less. Artist Tim Ebner created the look, splattering paint on paper so that brown bags could pass for solid stone. Of course there’s a gimmick. The artist’s bags promote the Museum of Contemporary Art’s “The Image of Abstraction” show, on view through early October.

Fit for a King

The new Giorgio Armani store opening Aug. 29 on Rodeo Drive won’t look like any others. That’s because Milan’s fashion king decided that Los Angeles has a “very particular kind of strong light,” and that the usual understated Armani interiors (such as floors covered with rubber or tennis court matting) might be too bland. In fact, the Italian kingpin designer asked restaurateur Michael Chow to collaborate on the design, because he’d seen Chow’s restaurants and liked them. Armani vice president Gabriella Forte tells Listen the 13,000-square-foot shop, with 16-foot ceilings, is an expanse of glass and steel, juxtaposed by the warmth of ebony, Oriental lacquer, white-gold leaf panels and floors of marble. As if that’s not enough luxury, she adds, the store will have many separate shops within it, including special boutiques for Armani menswear, women’s wear, shoes, luggage, accessories, tuxedos, Armani underwear and a cashmere shop.

Fleischer Carries a Toon

When Charles Fleischer, a k a Roger Rabbit, was in Fred Segal on Melrose Avenue recently, “he had the whole store in an uproar,” menswear manager George Grimball says. “He came in with an English accent, then he changed to his Roger Rabbit voice. He did a mad scientist, but he switched back to Roger Rabbit when he had the whole oufit on.” The outfit, selected for a talk-show appearance, was a combination of a navy-blue silk “flannel” suit by Go Silk, white shirt, navy blue tie and Fleischer’s blue-and-white leather high-tops.

Super Mom Ekland

We think Britt Ekland deserves a Super Mom award. She was in to see skin-care expert Ole Henriksen earlier this week (), and he tells Listen she looks great despite her hectic schedule that includes a new baby. Henriksen says the blond actress flew to England recently to finish “Scandal,” a movie with John Hurt based on the 1963 Profumo spy scandal. Back in town, she stopped in for a vegetable eyelash tint, an azulen (chamomile extract) facial and a neck massage.