Cover Coincidence
Next to the cover shot of jewelry-laden Ringo Starr on the Aug. 28 issue of People magazine, there is a question: “And could this be the new Stone Age?” And would you believe, the top brooch on Ringo’s lapel came from none other than the New Stone Age gallery on 3rd Street in Los Angeles? Listen hears the rocket ship with a hanging St. Christopher’s medal was given to the former Beatle by rock promoter Ian La Frenais V, and his artist wife, Dorris Vartan.
Hip Baby Huggers
Tracey Ross, buyer for Diane Merrick on Melrose Avenue, tells us the boutique now has two styles of innovative maternity jeans, thanks to actress Gela Nash, who “hated” traditional maternity clothes. While she was pregnant, Nash bought vintage Levi’s, slimmed the leg from the knee down and inserted elastic from the crotch up. She hid the elastic with oversize shirts and sweaters and managed to look as chic as her non-pregnant friends. Now she and partner Pamela Skais are turning out long jeans ($85) and shorts ($70) under the name Travis Jeans for the Baby and You (Travis is the name of Nash’s baby boy). Ross says Melanie Griffith recently ordered two long pairs, “which were sent to her and Don (Johnson) in Aspen.”
Whiffs at the Tasting
At the Taste of L.A. restaurant extravaganza at the Santa Monica Civic Center recently, food samplers got a whiff of more than just garlic and gourmet French fries. The air was redolent with New West, Aramis’ new skin scent for men and women. Munching all the mini-meals on the lot was apparently exhausting, because the wait for a complimentary New West “glacial facial” was often as long as 90 minutes. Jeff Conway of the soap “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and Kazuto, head chef of Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois on Main, both stopped by for the cosmetic break, away from all that food.
Rising Stars
The Rising Stars for California Mart’s Press Preview Week have been chosen, and it’s a truly international group. Of the 10 designers whose collections will make their professional runway debuts this month, only one, Trisha Dexter, is a Los Angeles native. A Midwesterner, Rob Lewis, and a New Englander, Lisa Anne, are other Americans. Then there’s the husband-and-wife team of Melinda and Olivier Besnoin. He’s from Cannes, France, she’s from Salina, Kansas. From Italy is Cinzia M. Iaffaldano. Farah Ebrahimi is from Kerman, Iran, and Farideh Talebpour is from Tehran. From the Pacific Rim are designers Tan Pittayasiri and Tak Hau, both from Hong Kong, and Taihua Saelee is from Thailand. The California fashion industry is already a national force, but the new crop of designers would indicate that maybe next year’s awards will need English translations.
The Flag Is Up!
Designer of the Year nominees have also been announced by the Mart. And they are, in alphabetical order: Mark Eisen, Body Glove by Robin Piccone, Karl Logan, Anthony Moorcroft and Opera by Mimi Levitas Cox. Two interesting twists in the lineup: Logan is defending champion of the award, having won it last year, and Cox was named Rising Star of the Year by the Mart just a year ago. The finals are Sept. 19.
Frozen Stare
You never know who you’ll run into at the frozen yogurt shop. Listen has caught sight of Brooke Shields, Debbie Allen, Goldie Hawn and Ted Danson at TCBY Yogurt on Santa Monica’s trendy Montana Avenue, but it was Meryl Streep who caught our eye there recently, as she got her licks in. Clad in vivid orange tropical-print pants, a simple white T-shirt and white flats, the Academy-Award winning actress had both daughters, Mary and Grace, in tow. But who noticed what flavor she favored? Not us. Listen’s eyes were glued to her flawless complexion. Could frozen yogurt be Streep’s beauty secret?
Dress for the Occasion
Amy Madigan, as the natural-woman wife of Kevin Costner in “Field of Dreams,” wore hippie-farmer T-shirts and faded jeans throughout the movie. But in real life, the actress seems to prefer dressing more like “Annie Hall” than a ‘60s holdout. At the recent limited-engagement showing of “Ginger Ale Afternoon” at the Nuart Theater, Madigan showed up in a man’s white shirt, brocade vest and stovepipe-slim black trousers. Listen noted that Madigan did add one touch of ‘60s nostalgia: a brightly colored, ethnic-pattern tote bag that looked like an Indian arts-and-crafts class creation.
