Cindy Crawford: ‘Girl’ of Style
“Give Cindy my number,” hollered our cute, smudged plumber as he ducked into the basement and we headed for a date with model/goddess Cindy Crawford.
Crawford--in Los Angeles for pre-production work on her first film, an action-adventure co-starring Billy Baldwin--inspires romantic impulses and curiosity.
Men and women need to know: Is she as smart, beautiful and tall as she seems?
Yes, and even somewhat self-deprecating.
“Somebody asked me what I thought of the attorneys in the O.J. Simpson trial,” she said, after a round of early-morning television appearances. “Who cares what a model thinks?”
Besides, her job this day was to tout Revlon’s new men’s and women’s fragrance, Fire & Ice. Crawford’s contract with the cosmetics company expires on her 30th birthday.
“That wasn’t intentional or anything,” she says with a laugh. “But still, it makes you think.” Like about why models are always called “girls.”
“I even do it myself. My husband asked me why I would fall into that . . . but everyone calls them girls.”
It’s hard to think of Crawford--who’s masterminded a spectacularly successful career for herself that includes hosting MTV’s “House of Style”--as a girl. But sidelined at the fall collections as a fashion reporter, she pined for the catwalk.
“I looked at those 16-year-olds and I thought, ‘I can still do that. I still look pretty good.’ ”
Still, she knows firsthand the rigid standards that rule the fashion world. Crawford consoled model Christy Turlington, who was savaged last season for gaining a bit of weight, by telling her, “ ‘They leave me alone because I’m always fat.’ Christy had just gotten so thin, she looked heavy by comparison.”
Hollywood, of course, is similarly obsessed with youth and beauty. Actress Ellen Barkin, who works out at the same gym as Crawford, told her that actresses’ ages are frozen at 33.
“She said that in Hollywood, the golden age for a woman is 33--that’s when you should have your big hit,” Crawford says. “In the modeling business, it’s about 10 years younger. When you turn 25, your agency tells you to never give your age.”
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The Sighing Game: Jaye Davidson, the actor who starred in “The Crying Game,” is just 27, but has the world-weary sensibility of someone many decades older. “I will only wear the best,” he said during a two-day visit to Los Angeles. “Savile Row suits, custom-made shirts, vintage Levi’s. . . .” Isn’t that a bit paralyzing, we wondered? “Excruciatingly,” he answered in a soft, deadpan voice. Which sort of sums up his feelings about being a celebrity.
Talking about spring fashion shows in Paris, several of which he attended, Davidson asked: “Did you see what happened at the Vivienne Westwood show when Lenny Kravitz and (French pop star) Vanessa Paradis walked in?” (We did--the paparazzi went berserk.) “I never want to be that famous.”
Too late. Davidson was recently stalked by a loony fan who waited for weeks at a subway stop near the actor’s home to meet her idol. And Friday, his second film, “Stargate,” opens.
“I’ve actually had people in a bar tell me that (“The Crying Game”) had changed their life. Can you imagine that? All I can say is, it must not have been much of a life to start with.”
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Those Wacky Hollywood Gals: Remember Angelyne? The billboard bombshell has had a face lift and that may not be all. Her latest incarnation can be viewed on billboards all over town. She’s still pushing her signature color--hot pink--and her extraordinarily ample bust in a tiny, diamond-studded bikini, long black gloves and diamond cuffs. Angelyne looks younger, a lot younger--courtesy, we suspect, of computer retouch. “What does she do anyway? Who is she?” asked an elderly woman waiting for a bus near the La Brea and Sunset billboard. “Those Hollywood women! Always showing off their breasts. It’s disgusting.” Her friend, recently arrived from Russia, agreed: “There’s too much freedom here. . . . I’ll never get used to it.”
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Lounge Wear: While busily preparing for the spring ’95 shows in New York, designer Richard Tyler was called upon by Mick Jagger’s stylist to whip up some duds for the rocker’s L.A. and Miami appearances. After chatting with the singer via phone about the look Jagger was after, Tyler turned out a purple and chartreuse striped jacket, a burgundy jacket with bronze trim, a silver stretch T-shirt, white silk crepe de chine shirt, black stretch pants and burgundy striped brocade vest. There had to be some sweet nostalgia there--early in his career, Tyler specialized in dressing rock stars.
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Divine Inspiration: Need some early tips on what to buy for the person who has it all? How about a trip to Paris with tickets to the Givenchy, Chanel and YSL collections? Or a walk-on part in an upcoming episode of “Murphy Brown” or a chance to appear in the upcoming “Batman Forever”? All will be up for bids at the Divine Design celebrity auction and clothing/furnishings flea market at the Pacific Design Center, Dec. 1-5. The auction will take place at a star-studded awards gala honoring Richard Tyler, Elsa Klensch, Elsa Peretti, Rose Tarlow and Tim Burton, and will culminate three days of bargain shopping. Clothing, jewelry and fragrances have been donated by Giorgio Armani, Joe Boxer, Donna Karan, David Dart, Romeo Gigli and Anne Klein. Tickets are $20, $50 and $250. For information, call (310) 358-8000.
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Required Reading: You know glamour is back when the J. Crew catalogue weighs in with--believe it or not--a “relaxed fit” tuxedo . . . W notes that an entire floor of the Beverly Prescott Hotel is where consumers of plastic surgery go for post-op pampering . . . “DKNY/NYC,” Donna Karan’s 100-page guide to Gotham, including photos by Peter Lindbergh, quotes from famous New Yorkers (Ed Koch, Vanessa Williams), a subway pass good for one free ride, a CD-ROM video and a Don’t Knock New York bumper sticker. All proceeds from the $49.95 book, available at Rizzoli and Barnes & Noble, go to the NYC AIDS Fund. . . . And, finally, Martha Stewart Living reveals the secret to making potato stamps--a skill that has eluded us till now.
* Inside Out is published Thursdays.
