‘Status’ for Some Takes on New Meaning as Materialism Wavers

1985 may be the year when the familiar symbols of status bite the dust. The year when you can garb yourself in Gucci, fur yourself in Fendi, drive around in a new Rolls-Royce and still get no respect.

It started in ‘84--the year when America began reconsidering what the material signs of rank ought to be--and realized that nobody really cares.

Status has dematerialized. You can’t drive it, you can’t wear it, you can’t eat it, and you can’t fake it.

In most circles, you can’t even inherit it anymore. The achievements of the father do not, nowadays, automatically reflect on the son. And, Yuppies notwithstanding, owning the right stuff may be stylish, but it certainly isn’t status.

Ferraris and BMWs take a back seat to Ford Broncos and Jeep Cherokees. Big-name watches take a licking, while no-name timepieces keep on ticking.

Designer initials on the outside of anything are n.g. (So Calvin Klein put his signature on under wear.)

Inkwells are trendy, and people are penning thank-you notes again.

Confidence is in. Which means that you can wear, drive or eat anything, anywhere--as long as you think it looks good.

But again, none of these things will place you in a status niche.

So what is status in 1985? And how do you get it?

The Times interviewed a crosssection of those who know about such things, and we bring you the results:

Rob Cohen, produc er/ director: “Hollywood is the last constant place when it comes to status. Status in Hollywood is, always has been, always will be ‘the hit.’ A producer who has a hit can drive a Toyota and have status. A producer without a hit can drive a Rolls and have no status. It all stems from that. A guy who’s done up in Versace, drives a Ferrari, eats at Le Dome or Morton’s every day and has never had a hit is deemed more of a buffoon than a high roller or an admirable character. My friend Don Simpson, who produced “Flashdance” and “Beverly Hills Cop” in the last few years, could wear old blue jeans or mink-lined underwear, and nobody would blink an eye. In that sense, Hollywood is a meritocracy. Those who achieve have status; those who don’t achieve can’t have status no matter what their outer trappings.”

Danny Sullivan, professional race-car driver: “Living in Aspen, Colo., as I do, may be a status symbol in itself. It’s a happening place. You can go down to the airport any Friday night and see the G3s and Falcon 50s (private jets) stacked up three and four deep. We have good restaurants, shops, sports facilities, and you can walk to anywhere.

“I think all that status stuff just comes with what you do. As you grow and succeed, you naturally tend to acquire things. Then people look at you and say: ‘He has a Mercedes and a Range Rover,’ (that’s the Rolls-Royce of four-wheel drives), and they think you have status.

“My girlfriend in L.A. has a Jeep Wagoneer, and now she never drives her BMW. I got a Range Rover because it’s a fabulous vehicle.

“My taste doesn’t run to any special fashions. I have three or four tuxedoes because I go to a lot of formal events.

“I wear the new Cartier watch--the flat, squarish one with Roman numerals. But what does it all mean?

“You see a guy coming off his jet in faded jeans, cowboy boots, a Western belt and a sweat shirt. Some people looking at him might think that’s status, because he owns his own jet, so he must be wearing what’s in. But the truth is this: He wears those clothes cause he’s a good old boy from Texas, and that’s what he likes to wear. Others come off their planes in the latest leather pants.

“One thing about this place is that there’s no dress code in most restaurants, and nobody cares what you wear. Recently we went to dinner with Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel. Everybody looked nice and everybody had tennis shoes on.”

Hart Bochner, actor: “I never think in terms of status. The only thing I might think of is that I get free Nikes. But then again, the Nike company gives them to a lot of actors. I like the fact that I can call, and they say ‘come on down,’ and they load me up with all sorts of exotic shoes. I’ve got the most outrageous assortment of sneakers you’ve ever seen, and I love them all. My favorites are the lime-green ones with the black swooshes.

“The new status is anti-status. It’s staying out of the mainstream and sticking to your guns--and to your values.

“As far as material possessions, I like something that I can buy, use and beat up. Wasn’t it the Rockefellers who used to say, ‘Buy it, use it and wear it out’?

“The only possession that means anything to me is a ’65 convertible Porsche, the old bathtub-shape model.

“People have reached a level of burnout. Status is not that important anymore. Being seen in the right good restaurant may still be status, I suppose, but not necessarily wearing the right thing. I’d much rather send my money to Ethiopia to help the starving people than buy a whole new wardrobe.”

Morgan Fairchild, actress: “I’ve never kept up with status symbols. I don’t really know what’s in--and as soon as I know, I’ll go out of my way to avoid it.

“I’d like to get a new house, but I don’t have a particular neighborhood in mind--just someplace I feel comfortable and will want to stay for a long time. I had a couple of Bel-Air friends who were so appalled when I bought a house in the Valley that I don’t think they’ve spoken to me since.

“I got a Jag this year, but it’s the first nice car I’ve ever had. Till then I drove a ’76 Honda. That’s a treat for me, to buy a Jag. However, if I’d known how popular they were getting, I don’t think I’d have gotten one. I’ve really had an antipathy toward things that would be considered status symbols because, growing up in Texas, I sort of had them crammed down my throat. For example, I don’t have a Rolex watch because everyone I know has one. I’ve had my old Cartier watch for years now. It’s a nice, classic, basic watch, and I like it.

“I am annoyed by things with other people’s initials or names on them, especially designer names. If I have a name on something, I want the name to be mine.

“I buy a lot of clothes, but only what I like and what I’m comfortable in, not necessarily what’s in. I’ve kept my hair long since I was 15 because a woman should find a style that works for her and not just wear any new fad. A lot of new fads aren’t very flattering.

“To me, the ultimate status would be being seen with Rudolf Nureyev, or someone of that talent. A friendship with a person of depth, intelligence, character and talent is much more important than all of the outside trappings of success. I have disdain for a lot of degrees and honors because there’s often so much politics involved in obtaining them. Winning an Academy Award is an honor. I wouldn’t turn it down. But you can never be sure that you’re the best person at the right moment. And there are so many worthwhile people in the world at any given time that to say any one person is the best in any field is an exercise in futility.

“I guess the latest status symbol is not to be interested in status symbols. But people still gripe if they don’t get the right table at the right restaurant.”

Tommy Perse, manager, Maxfield boutique: “There’s a big demand for antique watches. Old Rolexes, Patek Philippes, Cartiers and Gruens are in, I think, because they’re so individual. They have a soulful look to them, an incredible personality, as opposed to having a big new Rolex President on your arm. I think part of status nowadays is individuality. And when you wear a fine old watch, you’re not likely to see the same thing on anyone else.

“We’ve begun selling limited-edition and one-of-a-kind items for the home. Things with imagination, quality and a sense of humor. You know how comfortable those Rover leather car seats are? Well, we’re taking the seats out of English Rovers and mounting them on steel-tubing frames, turning them into living room furniture. People’s creative juices are flowing nowadays. They want to express individuality in their clothes and their homes.

“But individuality only goes so far. Most customers still come in and ask to see the new this or that collection. They still look for specific labels because they know which designer’s clothes they like and certain designer labels still spell status.”

Kurt Niklas, owner, The Bistro and Bistro Gardens restaurants: “The people with money don’t drive any different cars, don’t wear any different clothes than they ever did.

“Maybe in some of the newer places there’s a new status look. But our people are very understated, very unflashy and always have been.

“Our very best people don’t drive Rolls-Royces, nor have they ever. They just drive a good American car or possibly a Jaguar. The good people have always had some very good jewelry. They still wear it.”

Michael Anderson, manager of Neiman-Marcus stationery department: “Fountain pens are the ultimate status symbol. We’re almost out of several Mont Blanc models. The Diplomat, for $250, is the chubby black pen that’s most popular for men. Doctors, lawyers and people who send a lot of handwritten notes are buying them. They say their hands don’t get so fatigued when they write. Mont Blanc also makes a 24-karat gold-plated model for $450 that’s a best seller. The S.T. Du Pont pens range from $160 to $325. They have 18-karat gold writing points, the finish is hand-applied Chinese lacquer, and we can’t keep up with the demand.

“People are getting back to writing letters, to elegant penmanship and monogrammed notes. Mont Blanc came out with a black lacquer inkwell and base for the Diplomat, and we sold out of them before Christmas.”

Herb Fink, president/owner of Theodore shop, Beverly Hills: I’m not aware of any status symbols these days. Different groups of people are wearing different things. Secure people are buying what fits their life style, instead of what’s supposed to be status. One group wears the wrinkled Katherine Hamnett look. Another wears Claude Montana leathers.

“A lot of rich people are buying hard-top Jeeps and Mitsubishi Monteros. These cars are all over Beverly Hills. I stand on Rodeo Drive and watch them coming and going. A lot of companies make this type of car, like a Land Rover, but they all look alike to me. That’s probably a status symbol right now, although they only cost about $13,000 to $15,000. My daughter gave up a Mercedes to have one, but it was almost impossible to get. It’s also status to wear an inexpensive watch rather than your very expensive ones. I own several fine watches, but I’m wearing a $65 model today.”

Gayle Portnow, New York sweater designer: “It used to be that old jewels, old cars, old family homesteads denoted status. Nowadays, anybody can buy anything if they have enough money. New money is able to buy what once only the old money had. The lines have crossed. Status doesn’t mean anything anymore. I mean, who cares? Status is altruism, caring for the homeless, flying your own plane to Ethiopia to deliver food, opening your home on the highest hill in Hollywood to the poor. Status is being brilliant and accomplishing something great.”

Nancy Livingston, actress and executive president of The Amazing Blue Ribbon, the Music Center: “Status is a game. There are some who want to win that game and some who don’t care.

“Status comes to some people automatically. At the turn of the century, for example, you had to belong to a certain family, go to certain schools, live in certain neighborhoods to get automatic status.

“Now, we’re more enlightened. Being in the right family, for example, is not as valuable as it used to be. There has to be more. There has to be a real contribution to the community. It’s not only financial. It’s a giving of oneself. And nowadays, amazingly, such giving is immediately recognized.

“When people who have recently acquired wealth, for example, start stepping over the line and start contributing their talent, their time and their financial resources, they are automatically accorded respect and appreciation--and therefore, status.

“When we look at status people, we are looking at people of accomplishment, creativity, leadership, intelligence, resourcefulness. In other words, those who make things happen automatically have status. Also, people willing to take responsibility for the community are automatically in that category.

“I can’t think of any material thing that gives people status these days. Of course, success out there in the world is still measured materially. And people still have a tendency to dress the same and wear their hair the same because they think it’s a status look. That’s fine. It’s how we learn. But it’s not status anymore. The more individual you are, the more you contribute to society in whatever way you can, the more you are valued.”

Wendy Goldberg, the California Arts Council: “People with real clout and status are not trendy. They wear what looks good on them. They don’t need labels because their security comes from within. I used to be amazed that Cary Grant, for example, always dressed the same over the years. I’d see him somewhere and tell my husband that Cary Grant’s tie was too wide or too thin. My husband always answered that secure people wear what they want, no matter what the trend.

“My mom has a clothing shop called Suite 101. Her clients are mostly very successful. They don’t let their clothes rule their lives. They’re well-groomed, they spend a certain amount of time on clothes, and then they get on to other things.

“I think firms that put their initials all over everything ought to pay us to wear their things. We’re advertising for them. The only good thing about Gucci’s “Gs” was that people thought it stood for Goldberg.

“Of course, there are still status items. The four-wheel-drive car is sort of in. But basically, I think your status comes from your accomplishments. I mean, who would care how Jonas Salk was dressed when he walked into a room?”

Rev. Terry Cole-Whittaker: “Spirituality and God will be status symbols in 1985. It will be a status symbol to help end starvation and poverty in the world. People will be helping to do that and to heal their family relationships.

“Happiness will be a status symbol, too-- people doing the job that is their gift rather than just doing a job for money. In other words, people will be living their vision.

“Material things? I hadn’t thought of that kind of status. In fact, I don’t see how any material item can be a status symbol. But I do think people should have what they want, material or otherwise, because they deserve it.”

Bill Blass, New York designer: “Today’s status symbol is something that doesn’t show status.

“The obvious status things, particularly things with initials, seem not to be important. What is important is quality and wearing something that, hopefully, no one else in your circle has.

“People don’t want to look stereotyped. They are interested in invidual style. In California, it should be a Daimler rather than a Rolls.

“There are so many options in dressing now--there’s never been a time when so much was up to the consumer. It’s what a person puts together himself or herself. People who once had all the obvious status symbols have become independent now. They wear what they want.”

Jill Whelan, the captain’s daughter on “The Love Boat”: “I just bought a dress in New York that’s lace and Angora. I like that mixing-of-fabrics look and the businessman look too. I wear Oxford or wing-tip shoes with man-tailored suits, ties and fedoras. I love medals and things, a sort of military look. I would love a Porsche or a Mercedes--I drive a BMW now. And I do have a lynx fur coat that was a gift. But I think nowadays, accessories make an outfit.

“I also think status is not as important as many people think it is. You’ve got to look good and feel good, and the only important thing is to wear something you like, whether it’s status or not.

“The fun part of fashion, for me, is to go out and find good deals on things, to find them in odd places and make them work for me the same as if I bought them on Madison Avenue or Rodeo Drive. To me, that’s what fashion is all about--being able to put things together in your own way. I guess that’s what status is too. It’s individuality.”

Nancy (Mrs. Tim) Vreeland, socialite: “I suppose status today is having a wonderful cook and a person who is capable of looking after your fine clothes. It’s also furnishings and household items that are not new. In fact, anything good and old (or old-looking) seems to be in today.

“I love that wonderful flat, gold, square-faced watch that Cartier brought out a few months back because it’s a replica of an old watch. And the other night, friends picked us up in a 30-year-old Rolls-Royce. There was a special high section in the back so men could comfortably wear top hats. To me, that’s status--that car has history. I guess the ultimate status is having your parents’ hand-me-downs--art objects and things like that.

“Dressing up to go to people’s homes for dinner is very, very important now--much more so than if you’re going out to a restaurant. The pressure’s on to make a good showing when you go to someone’s house.”

Fred Hayman, owner of Giorgio: “Status symbols have really changed. There was a time when people looked for labels. Today, they buy what they like, whether it’s expensive or inexpensive and regardless of the label. Women are much more secure in knowing what they want; men no longer want to show status through jewelry or clothes. And men dress better.

“There was a time when a certain unconventionalism was status to a certain group of people. Today, the well-dressed man is quietly well-dressed, doesn’t talk about status, doesn’t talk about what he owns. He doesn’t need to drive a status car. There was a time when the well-dressed man about town would have to buy a name garment--a Brioni or some such name. Today, these men simply look for a quality garment. The quality and the simplicity are what they’re buying.”

Tracy Kolker, manager, Cartier, Beverly Hills: “Our most fantastic-selling watch for Christmas was the Panther. It’s based on a classic design, originally inspired by Louis Cartier’s visit to Africa in 1922. We traced back into the archives and sort of re-created some of those 1920s styles. Is it status? It’s very popular, and the price is very good for a gold watch. The ladies’ watch is $4,950; the men’s version is $6,850.”

Patrick Terrail, owner of Ma Maison: “Here in the States, in the last decade, we’ve gone through a period where people showed of a lot of outward signs of their wealth. I think that’s changing.

“The most obvious thing I’ve noticed is that people are buying less and less of the trademark-type labels. A few years ago, everyone was wearing Gucci belts with a big ‘G.’ Or Louis Vuitton handbags. They don’t come in like that any more. They’re willing to pay the price for quality, but they don’t want to be identified with the item. It’s discreet identification. The new Louis Vuitton purses don’t have initials all over them anymore. I’ve also noticed a lot of the Cartier watches that look like an old style. What do they sell for, do you know? I’m a fountain pen freak, and I just got a Cross pen as a gift. Maybe that’s a new status symbol.”