The root beer -colored Chevy convertible with...
The root beer -colored Chevy convertible with the “Elvis” sticker on the visor pulled into the parking lot, and Elvis himself stepped out. Elvis P.--for Perkins--and Osgood (both sons of actor Tony and Berry Berenson Perkins) were out to get their hair cut. Mother Berry chauffeured them, and they came away with hair clipped short all around, with a bit of pomp in front. “Kids all want to look like ‘50s movie stars,” says Sally Hershberger of the Armando Hair and Makeup Salon, who clipped the coifs. But, she points out, the look isn’t Presley, it’s James Dean.
Many people know that Bruce Springsteen has spent a lot of time beefing up his muscles in the last few years, but what does the Boss wear when he works out? According to L.A. fitness expert Ruth Prodan, president of Office Aerobic Services, Springsteen favors “grungy” navy sweat pants and a torn, gray sweat shirt, both of which “looked as if they’d been through the wash a thousand times.” Prodan spotted Springsteen recently in Westwood, working out at Matrix. Here’s her report on the Springsteen physique: “His upper body looked great,” she says. “It’s very nicely developed. But, like most men, he needs to do more work on his lower body, on his legs and buttocks.”
The staircase is built, the carpets are down, and--at long last--the first free-standing Chanel boutique in mainland America (the Hawaiian boutique opened last summer) will open on Thursday, right in Beverly Hills. Chanel bigwigs Alan Wertheimer and Kitty D’Alessio will fly in for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and cocktail reception, to which Mayor and Mrs. Bradley and a number of other local luminaries have been invited. About the staircase: Madamoiselle Chanel built a magnificent one, which still stands in her Paris atelier. And the scenery designers for the hit show “Coco” built a replica of that staircase, on which much of the show’s action took place. We’ll bet a show could be written about the action on the staircase of the Rodeo Drive Chanel shop, after it’s been open for a while. That’s because Chanel has become one of the “hottest” labels of the year for the social set.
The family that weighs together, stays together: That dynamic Hollywood couple, Tawny and John Schneider, are working out like crazy these days. John tells Listen that he has not just one, but two trainers, who arrive each day to give him his fitness fix. What’s more, for Tawny’s birthday, John gave her a year’s worth of training with both trainers (Dan Isaacson and John Barnette). Though “The Dukes of Hazzard” has filmed its final episode, John says he won’t be off the air. You can hear him on country music stations.
The high cost of perfume is on everyone’s minds, not only the people who buy it, but the people who sell it. Just when it looked as if three-digit price tags had become the wave of the future, Guerlain, the esteemed French perfumer, has come up with a product that may stem the tide of escalating prices. Next month, Guerlain will introduce Jardins de Bagatelle, the least expensive scent in its 157-year history. The white floral fragrance will be available only in eau de toilette form and will sell from $19.50 (two ounces) to $55 (8.5 ounces). Guerlain vice president Claudia Wood says: “We see that perfume sales go up at holidays and then go right back down the next month. For usual everyday wear, customers don’t buy themselves expensive perfume. They buy eau de toilette or cologne.” Wood went on to say that Americans seem to prefer colognes to toilet waters , “perhaps because eau de toilette translates into toilet water, and cologne sounds better.” For the record, she says, fragrance strengths begin with perfume (the strongest) and descend in the following order: eau de parfum, eau de toilette, cologne.
OK, so they’re not your traditional hearts and flowers. But Judy Walker, owner with husband Robert Walker of Tops in Malibu, says it’s the offbeat Valentines that are popular this year. Walker reports that Mick Fleetwood bought his sweetheart a beaded silk camisole with painted hearts and a hand-worked paper-and-feather heart-shaped fan. Ali MacGraw bought her boyfriend Mickey Raphael a necklace called “Hearts and Bones,” consisting of three carved bone faces and old sterling silver heart lockets, amulets and charms. Larry Hagman selected a silver snake belt for his wife Maj. The serpent had a lapis head and emerald eyes.
Since Lionel Richie hosted the American Music Awards show, Liberace’s got nothing on him. With his five glittery costume changes during the three-hour show, Richie has been the talk of the town. Costumer Bill Whitten, who also dresses Michael Jackson and Neil Diamond, says the gold lame suit Richie wore for one segment is made of a vintage fabric from the same bolt that supplied Jean Harlow with one of her drop-dead evening dresses. The suit will tarnish with age, Whitten says, because it is made of real gold threads. Of all the outfits, the only one Richie now plans to wear again is a beaded, Stewart-plaid tuxedo with a paisley bow tie and cummerbund. (Whitten says it is “probably the most expensive ever made.” Other than that, he won’t discuss the price of the five costumes.) Richie will next wear the probably-the-most-expensive-ever-made plaid when he performs for the Queen of England.
If you’ve survived a few Feb. 14ths with the same mate, you’re probably casting about for a hearty new gift idea. And we’ve got it. Someone gave us a gift massage for Christmas, and we liked it so much we’re passing it on, with a Cupid twist. The twist comes via a company called the Perfect Morning and Evening, Too, which offers a Valentine’s package of a morning or evening Swedish massage for two (done in tandem), after which you are served either petit dejeuner or diner . (That’s French for breakfast or supper.) The idea is that of Cindy Palay, who owns the business and who is a romantic masseuse by trade. Her breakfast package (including juice, croissants, champagne and cafe) or supper (including pate, wine, fruit and cheese) costs $140 for two, including the massages.
