Fashion 87 : Happy Traditions Like the Easter Bunny Never Change
They came in Mary Janes and saddle shoes, in frilly frocks and seersucker shorts, in dainty bonnets and perky bow ties, in silence and awe.
They were looking for something make-believe brought to life. And they found it last weekend in stores that briefly turned into rabbit hollows, and where, for a fee, children of all ages could have a meal with the Easter bunny.
For some retailers, such as the Broadway, Bullock’s and Bullocks Wilshire, breakfast with bunny is a tradition that dates back 15 years or more. At Bullocks Wilshire in Los Angeles this year, a capacity crowd of 275 gathered early Sunday morning in the shade of the store’s Art Deco courtyard. They were greeted by an employee whose whisker-painted face and furry white costume left no doubt she was the guest of honor.
Nearby, a clown, clad in giant red-tipped shoes, broad yellow suspenders and oversize striped trousers, wore the morning’s most original Easter bonnet: a gray fedora with a dangling “35 cents” price tag.
He was fun, but the children were perfect. Some of the little girls wore the pearls and carried the purses that turned their pinafore dresses and straw hats into complete outfits. Little boys looked like diminutive executives as they circulated in miniature blazers, ties, pocket squares, slacks and loafers.
Often the clothes were ones the children had steadfastly chosen themselves, according to parents who were proud of the fact. And here and there was a grandmother’s extravagant gift, such as one little boy’s top-to-toe Swiss outfit of lederhosen, check shirt, bow tie and tassel-decorated socks.
Once in the store’s restaurant, the children may not have eaten much of their $11.95 meal, consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, croissant, apple crepe and beverage, but they greedily hugged and posed with the bunny and sat mesmerized through a 20-minute marionette show.
At other sites with similar festivities, including the Broadway in Sherman Oaks, Bullock’s in Pasadena, Neiman-Marcus in Beverly Hills and Nordstrom in the Westside Pavilion, tariffs ranged from $5 to $15 (which was Neiman’s charge for the adult menu of freshly squeezed orange juice, eggs Benedict in a croissant, asparagus spears and Canadian bacon). Robinson’s, which passed on breakfast this year, gave a free afternoon party instead, with a puppet show and visit from the Easter bunny.
Getting the jump on Easter Day wasn’t without its little hitches: Jelly beans tumbled onto the floor and couldn’t be eaten, balloons unexpectedly popped, hats were forsaken when the elastic became unbearable, brand-new dresses were unwittingly baptized with cocoa.
At Neiman’s, Peter Rabbit was portrayed by a mime artist who didn’t wear a furry costume, which led one father to mutter: “He doesn’t look much like a rabbit to me.” But his curly-haired daughter remained enchanted.
And at Nordstrom, to convince her doubting toddler there really was an adventure at the end of the escalator, one mother’s words rang out encouragingly: “The bunny is here. Trust me.”
