Sport of Princesses
Princess Stephanie of Monaco is looking good, says Bettina Tendler, membership director of Sports Club/LA, where Stephanie and current beau Mario Oliver are members. “They speak French together a lot,” Tendler adds. The princess wore a ‘50s-style red felt letterman’s jacket with jeans and tennis shoes on a recent visit to the West L.A. health club to watch Oliver play racquetball. Magic Johnson, also a member, frequently wears bright purple workout wear, Tendler says.
‘Wheel of Fitness’
“Wheel of Fortune’s” Vanna White is coming out with a fitness home video next month on the Lorimar label, her manager Ray Manzella says. But all the hoopla about “Wheel’s” leading lady hasn’t turned her head around. Listen hears this from White’s longtime hair stylist Joseph Genna at the Allen Edwards salon, who says the only change he’s seen in her lately is a taste for slightly longer hair. It’s inching past her shoulders, but it’s still short and spiky on top, he explains. She wears it one of two ways. “On the show they go for a conservative look,” Genna says. “Otherwise, Vanna scrunches it up. She likes to look more trendy in her personal life.”
The New Bev
Bev the Tramp, known offstage as Beverly Dahlke-Smith, used to wear simply a tuxedo for her nightly appearances on “Late Show Starring Joan Rivers.” But since Rivers started chiding Bev (who is the saxophonist of the band called Mark Hudson with the Party Boys and the Tramp), the musician’s been attempting to dress up. Lately she’s been wearing a bona fide designer wardrobe. Designer Julianne Patterson of San Bernardino, who makes the dance and exercise wear labeled Statements, tells Listen she was watching a recent exchange between Rivers and Bev the Tramp and decided to donate a few of her stretchy tunics and pants, handpainted and covered with bows, beads, and rhinestones.
Birthday Dresses
When the ABC special “Happy Birthday Hollywood” airs Monday night, designer and retailer Susan Lane will be watching her handiwork. The owner of Country Elegance in Toluca Lake dressed 20 of the stars for the show--including Lana Turner, Dorothy Lamour, Cyd Charisse, June Allyson, Ally Sheedy, Esther Williams, Ginger Rogers, Jane Powell, Lillian Gish and Drew Barrymore. Lane tells Listen she gave them all off-white antique looks, mostly ‘20s and Victorian styles, which is her store’s specialty. “This was so exciting,” she says. “People love to look at the legendary stars--especially when they look so wonderful. I mean, don’t we all want to hold up?”
Boots Are a Shoo-In
We keep bumping into Jane Fonda all around town. First we found her in the women’s locker room at the Santa Monica Athletic Club. She was heading out for the weight room, Walkman in hand, with a blond-streaked hair style we haven’t seen since she played Bree Daniels in “Klute.” Then we spied her on the elevator at the Beverly Center, dressed in a prairie skirt and lace-up boots. She was wearing the same skirt and mock-reptile boots when we spotted her at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. This time we were taking copious notes, and our activity was observed by a hotel patron. “Who is that?” he asked us. “She looks familiar.” When we told him, he took another look in Fonda’s direction, and commented: “Yeah, you’re right. Well, no big deal. Right?” Wrong, we thought, because we were especially intrigued by the boots. Were they old, new, in, out? The mystery was solved by Melissa Wells of Ciao shoes on Melrose Avenue, who coincidentally phoned to say Fonda had been in and purchased three pairs. “They’re the boots the famous people buy,” Wells says. Others on the list are Sonia Braga and Marilu Henner.
Cameo Appearance
Elusive Barbra Streisand surfaced on Main Street, Santa Monica, recently at the new Bobi Leonard Design Center. Owner Leonard tells Listen that Streisand came to indulge her passion for silk flowers. “She collects beautiful, antique roses,” Leonard says. In addition to a handful of silk roses, Streisand bought a pair of pewter-and-brass earrings. Leonard notes that no one made too much fuss over the megastar’s appearance. “She doesn’t act like a celebrity, and people don’t bother her because she’s so natural.”
Man on the Go
Rod Stewart and model Kelly Emberg were on their way to a Lamaze class one morning last week--she’s expecting a baby later this year--when they made a stop at Fred Segal on Melrose Avenue. Menswear manager George Grimball said Stewart needed to replenish his L.A. wardrobe, because most of his clothes are in England. Stewart picked out several outfits, including a cream jacket, pants, shorts and shirt, all by Go-Silk. But the visit was brief, according to Grimball: “She kept pressuring him: ‘We’re going to be late!’ ”
