Singing Jewelry’s Praises

Opening night at Arlene Altman’s new jewelry boutique in the Rodeo Collection, it was the flowers that had the big-name celebrity connections. The card on one bouquet was signed Julio Iglesias. The other flowers came from Carole Bayer Sager and Burt Bacharach, Altman says. All three songsters are on her long list of celebrity clients. She says Iglesias recently ordered custom watches from Altman for his friends Stevie Wonder and Oscar de la Renta. Wonder’s watch is an antique, one of the first after World War I designed for the blind, with raised numbers on the face, Altman explains. She gave it her signature watchband in gold and silver. As for the jewelry on display opening night, Altman says: “It’s for all the people who’ve lost their marbles.” We don’t have to tell you what it’s made of.

Hippie Contact

Just when he thought he’d never find a taker for the lavender, Hippie Goddess, suede halter dress he made, Clifford Olson got a phone call. He says Mary Charles, a writer producing her own play about the ‘60s versus the ‘80s, needed the dress for a costume. “I’ve never done this before,” admits Olson. He usually dresses Tina Turner and other rock ‘n’ rollers for road shows. Aside from his own designs, the clothes for Charles’ production come from thrift shops Olson found in Austin, Texas, he says. Opening night of the play “Contact High,” Patrick Swayze was spied in the audience wearing an ‘80s black leather jacket, boots and blue jeans. Charles says a big group of ticket holders are dressing in ‘60s styles for Saturday night’s performance at Hollywood’s Cast at the Circle theater.

Yen for Competition

Remember Julie Cleaver? She made her Listen debut last fall when she was named a finalist in a student fashion competition sponsored by Mizuno, the Japanese activewear company. We just got word from Cleaver: She won first prize. It was announced in Japan Feb. 12. Cleaver says it was rough sledding all the way, what with 17 Japanese-student competitors, three Europeans and one other American. But Cleaver’s snow-white, form-fitting ski suit with the bolero jacket took the gold. The contest theme was “adventurous creations,” so she gave her suit a Space Age silhouette. But what made it a winner, she says, was that it was very practical. “You could actually ski in it,” she assures us. When Cleaver graduates from L.A.’s Otis/Parsons fashion school this spring, she wants to design ski wear professionally, and she’s looking for a job. Her prize money should help hold her over till she finds one. Cleaver took home 1 million yen--minus 10% tax and a 1% charge for converting yen to American travelers checks. That came to $6,793, she says.

Up-Ended Debut

Two ears and a tail to Oleg Cassini, the designer who finally, at age 74, made his long-awaited debut, in Freehold, N.J., as a professional harness driver. Unfortunately, the UPI wire informs us, Cassini’s steed was unstable, and “reared up, dumping the designer on the ground.” For the next day’s races, however, Cassini brought home a winner.

Horsing Around for Art

Pity Patricia Fulk. There she was, at the recent Cartier party in Beverly Hills, decked out in thousands of dollars worth of borrowed diamonds. But before the party was over, she had to hand over the piece she liked best: a 16-carat, graduated-diamond necklace. One of the 400 guests wanted a closer look, liked what he saw and bought it. Fulk says she doesn’t know who has the necklace now. Could it be Linda Evans, who looked every inch her “Dynasty” character in a Nolan Miller dress? Or is it Cornelia Guest, who was with Sylvester Stallone and a knockout in a Scaasi outfit? The party, complete with polo ponies and riders stationed outside, was in honor of the committees working on the March 5 luncheon in Palm Desert. The Duke and Duchess of York will attend the event, which will benefit Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Fulk, who coordinates all the Cartier polo events, said she was sad about the necklace but happy about the commotion that the ponies and players caused. “They stopped traffic,” she assured us.

A Lane for Brides

For weeks, Susan Lane has been curious about a rustic-wood sign in the driveway of Dudley Moore’s new Tolouca Lake home. Lane, owner of Country Elegance bridal boutique in North Hollywood, says she runs by it every day and decided the inscription “Brogan Ln” indicated “maybe Moore is Irish and this must be an inside joke.” It was, and she’s on the inside now. Saturday, a woman dashed into her boutique, bought two off-the-shoulder peach cotton dresses, white satin pumps, a garter and a handkerchief. She told curious employees she was taking “the Warner jet” to Las Vegas for a hush-hush wedding. By late Sunday, the secret was out: Moore, bride Brogan Lane (not related to Susan), a garter and two bridesmaids in peach cotton dresses all turned up on the evening news.

Doctor in the House

Portrait of Genny: Dr. Renato Agostini, chief executive officer of the Milan-based Genny fashion company, buzzed into Bullocks Wilshire this week to check out the first in-store Genny boutique in town. He tells us it carries the firm’s entire sportswear collection. Agostini rounded out another picture for us too, this one concerning his company’s new arrangement with L.A. designer Nancy Heller. Her styles will be manufactured and distributed across Europe by Genny. Agostini’s associate, Marsilio Marsilli of New York, explained: “Europe lacks clothes as casual and comfortable as Nancy Heller’s. The collection is clean and casual and Europe is ready for it.”