Birney Burns Image BridgeIt sounds like Meredith...

Birney Burns Image Bridge

It sounds like Meredith Baxter Birney is in for an image change on “Family Ties.” A costumer for Michael J. Fox’s wholesome-looking TV mom was recently shopping at the Allee boutique off Melrose Avenue and bought two Holly Harp dresses: One is a completely backless royal blue draped matte-jersey cocktail dress that stops above the knees; the other is a more romantic-looking layered peach silk dress. Allee co-owner John Williamson says the idea is supposedly to give Birney a sexier look.

Hart Is All Clothes

Mary Hart didn’t win the L.A. Marathon, but she still could hold the world record for TV co-host with the most clothes. Hart never never nev-er wears the same thing twice on “Entertainment Tonight,” and she’s on the air five nights a week. Listen had to check it out, as they say on “E.T.” We knew that Lillie Rubin stores get screen credit for supplying Hart’s wardrobe (as well as that of correspondent Leeza Gibbons). Beyond that, the show’s wardrobe supervisor, Matt VanDyne, confirmed, a lot of the on-air fashions are by L.A. designers--Joseph Ho and Mercedes and Adrienne for Hart, Nancy Johnson for Gibbons. As for the show’s other burning fashion question--where are they now--VanDyne says most of Hart’s clothes go to “Lillie Rubin heaven,” a.k.a. Mary Hart’s closet. Not to ignore the men, Perry Ellis gets a wardrobe credit for John Tesch and Robb Weller of the show.

Rivers Blacks Out

Joan Rivers seems to regard the Amen Wardy boutique in Newport Beach as her one-stop shopping place. For her recent quarterly visit, Rivers purchased dresses, suits, handbags, shoes--everything, that is, but costume jewelry. That’s because “she already has every piece of costume jewelry we carry,” explained Sophia Wardy, Amen’s daughter. Rivers bought mostly everything in black for spring, including a black Genny silk suit, a black Chanel gabardine suit (with a white eyelet blouse), a black private-label blazer that goes with a black Valentino skirt, and--get this--a cocktail dress (yes, it’s black) created by Wardy with the help of handbag designer Judith Leiber. Leiber’s contribution to the dress is a stand-up, jeweled trapunto collar and a matching bag. Because Listen is always curious about the hemline issue, we inquired as to precisely how short Rivers is wearing her skirts now. The answer: two inches above the knee.

All Downhill for Michael

Does Michael Jackson ski? Just wondering. Willy Bogner, the wizard of ski wear, has just designed “the Michael Jackson ski suit,” available by special order in a limited edition at Vail West in Beverly Hills. The red-and-black one-piece suit, selling for more than $2,000, has gold-metallic-fringed epaulets, gold braiding across the front and black gauntlet-type gloves. What --no white socks?

Archer Can Take a Bow

He had a world of glamour girls to choose from, but Italian designer Giorgio Armani put Anne Archer at the top of his list. He said she’s his idea of the ultimate in glamour and style. That was just before he said she should model a silk chiffon dress from his latest collection, for a Vanity Fair photo session and feature story about Armani’s own world-class style. Archer’s spokeswoman, Deborah Kelman, says the story is due out in May.

Saks Marks 25th Birthday

April 25 marks the 50th anniversary of the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills, and executives are preparing for the party. Fashion director Patty Fox tells us there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony early that Monday morning, then the store will be officially “reopened for the next 50 years.” Later in the day, there will be birthday cake in the cosmetics department. That’s the same cosmetics department where a scene in the 1939 film “The Women” was staged. Another historic tidbit: Marilyn Monroe was a frequent shopper, with a penchant for clothes by Italian designer Pucci. What about a modern tidbit? The flavor of the cake, for example? “We’re still testing,” Fox told us, adding that a five-layer (one for each decade) cake made with raspberries and lemons is in the lead.

Eye-Catcher

We’d heard about actress Jennifer Tilly and her unusual fashion tastes. But when we finally caught sight of her the other day we didn’t know where to look first. What with her Pinky Lee hat and its little roll brim, her blue-denim bloomers, high-heel shoes, cardigan sweater with a flower pinned to it, she set a new record for eye catchers in one outfit.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

With all the problems a rocker has on the road, who would have thought about hair spray? But that’s the worst of it, we learned from rocker David Coverdale of Whitesnake. The blond with the shoulder-length shag was at the Yuki salon at the time, having new streaks added to the others. He told his stylist, Gina Furth, that his hair’s in a tizzy from all the mousse and the hair spray and the teasing. Furth filled Coverdale’s pockets with a stash of heavy-duty hair-conditioning treatments. Looks like they’ll be going on the road too.