Staying a Cut AboveFirst Lady Nancy Reagan’s...
Staying a Cut Above
First Lady Nancy Reagan’s hair stylist, Julius Bengtssen, says he’s taking off for Russia with the President’s party this weekend. And his prime objective during next week’s summit meetings will be to keep Mrs. Reagan’s hair from looking exactly like that of Raisa Gorbachev, the Russian leader’s wife. “Mrs. Gorbachev has slowly changed her hair style, so it almost looks like Mrs. Reagan’s now,” Bengtssen says with some concern. “I’m working on something different for Mrs. Reagan.” He says his options are limited because the First Lady’s short hair doesn’t lend itself to lots of variations. He also says his days of worrying about such things are numbered and he’s not happy about it. After Russia, he’ll travel on business to Canada with the Reagans next month and to New Orleans in August. Then the party’s over as far as he’s concerned. “The White House, Air Force One, where do you go from there?” he wonders out loud. Back to Bel-Air, we expect. He says he’ll be making house calls for cut ‘n’ curl jobs once the Reagans resettle in Los Angeles.
Forgoing the Hemline Trend
If they’re not wearing them short, why should you? We hear from the staff at the Shauna Stein shop in the Beverly Center that Barbra Streisand and Dyan Cannon have gone for some longer hemlines of late. Streisand selected a mid-calf, black-and-white pin-dot sundress and ordered a black silk dress (same hemline) with sheer black sleeves. Cannon bought a charcoal-gray cotton skirt with lace inserts at the hem (calf-length) and added a matching lace T-shirt. The actress fudged a bit on the hemline issue with this combination: cream capri pants that peek out from under a matching sarong skirt, worn with a cream-color tank, a black baseball jacket and a cream sun hat.
Her Hat’s in the Ring
The right hat at the right time might make you a star. Ask Jennifer Mathews, the 16-year-old Hollywood Academy student who was pictured trying on a hat on the front page of View last Friday. A Walt Disney casting executive spotted the photo and called Jennifer’s school to ask if she did any acting. “They liked my look. They said this kind of thing is pretty rare,” says an excited Jennifer. She has an appointment for an audition Tuesday. Listen wishes her luck and wonders if she’ll wear a hat.
Lay Black for a While
On tour with his new album in Italy, George Michael got a fashion phone call. It was Gianni Versace, the Milanese designer, inviting Michael to spend a few days at his villa. “Versace’s a fan of George,” says Phil Lobel, the singer’s press agent. “And George likes Versace’s black-on-black clothes.” (That’s black shirts with black ties and jackets.) Lobel says Versace outfitted Michael for the rest of his tour. The agent also says Michael will be spending nights at his own swanky digs. The singer just bought an estate in Saint-Tropez, and he helicopters home from all over Europe every night after his show.
Dracula Is a Real Salesman
So much for his fame as Count Dracula. Actor Frank Langella, who starred in the acclaimed Broadway play, went shopping at Fred Segal on Melrose last week and no one shied away. In fact, one woman asked him to try on a sport coat she wanted to buy for her father. Langella obliged and threw in a sales pitch. “He told her how well the jacket fit in the shoulders and sleeves. He even showed her a shirt that would look great with it,” menswear manager George Grimball tells Listen. The New York-based actor also sold himself on a few items, including a Bill Kaiserman double-breasted suit in glen plaid wool crepe and zoot suit-style trousers by Zanella in navy wool.
Looks Like a Million
Randy McLaughlin of Jeran Designs in Los Angeles phoned to say he has just finished the dress Tracy Scoggins (of “The Colbys”) will wear when she co-hosts the Miss Universe pageant Monday night on CBS from 9 to 11 p.m. The dress is black Charmeuse strapless with gold bugle beads, sequins and “jeweled stones from Paris,” he confides. And L.A. skin-care expert Ole Henriksen checked in with us to say he felt “like a lottery winner” when he read the letter asking him to judge at the event. Henriksen flew to Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday and started to work (if you can call it that) last Monday. He’ll be away from his Sunset Boulevard salon for about three weeks while he helps choose which one of about 75 contestants will be the new Miss Universe. The winner’s bounty will add up to more than $230,000. And that should make her feel like a lottery winner.
Recipe for Closeness
“Mommy, I’m coming home; please make Minnelli chicken.” That, says Lee Minnelli, is what her stepdaughter Liza asked for when she called from New York on her way to Los Angeles for a quick visit. It was Minnelli chicken for two. “We wanted a chance to be alone and talk about Liza’s plans for the future,” Lee says. The dinner guest wore a white silk shirt and pants, and each wore an identical Elsa Perretti heart on a chain. “I always wear mine,” Lee tells Listen. “It was a Christmas present from Liza.” As for the chicken, roasted with rosemary, garlic and unsalted butter, Lee Minnelli got the recipe from a restaurant near Monte Carlo and it has become a family favorite.
