Bloomingdale’s Heads West

Bloomingdale’s is coming to Los Angeles. The only question is where and when, said Marvin Traub, chairman of the board of the upscale 17-store chain, which opened its first Chicago branch this week. The opening caused shopping bedlam in the Windy City and netted record first-day sales for the chain of $1.3 million. Traub, fresh from his Chicago coup, hosted a breakfast Wednesday morning at the Music Center to announce that California will be the subject of Bloomie’s annual spring “country promotion,” as reported in this column last week. “We’ve been hearing about an L.A. Bloomingdale’s for years, and it hasn’t happened yet,” a skeptic told a Traub aide. “It’s a matter of the right location,” the aide said. “We opened in Chicago five years later than promised, but we waited for the perfect spot.” Listen hears that Traub dined Wednesday night with an L.A. real estate tycoon. Traub was nattily attired in a Gieves & Hawkes (English) plaid suit, a Hilditch & Key (English) striped shirt with white collar and black J. M. Weston (French) shoes.

A Gem Dandy

Earlier this week, the curious had a chance to look at a 407.48-carat diamond that weighs nearly 3 ounces and is, we’re told, flawless. The gem was on display, appropriately enough, in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel in a show staged by Christie’s, the prestigious auction house. We’re told by Christie’s representative Howard Bragman that the crowd included “lots of Chanel suits and one man in a bathrobe. He came over from the pool to have a look.” The largest diamond ever to be auctioned will hit the block in New York on Oct. 19. But you don’t have to be there to bid. This is a telephone auction, and as Bragman explains: “If Liz (Taylor) wants it, we can take her bid by phone.”

Touring the Town

Does Victoria Principal wear anything but Armani? Listen’s not sure, but we spotted her dining at Jimmy’s in Beverly Hills, wearing one of the newest-looking Armani divided skirts, in beige, with a white Armani silk blouse and a subtle print Armani jacket. Hopping a bit farther east in Beverly Hills, we noticed Diahann Carroll at Aida Gray’s beauty emporium. Carroll was a knockout in leather pants and matching jacket. Gray, who’s just back from Honolulu where she opened yet another namesake salon, says her latest product is an enzyme peel made of papaya and pineapple to remove sun discolorations from the skin. Peter Fonda apparently keeps his skin in shape with Gray’s help, because we spotted him there too. And down the road farther, we saw the beautiful, blond Michelle Phillips (a former Mama in the Mamas and Papas). She was with haircutting wiz Carrie White, at Menage A Trois. White (in stunning dark pantsuit) and Phillips (in stunning knee-length black dress) were both on their way to tea at Trumps with cosmetics queen Gayle Hayman, celebrating the debut of her products at Nordstrom.

Singing Praises of Designer

Call it love at first sight. Singer Nancy Wilson was on the A.M. Los Angeles show last week with five local designers, including Glenn Williams. Wilson saw a three-piece pantsuit from Williams’ fall collection and “kept raving about it,” a spokesperson for the designer said. She was invited to visit the factory, and two hours later she was there to get the goods: an ivory double-breasted blazer with a shawl collar; full, cuffed cocoa pants, and a doubled-breasted, shawl-collar blouse in cocoa.