Rising Star
Thursday night was a biggie for West Coast designers Dick Chen and Jim Cavaricci. They took top honors at the seventh annual Marty Menswear Designer Award ceremony, established by the California Mart. Chen, who designs for Seattle-based Ca Va, was honored as a new talent and given the first Rising Star award for menswear. Other nominees were Richard Tyler, Henry Duarte for Sqwear, Joe Dahun, and Bijal Shah and Sarah Gulick for Woodhouse menswear. Cavaricci, who is chief executive officer and president of Z. Cavaricci, took the Marty award for design excellence in a competition that included six other nominees: George Machado for Zylos, Glenn Williams, Emil Rutenberg, Sandra Serebreni for ETC. and Hoopla, Sandy Mills for Shang-Hai and Nancy Finnerty for Re-Union. Dress code for the evening was “California creative black tie,” and actor Robert Urich, who presided as master of ceremonies, didn’t let anyone down. He was dressed in a pin-dot, navy-blue tuxedo jacket, solid navy trousers and an embroidered white shirt--all from trendy Shang-Hai.
What Were You Expecting?
We’ve heard of non-pregnant women (if that’s what you call them) buying themselves great-looking, voluminous dresses that happen to be sold in maternity departments. But this is a first: Ringo Starr strolled into Baby Boom Boom in Beverly Hills recently and began browsing through the racks. Then he tried on a brown-and-cream tweed blazer with flower appliques by Staley-Gretzinger and said he wanted it for himself. If owner Ziza Elrod Brown had any doubts, she was proven wrong two days later when Starr showed up on “The Today Show” in said maternity blazer.
Frog by Any Other Name
We hear from Brian Reichenberg, co-owner of Our Secret in West Hollywood, that there are actually two frog pins in “Troop Beverly Hills,” starring Shelley Long. One is by Cartier, the other by Reichenberg, who earns his living making fakes for real and reel life. The Cartier amphibian, made of pave diamonds and rubies, was needed for a second scene, “but it had been sent to Paris and sold,” Reichenberg tells us. Working from photographs, he made a copy out of cubic zirconias and man-made rubies. And there’s another big difference: “In the film, Long kisses the frog’s derriere, so we made the rear fancier than the original.” The 5-inch fancy fellow is on display at Our Secret--until it’s kissed goodby for $26,000, that is.
Going to the Dogs
The cozy Polo/Ralph Lauren shop looked like a page from “Dogue” magazine one recent cold day. Rougee, a tawny-haired poodle swathed in what appeared to be a mink coat and hat, was lounging in a huge leather chair while her owner tried on boots. Who designed Rougee’s ensemble? we asked Rougee’s mistress, Elaine Gurevitz. “I made it myself because it’s too cold outside for her,” Gurevitz said. “But it’s certainly not mink; it’s synthetic.” Meanwhile, Heinzie, a dachshund owned by artist Ian Falconer, was lounging, undressed, on the Oriental rug while Falconer browsed through ties. It was a lovely, family afternoon. We asked Pam Korman, the shop’s collectibles buyer, whether the store attracts a lot of dogs. “Absolutely,” she said. “They seem to love it here. One customer comes in with three schnauzers. While he shops, they sit in a row right by the tie table and watch everybody go by. When he’s ready to go, he says ‘Come on, girls,’ and they stand up. Then he says ‘Say goodby,’ and they bark in unison as they walk out.”
Welcome Back Lorna
Lorna Luft decided to go total glam for her concert engagement at the Cinegrill through Jan. 28. Nolan Miller (“I just think he’s the best”) designed two gowns for her--one, a gold bugle-beaded sheath that “fits like a glove,” and the other has black bugle beads from top to bottom. When she showed up for her first meeting with Miller, Luft told Listen, the “Dynasty” designer made the wisecrack: “It took you long enough to come back.” Come back? It turns out that in 1963, her mother, Judy Garland, trotted Luft to Miller’s for her “very first long dress.” She wore it to sister Liza Minnelli’s opening at the Coconut Grove.
