Tonight’s the NightPerhaps the most worthwhile charity...
Tonight’s the Night
Perhaps the most worthwhile charity event of the fashion year happens tonight at the Century Plaza hotel. It’s “The Magic of Bob Mackie,” a show starring the Wunderkind himself, plus scads of film and TV stars and virtually all of L.A.’s top fashion designers and models--all joining together in the hotel’s Los Angeles Ballroom to wine and dine and to help stamp out AIDS. It’s sponsored by AIDS Project Los Angeles, and it’s $250 per tax deductible ticket. Seventy-five seats have been set aside for last-minute guests who want to pay at the door, says Mike Anketell, who’s executive chairman of the event. Anketell adds that the black-tie gala starts at 7 p.m., dinner’s at 8:30. The show is produced by Bob Mackie and Jim Waterson, with film clips from Mackie’s Cher and Carol Burnett shows as well as a complete airing of his spring ready-to-wear collection. Phone (213) 392-9894 for more information.
Dress to Empress
The recently announced results of Eleanor Lambert’s International Best Dressed Poll include what we think are some interesting ins and outs. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain, for example, was not on this year’s list of 12 best-dressed women but received a citation for being “a constant example of unfailing elegance and appropriate dress in public life.” Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, however, placed second on the list, and Empress Michiko of Japan was at the very top. Out of the five new names “elevated to permanent recognition in the Hall of Fame” are two from L.A.: Anjelica Huston and Mrs. Ray (Fran) Stark. As for best-dressed men, you can probably guess who leads the pack. That’s right, President George Bush.
Topping Off a Parody
Actress Anna Nicholas, who just finished a successful run at the LEX theatre in “More Light,” tells Listen she regrets having to part with an aquamarine brocade hat that added to her character. The chapeau came from the personal wardrobe of costume designer, Steven Arnold, who doesn’t seem eager to part with it. “But I’m bartering with him right now,” notes Nicholas, soon to be seen in “Bloodstone,” a film she describes as “an adventure comedy set in India. It’s a spoof on ‘Romancing the Stone’ and ‘Jewel of the Nile.’ ” When she isn’t on stage or on camera, the hat-happy actress tries to find millinery to add to her collection. One acquistion, which she describes as “amazing, it’s like two hats in one,” is an Il Tetto creations by Lori Henley.
Senior Chic
On the surface this might not sound unusual: a 16-piece band playing songs from the ‘40s as 15 models saunter down the runway. And it doesn’t seem strange that a call for non-professional models would attract plenty of interest. “The phone was ringing off the hook,” says Susan Hartzler, who is organizing the show for the Wednesday ground-breaking ceremonies of Newport Beach Plaza. She had 45 eager callers and whittled the list down to 13 women and 2 men, all of whom (surprise) “are between 60 and 70 and look like grandmas and grandpas.” Why all the emphasis on maturity? Newport Beach Plaza just happens to be “a luxury senior development,” says Hartzler. The models and band are from the Oasis Senior Center in Newport Beach. Fashions for the show are being supplied by Hayton’s Bay Window in Corona del Mar.
