A Celebration of Art That’s Set in Stone

A Celebration of Art

You could call it art for art’s sake. Or “incredible,” which is how Tommy Perse, owner of Maxfield (the austere home of avant-garde fashions on Melrose Avenue), describes the installation of three huge concrete forms in the store’s parking lot. Perse says the sculptures, by Los Angeles artist Roger Herman, “look like big apes or Neanderthal men.” And they are his way of saluting ART/LA89, the fourth International Contemporary Art Fair to be held next Thursday through Dec. 11 at the L.A. Convention Center. For the last three years, displays in Maxfield’s one-and-only window have saluted the fair, but this time Perse decided to celebrate in a big way. Two of Herman’s concrete torsos are 10 feet tall and weigh a 1 1/2 tons. The third sculpture, a half torso, is a mere six feet tall. It took workers an entire day to set up the monolithic monkey men, who will tower over Maxfield patrons for three months.

Directors’ Choice

Tom Gilman, who owns The Studio men’s wear shop in Santa Monica, seems to have cornered an unusual segment of the fashion-conscious market. He says a dozen or so movie directors have been to his shop in the last few weeks. Among them: Herbert Ross (“Steel Magnolias”), Sydney Pollack (“Out of Africa”), Michael Ritchie (“Fletch” and “Fletch Lives”), Mark Rydell (“On Golden Pond”), John Schlesinger (“Madame Sousatzka” and “Midnight Cowboy”), Joel Schumacher (“Cousins”), Robert Mulligan (“Clara’s Heart” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”) and David Seltzer (“Punchline”). It appears a major draw is the hard-to-find Clacton & Frinton tailored sportswear, Gilman says. Plus the fact that the shop is right next door to Ronnie Romoff’s, where most of these guys get their hair cut.

The Bottom Half

Suzanne Somers of the TV sitcoms “She’s the Sheriff” and “Three’s Company” has joined her stepdaughter, Leslie Hamel, in a design effort. Hamel has been making her own collection of bejeweled jeans that have been seen on Sandra Bernhard, David Lee Roth and Barry Manilow and in local stores such as Fred Segal. But the new mother-stepdaughter creations--which debut in mid-1990--will consist of active wear, sportswear, swimwear and intimate apparel. Somers’ role in the new venture is that of design consultant and spokeswoman. She says her goal is to create clothes that are fun, feminine, sexy . . . you know . . . the way she herself wants to dress.

Monteleagre Moves

The Los Angeles-based women’s wear firm, Antony Moorcroft, has tapped California-based Rafael Monteleagre as its new designer. He succeeds Moorcroft, who died Oct. 1 from complications of AIDS. Monteleagre has been working in the Los Angeles design community for five years, most recently producing a signature contemporary sportswear collection for women, and a children’s line called Motion Pictures. He says his style is simpatico with that of his predecessor at Moorcroft. “He liked to juxtapose soft feminine things with structured tailored things,” Monteleagre notes.

Knowing Your Mind . . .

At the first U.S. showing of the spring Chanel ready-to-wear collection in Palm Desert recently, former First Lady Betty Ford and Dolores (Mrs. Bob) Hope were present. But it was another local (not famous and not willing to be identified) who dropped 40 grand on clothes after the show. She arrived with a personal secretary, knew her sizes precisely and tried on absolutely nothing. Listen hears from a spokeswoman for I. Magnin and Bullocks Wilshire, which sponsored the event, that it wasn’t only Chanel that she bought. Yves Saint Laurent, Emmanuel Ungaro and Sonia Rykiel also made the cut.

A Sterling Effort

Judith Leiber told Listen that the next shape she’s creating for her highly collectible minaudieres (little metal evening bags, often in animal shapes) will be modeled after her dog, Sterling. A Norwich terrier, Sterling has good bloodlines. He was bred by Georgia Rockefeller Rose and named after one of her relatives. Leiber says her 1984 cat bag prompted people to ask when she planned to make her first pooch. It will be in stores next year, including Saks, where the grandmotherly designer recently appeared.

Gone Green With Ivy

The new Giorgio shop on Rodeo Drive has a look all its own. No typical, cozy fireplaces or tweedy wing chairs to be seen. Flora and fauna reign here. Giant ivy topiaries surround you, flowers sprout from every corner and dual stereo sound tracks offer simultaneous show tunes and “nature sounds” such as birds chirping.

Forever Blowing Bubbles

Love to blow bubbles, but find those little bottles of soapy stuff just aren’t fancy enough for your yuppie tastes? We know where you can get a miniature sterling silver bottle with a tiny wand inside to wear on a silk cord around your neck. “Madonna just got one for a gift. Mick Fleetwood has one. Larry Hagman has bought them for gifts and for himself. So has Peter Guber,” says Judy Walker, who with husband Robert Walker (the actor), owns Tops Gallery in Malibu. The “Tops Bubble Blower” sells for $68, can turn out 1/2- to 1-inch bubbles, and, according to Judy, “it’s perfect for clowning in the middle of a high-power meeting.”