Balmain Goes Scot
The French fashion house of Balmain has named a new designer, Alistair Blair of Scotland, for its line of luxury ready-to-wear. Blair is well known in Britain where he has been designing his own collection for Jaeger, the upscale sportswear company. Earlier, he worked in the Paris couture houses--Dior, Givenchy, Chloe and Karl Lagerfeld--for nine years. Erik Mortensen, Balmain’s Danish-born designer, will keep his post as head of haute couture, which he has occupied since Pierre Balmain’s death in 1982. The Balmain label has a classic image, and no matter what creations Blair comes up with, the prices will remain in the high rent district--say, about $1,000 for a suit.
VIRGIN DRESS: Madonna has a new dress and it’s the first ever made by Richard Tyler, the L.A. designer best known for his men and women’s suits. She requested something in black with a velvet collar and he came up with what looks like a priest’s frock, except that it is slit on the sides to show off a sheer black underskirt. Madonna will wear it during her concert tour and Tyler will stock a version of it in his L.A. boutique, says the designers’ partner, Lisa Trafficante. Janet Jackson is also sporting Tyler togs in her latest video. Her black silk suit with hand-stitched white pinstripes is a featured attraction on “Alright.” They’re showing the video at the Tyler Trafficante store.
LIMELIGHTS AND NOLAN MILLER: In the play “Sleeping Beauty--Coma,” playing at the Coronet Theatre in Hollywood, thousands of dollars were spent to create the Mod fashion world of London in the ‘60s, but nothing was left for a showpiece outfit for the final scene. So Charles Busch, the play’s creator/star, shopped the racks at Sym’s, a New York store, to come up with the final fashion statement for his character, a Mary Quant-type designer he plays in drag. For the last scene (which takes place in 1990) Busch found an off-the-rack, beaded, white, Nolan Miller suit bargain-priced at $250. He reports that the suit, which resembles the styles Miller created for Joan Collins in “Dynasty,” stops the show every night. “As soon as I walk out on stage in that suit the audience screams,” Busch said. “I’d like to think it’s my acting, but. . . . “
BAG CAMPS: Prada accessories are becoming so popular that two of their bags are becoming the status symbol among fashion folks, including many fashion editors at the recent European collections. The nylon and silk chain-handled tote is seen on the shoulders of models Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and big-haired blondes Dyan Cannon and Diandra Douglas. The other camp--led by designer Isaac Mizrahi--slings on the Prada backpack.
