Up Close at Picasso Museum
One of the coveted invitations during French fashion week was for Paloma Picasso’s fete at the Picasso Museum. She (dressed in Dior) and 300 dear, personal friends celebrated the opening of her new store in the famous Rue de la Paix. Lauren Bacall was seen at the soiree listening attentively to face-lift gossip shared by Grace Mirabella, Marie-Helene de Rothschild and Veronica and Randolph Hearst. Older brother Claude Picasso and his wife, Sydney, and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and his wife, Kate, (from Santa Barbara) were seen leaving the party before it even started. Not seen were Madonna and her picture pals Herb Ritts and Steven Meisel, who were conspicuously absent after a week of partying whenever and wherever they could.
FERRAGAMO ON TERRA FIRMA: “After the Germans, American women buy the most shoes per person per year,” says Massimo Ferragamo, president of Ferragamo U.S.A, and second generation chief of the family shoe empire begun by his father, Salvatore. And what are they buying? “Perfect fit,” answers his brother, Ferruccio, general managing director of the company. “Americans buy shoes for the anatomy, not for the mirror.” The brothers should know. Their firm is the largest exporter of women’s luxury footwear in Italy. The two were in town recently to check the progress of their shop in the new Rodeo-Brighton Place in Beverly Hills. The store opens in February and will carry shoes for men and women, ready-to-wear, handbags, scarfs and men’s furnishings. The family, incidentally, aren’t strangers to Southern California. In the ‘20s, Salvatore studied anatomy at USC to perfect his shoes. He opened shops in Santa Barbara and Hollywood. His clients included Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Gloria Swanson and Bette Davis.
ON TIFFANY TIME: There was no gold watch for Gene Moore, Tiffany & Co.’s legendary window trimmer, when he marked his 35th anniversary with the jewelry company in August. “Thank God,” cracked 80-year-old Moore, best known for his “surprise” window displays utilizing ordinary objects such as eggs, rope, even dirt, or creating settings that make a point about the world. His juxtaposition of a bag lady with a string of diamonds one year became a cause celebre. Moore was in town both to celebrate Tiffany’s move to the Two Rodeo Drive center and to promote his tome, “My Time at Tiffany’s” (St. Martin’s Press, $60). So what did he receive from his bosses on his 35th? A sterling silver and enamel musical carousel--which he designed for Tiffany last year. Price tag: $35,000. Tiffany’s newest windows, by the way, are a Moore-ian tribute to Hollywood.
