Hey, Spike’s Bound to Do Right Thing
DEAR HOT: I’m a big fan of Spike Lee’s films and I called his New York clothing store, Spike’s Joint, for a catalogue. To date all I have received is a postcard apologizing for the delay. That was in September, and they still haven’t done the right thing.
DEAR HOT SHOPPER: Spike’s Joint, the filmmaker’s Brooklyn, N.Y., store that features clothing and other merchandise bearing his movies’ logos, is still trying to do the right thing. Trouble with a printer caused the delay in shipping the catalogue, said Earl Smith, a store representative. Smith assured us that new catalogues would be shipped out within two weeks. To order a catalogue, call (718) 802-1000.
DON’T LET THE NAME FOOL YOU: Rockets & Reptiles has nothing to do with spaceships or lizards. It’s a new store in the Westside Pavilion that sells one-of-a-kind, handmade jewelry made of polyester resin.
Owners and designers John and Jenny Breukelaar produce oversize, chunky jewelry out of faceted and smooth resin beads they cast themselves.
Earrings, pendants and beaded necklaces and bracelets come in translucent, jewel-tone colors, as well as matte gold-tone, glitter and opaque finishes. Most pieces run $29 to $38.
The store is on the second level of the Pavilion; after Jan. 1 it will move to a cart on the first floor. Asked about the name Rockets & Reptiles, John Breukelaar smiles and says, “Either people love it or they just can’t deal with it. I mean, there’s a store next door named Wet Seal.”
DEAR HOT: If there is one look every fashion publication played to the max in 1990, it was wild tights and leggings. But it’s the end of the year and I’m still having trouble finding these things. Where are they hiding?
DEAR HOT SHOPPER: We agree with you that these things have been tough to scout out. But there is a store with a fantastic selection of the craziest tights and leggings around.
It’s Na Na, a shop that appears to have been designed for would-be rock stars, at 631 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica.
The store carries all manner of kicky legwear, priced from about $5 to $70. There are selections for children and outrageous offerings (including stretch velour tights) by Mary Quant, an original moldy-oldie from the ‘60s. And the shop offers Pucci-inspired leggings at a bargain $36. The only trouble with the knockoffs, though, is that they don’t have quite as much spandex as the originals, so you’ll have to flatten your stomach on your own.
THE TRUE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS: Now through Christmas Eve, Victor Clothing is offering free photographs of you posing with Santa Claus. The store, which carries all types of clothing, will take photos from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 242 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. The pictures are taken with a 35-millimeter camera; prints can be picked up a couple of days later.
