Puttin’ on the Spritz of Bob Mackie

The Scene: Perfume launch for Bob Mackie, the eponymous fragrance from the designer and costumer best known for beading and sequining Cher, Carol Burnett, Juliet Prowse, Mitzi Gaynor and others to within an inch of their lives. Mackie was the center of attention at an all-too-crowded do at Arena Tuesday, co-hosted by Interview magazine, co-sponsored by Jubilaeum and benefiting the Childrens AIDS Center at Childrens Hospital. Although the invitation stipulated “Please, no other fragrances allowed,” there were no perfume police in sight. However, eau de toilette- wielding Mackie-ites drenched women with their stuff the minute they walked in the club. At least in department stores they ask before spraying.

The Buzz: Other than remarking on how youthful the 50-year-old Mackie looked, guests took their own surveys of how the fragrance smelled. Reactions ranged from “fabulous” (that painfully overused adjective) to “pretty standard.”

Who Was There: Mitzi Gaynor, Juliet Prowse, producer Sherry Lansing, the Hollywood Kids, designer Gregory Poe, photographer Greg Gorman, actress Kim McGuire, Mackie business partner Ray Aghayan, skater Tai Babilonia, and Childrens Hospital medical director Dr. Carl Gruskhin and executive vice president William Wells.

Dress Mode: Mackie looked positively preppie in a double-breasted suit and bow tie; Gaynor showed off great legs in a miniskirt; Lansing stood out in a scarlet suit, and Prowse opted for a sedate below-the-knee navy suit. The de rigueur accessory these days is a small yellow bow pinned to the lapel.

The Food: Better-than-average Arena fare included pasta salads, shrimp and marinated beef and chicken on skewers. Kids, don’t try this at home: Some guests with steel-lined stomachs piled all the food together and made it a one-dish meal.

Quoted: Was Mackie optimistic about this perfume, launched after his 1985 try at the fragrance market failed?

“Well, I was optimistic about the other one,” he said. “But I’m very optimistic about this one. It has good vibrations about it. I think it’s sexier than the other one.

“And I think (the timing) of the other one was probably a little early; we had just launched the ready-to-wear line only a year prior to that.”

Overheard: One man asked his friend what he was drinking.

“It’s a shot of lemon something,” the friend replied. “But I don’t know if it’s a perfume, or if I’m supposed to drink it.”

Entertainment: A brief fashion show of Mackie designs, including a circular cape with blinking lights on the back that had the audience screaming in delight.

One woman turned to her friend, a designer, and said, “You should have a fashion show,” to which he replied, “Not at Arena , dear.”