Reach Out and Touch in Your 501 Jeans
Spike Lee’s “real people in real fashion” commercials for Levi’s 501 jeans have been so successful for the San Francisco-based company that it decided to give the award-wining director another go-round. Levi’s marketing director Dan Chew says the company has re-established its monthlong (800) 24-LEVIS telephone number for would-be stars to call with their “most amazing, strange and unique experiences wearing Levi’s jeans.” Chew told Listen that 54,000 people called the number in its first 48 hours of operation for a chance at one of eight spots planned for this fall.
* THE TIES THAT WHINE: Patrick Norris, costume supervisor for ABC’s “thirtysomething,” decided to bring in the entire cast and crew of the hit television series when he was asked to redesign a Levi’s denim jacket for the Dallas-based Design Industry Friends for AIDS (Diffa) auction Saturday. The jacket is emblazoned with wild neckties worn by the characters portrayed by actors Tim Busfield, Ken Olin and David Clennon. The red flannel lining is made from one of Melanie Mayron’s shirts. Busfield will join Norris in Dallas to model the jacket. Says Norris: “If we get a lot of money for it, we’ll leave Tim in it.”
* ON THE PULSE: The new way to wear Giorgio? Try it over your shoulder. The company famed for its namesake fragrance is adding a collection of leather purses to its product line. Most are day-into-evening styles, all are created by Sabra Lande, Giorgio’s in-house designer. The collection will be launched at the Rodeo Drive shop this spring and at specialty stores nationwide in July. Company spokeswoman Jackie Cohen says prices average about $150--$25 less than an ounce of the perfume.
* STRETCH MARKS THE SPOT: Now all of us--which includes Cindy Crawford and Brooke Shields --who have been ordering our Dance France leotards and other workout wonders by mail can go public. A new store filled with nothing but Dance France merchandise opens May 13, on Main Street in Santa Monica. (The Beverly Hills Dance France Bodywear boutique on Robertson Boulevard is owned by Francois Geis, who still designs for Dance France although he sold the company to the Esmark Corp. in 1986.) The goodies include a $70 stretch-velvet jumpsuit that sounds perfect for yet another customer--Cher. “Last year we made special unitards for her singing engagements,” says company president Susan Richter.
* FASHION SCENE: Raquel Welch earned first place in the show stopper’s category Tuesday night, when she turned up in a slinky floral-print dress at a party hosted by the Maxfield boutique and Morton’s restaurant. The party was for writer Susan Sontag, painter Howard Hodgkin and their new book, “The Way We Live Now,” about one person’s fight with AIDS. Some of the evening’s proceeds went to AIDS charities.
* DOLL FACE: Watch for a new fashion model to break into TV this summer--on the Saturday morning cartoon commercial lineup. Her name is Suzy Snapshot. This model doll, manufactured by the South San Francisco-based Lewis Galoob Toys, is poised to pose in hundreds of different postions when her special camera shutter is pressed. The battery-operated doll is wireless and is activated by a light emitted from the camera, which communicates with her necklace. Suzy may not come cheap at between $35 and $40 but most models charge more than that for an hour’s work.
