Museum Jewels Can Be Had for Low-Low Price
CHEAPO FIND OF THE WEEK: The dignified Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shops in Century City Shopping Center and South Coast Plaza are hardly the first places you’d think to check for outrageous bargains. But if you look carefully through the offerings of stylish jewelry reproduced from the museum’s collections, you’ll find a striking pair of faux tortoise shell earrings (pictured).
They’ve been copied in Lucite from a pair that were popular in England between 1850 and 1860. The earrings’ drop style looks completely contemporary, and so does its low price: $15.
GET OUT YOUR CALENDARS--AND YOUR CHECKBOOKS--IF YOU WANT TO SIP TEA WITH LIZ AND SEE IF SHE LOOKS AS GOOD IN PERSON AS SHE DOES IN THE TABLOIDS: For the right campaign donation, almost anyone can meet the U.S. politician of his or her choice. Elizabeth Taylor, the former wife of U.S. Sen. John Warner, is offering a similar opportunity to those who are among the first to buy her new perfume.
She’s scheduled to show up at the Robinson’s store in Torrance’s Del Amo Fashion Center on Sept. 26 to have tea with the first 150 customers who spend $300 for a one-ounce limited-edition bottle of White Diamonds. At press time, there were some bottles (and tea invitations) still available. Customers without $300 to lavish on perfume can check out Taylor in a free, sure-to-be-mobbed question-and-answer session the same day. It’s scheduled for 2 p.m. in the intimate-apparel department on the store’s lower level. But don’t try camping overnight with the undies to secure a good viewing post. The earliest that squatters will be allowed in that day is 10 a.m., when the store opens.
HELP FOR SENSITIVE SHOPPERS: Alternatives are increasing for overweight children who find it embarrassing to wander into a department store and ask where the “size-up” girls’ or “husky” boys’ clothing is located. JC Penney has just expanded its Big Kids catalogue (aimed at boys and girls ages 7 to 12) so these kids can shop and try on clothes in the privacy of their homes. For a free catalogue, with clothing in boys’ “husky” sizes 8 to 20 and girls “size-up” sizes 8 1/2 to 18 1/2, call (800) 222-6161.
For ultra -sensitive kids who are humiliated at even the thought of such size classifications, the Kids at Large catalogue has fewer offerings but provides its own regular-sounding clothing sizes (4 to 14), based on height and weight. For a free Kids at Large catalogue, call (800) KIDS-FIT.
