Give Boring Old Barrettes the Brushoff
BORED STIFF WITH BANANA CLIPS?--For years, Melinda Roberts, a San Pedro nurse and hair ornament fancier, had a tough time finding barrettes and clips that danced beyond the predictable styles offered in department stores and beauty shops. Eventually, though, her search paid off and she found a number of unusual sources. (That’s her in the photo wearing a $22.95 antique bronze cherub barrette.)
She also decided to share her discoveries and just came out with “Hair Fetish,” a catalogue of “distinctive hair accessories.” Its items range from “charm barrettes” (basically charm bracelets for your hair, such as a $34 gold-tone model that dangles tiny baby shoes, toy blocks and diaper pins) to a completely nutty “Beat the Clock” barrette in antique brass ($18) to a mini-clip of a Victorian hand encrusted with a black stone ($9).
Roberts even has great stuff for tightwads and budget watchers: mini-clips of King Tut or Scotties ($6 each). She’s buying everything from manufacturers now, but expects to add her own designs. To order, call (213) 514-0570. For a catalogue, send $1 to Hair Fetish, P.O. Box 630, San Pedro, Calif. 90733.
SHOPPING THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY: Free fashion shows and wardrobe seminars may have bitten the designer dust at some recession-plagued emporiums, but not at First Issue stores owned by the Liz Claiborne company.
This manufacturer’s been so successful that its relatively new retail arm is even throwing in complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages at its upcoming fashion shows/seminars.
These one-hour presentations, at which First Issue knitwear designer Elliot Forte will preside, are scheduled for Sept. 27 at noon at the First Issue store in Sherman Oaks Fashion Square and for Sept. 28 at noon at the store in Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza.
President Allen McNeary says the shows will stress the chain’s “formula that if you buy nine pieces, you can make 30 outfits.”
What if you love Claiborne-esque styles but find formulas about as fun as returning gifts with no clues on which stores they came from? Ignore that part of the show and ask Forte your own questions, like, say, if there’s any real difference between First Issue and Liz Claiborne garments. By phone from New York, McNeary didn’t want to talk much about the similarities. He would say, though, that First Issue goods tend to be slightly lower priced than Claiborne styles because First Issue is both the manufacturer and retailer of the products.
To reserve a seat at the shows, call (818) 981-6250 in Sherman Oaks or (714) 557-9920 in Costa Mesa.
Thrilled that Raisa Gorbachev is recovering from her health problems and is still in possession of her gold card? Hot to Shop is based on conversations and reader mail. Write to Beth Ann Krier, Hot to Shop, The Times, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053. Questions may also be faxed to (213) 237-4712.
