Global Wear in Colors of Mother Earth
Esprit’s new Ecollection of “socially and environmentally responsible clothing” arrived at the L.A. Superstore last week. The linen, cotton and other raw materials for the sportswear separates come from economically depressed areas around the world. There are buttons made from tatuga nuts that grow in Ecuador’s rain forest, and others of recycled glass made in Ghana. Also in the collection are eco-correct accessories, such as handwoven handbags of cactus fibers from Mexico. Everything is available in only two colors: green, tinted by environmentally safe dye, and unbleached beige. Prices top out around $150, and the clothes are only at Esprit stores.
CAN’T DO A THING WITH MY FACE: Last year, she bought a red Ferrari. Now, makeup artist Marilyn Young drives it on house calls--at $200 per visit. And if you think there’s nobody to pay those prices after months of recession, think again. Hollywood wives are the biggest contributors to the Ferrari’s upkeep. Young’s best client books at least three appointments per week, to be painted up for black-tie events. Can you see her on the cheap? It’s cheap- er, $65 per hour, if you see Young at her shop, the Yuki salon in Sunset Plaza.
GOTTA START SAVING FOR THAT COLLEGE TUITION: When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. Just ask Warren Beatty. The new father spent Saturday checking out the new AX boutique (Armani on a budget) at Neiman Marcus--along with 4,000 other looky-loos. So what did he buy? An armful of shirts and a pair of jeans, an AX spokeswoman says.
IS THERE LIFE AFTER TV?: There is for Kathie Lee Gifford. After signing off of “Live With Regis and Kathie Lee” in the mornings, the talk-show co-host goes to work on her first fashion collection, a line of career and special-occasion dresses priced at $90 and up. Gifford will show off the collection Saturday, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., at The Broadway, Sherman Oaks. But don’t expect to see the clothes on TV. She isn’t allowed to promote her products on the show, and will continue to get her wardrobe from Maison Mendessolle, says spokeswoman Mary Kellogg.
WHATEVER IT TAKES: Just when you thought you’d seen Bart Simpson on everything imaginable, he shows up on a yarmulke, the skullcap worn by Jewish men. At the Jewish Quarter, a Beverly Hills shop, hand-painted suede yarmulkes priced from $20 to $35 feature “Sesame Street” characters, Simpson and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Joseph Hakimi of Sinai Akiba Academy in Los Angeles thinks the painted yarmulkes are great. “I don’t see any problem with it. If it’s fun for the kids it might preserve the tradition,” he says.
FEEL THE CHECKBOOK BURN: Listen has noticed that gym styles around Southern California vary--dramatically. On the Westside, unmatched sweats and spandex combinations abound, usually topped with a T-shirt or bomber jacket emblazoned with logos from a recently released film. Behind the Orange Curtain, big-name designer T-shirts paired with carefully chosen Lycra coordinates are the rage. Just this week we saw a Moschino T-clad woman impatiently waiting in the dressing room for her burn buddy. The friend, in an Escada T, was carefully hanging up her daywear, a Chanel suit, in a plastic garment bag to protect it in the locker.
