The Casual Candidate

As Sen. Tom Harkin withdrew from the race for the White House this week, he said he’d do anything to get a Democrat elected--even wear a turtleneck.

That jab at Jerry Brown’s wardrobe caught our ear. Indeed, presidential hopeful Brown’s catalogue-esque white turtlenecks, wilderness Windbreakers and plaid shirts have given him one thing the other candidates don’t have: a look. But is it a winner?

“Blue stripe suits, button-down shirts and repp stripe ties are certainly more presidential,” says Kenneth Akpapunam of Joseph A. Banks, the Georgetown store where President Bush shops.

At Patagonia, which produces the kind of sportswear that makes up Brown’s casual campaign wear, spokeswoman Megan Montgomery votes yes on the Californian’s dress code:

“It’s a roll-up-our-sleeves style that’s refreshing.”

Several experts contend that Brown’s informality makes him more approachable.

“He obviously hasn’t got an image consultant to tell him what he should and should not do,” says G. Bruce Boyer, author of “Eminently Suitable: The Elements of Style in Business Attire.”

But can it win him votes?

You don’t want to know what they said about that.

* NOTHING TO WEAR?: Beverly Hills retailer Fred Hayman, official fashion coordinator for the Academy Awards, gave a mini fashion show this week to goose nominees and presenters into wearing something appropriately drop-dead to the March 30 ceremony.

Hayman rounded up some stunning entries: a Karl Lagerfeld slinky slip dress, a haute couture gown by Emanuel Ungaro, Gianni Versace’s majorette dress, and a cleavage-bearing Bill Blass number that would win a “best supported actress” award if there were such a thing.

Conspicuously absent were styles by Giorgio Armani and Valentino. It seems their L.A. stores will solicit business on their own. Armani traditionally dresses an army of nominees, but he’s not naming names yet. But the Valentino camp is.

His spokesperson tells Listen that the designer is making dresses for best actress nominee Susan Sarandon and best supporting actress nominees Mercedes Ruehl and Jessica Tandy.

* DESIGNER HAS HIS DAY: Mayor Tom Bradley has declared Thursday “Marc Jacobs of Perry Ellis Day” in Los Angeles. That’s the day after Jacobs’ big fashion gala at I. Magnin, Beverly Hills, where he is scheduled to show his spring and summer collection, the one with the Los Angeles theme (remember the flowing skirts decorated with hand-painted Oscar statues?).

Tickets for the show, which benefits the American Foundation for AIDS Research, are still available through I. Magnin.

* MEANWHILE, UP AT THE NORTH POLE: High-tech racing suits made by Timberland were tested on three mushers this week during the 20th Iditarod Sled Dog Race in Alaska. Some of that technology will trickle down to stores this fall in Timberland’s Iditarod Collection. The mainstays will be parkas and boots with special features--hoods with storm closures that move with the head for continual peripheral vision and treads that shed ice and snow.