Another Gold Rush
It’ll be a big day for California Thursday when Madonna, “Beverly Hills, 90210,” L.A. menswear designer Henry Duarte and display designer Simon Doonan--who began at the Maxfield boutique on Melrose and went on to Barneys New York--are honored at the annual Woolmark Awards for the men’s fashion industry. To round out the West Coast sweep, Sandra Bernhard will host the event at a branch of the New York Public Library. And menswear reporter Timothy Hawkins, a longtime contributor to The Times fashion pages, will be presented an award for excellence. Other winners include Chip Tolbert, director of the Mens Fashion Assn.; designers Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren; jeweler Robert Lee Morris; Giorgio Armani’s casual wear for A/X, and Michael Jordan for slam-dunking athletic footwear into fashion.
WHO WAS THAT TAP MAN?: Hinton Battle, singer/dancer, three-time Tony winner, co-star of the musical “Stardust” at the Wiltern Theater, recently confessed that he isn’t very particular about his tap shoes. He says he buys soft street shoes and has taps added after he breaks them in. Pointing to his plain black Charles Jourdan shoes he said, “I bought these at a store on Melrose. The sales clerk got a little nervous when, before I even tried them on, I started bending and twisting them to make sure they’d be soft enough. But she calmed right down when I handed her my charge card.”
FEW COLORS, MORE CHOICES: Designer Eva Chun had an unlikely reaction to this year’s soft economy. Instead of cutting back her business, she expanded. Until now, Chun made only cocktail and evening outfits. But for fall she added day wear that she introduced at I. Magnin earlier this month. “In a bad economy I needed to give women more choices,” Chun explains. She also lowered prices on her evening wear about 20%. Her fall line is heavy on pantsuits, Mao jackets, long, lean skirts and leather trench coats cut along minimalist lines. Colors are those she wears. “I’m a black, beige and navy woman,” Chun says.
* LAZY FARE: Fred Hayman, fresh from a spin with “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, says the show’s host will have a new look in September. He uses phrases like “conservative contemporary” and “looser, more relaxed” to describe a wardrobe mix by Zegna, Krizia, Versace and private-label merchandise. But the realistic retailer isn’t expecting viewers to rush into his Beverly Hills store for such sartorial splendor as chalk-stripe suits and spread-collar shirts. “No one rushes today,” he says.
DRESSING DANGEROUSLY: As Hollywood memorabilia goes, this item may not be in a category with Dorothy’s red shoes, but it no doubt will appeal to moviegoers of a different era. The sexy, short white sheath that femme fatale Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) wears during a police interrogation scene in “Basic Instinct” (if you saw the movie, you’ll know the scene) will have a new life, and this time in very upright circumstances. The dress, by costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, will be among the Hollywood-related items auctioned at a fund-raiser Sundayfor All Babies Count, a day-care facility for HIV-positive children. Tickets for the event are $25. For information, call (213) 654-5484.
MYSTIC DU JOUR: Demi Moore and Dyan Canon have discovered the Jewel of the Lotus, which sounds like an ancient treasure but is actually a jewelry collection by Kamalia von Lixfeld, who thinks in mystical terms. Her Temple of Illumination ring is similar to one that Moore ordered in diamonds and emeralds. And Canon’s gold and ruby angel pendant is from the Sacred Miniatures series. The line is carried at the Celestial Gems showroom in Santa Monica where Von Lixfeld sees clients by appointment. Lotus spokeswoman Sandy Cole says it is also at Contents by Theodore in the Beverly Center.
