Jerry Garcia Tied to the Establishment

Deadheads take note: Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead fame has formed a capitalist enterprise to dress Establishment-types. Seems Garcia’s artwork (he’s quite the Renaissance man) was spotted in a Soho gallery by tie manufacturer Irwin Sternberg, president of Stonehenge Ltd. With a little prodding and cajoling, Garcia was persuaded to turn his art into tie graphics. The eight-piece J. Garcia collection will make its retail debut at Bloomingdale’s Manhattan store next week. They will be available in Los Angeles July 20 at The Broadway stores. Sternberg says the ties made their TV debut: Phil Jackson, coach of the Chicago Bulls, wore Garcia’s ties during the NBA playoffs.

* SECRET GROOMING: Rick Pallack calls Sen. Edward Kennedy’s wedding to attorney Victoria Anne Reggie top secret rather than top hat. The usually chatty Sherman Oaks retailer will only say that he and the Massachusetts Democrat, a longtime customer, “met re: his wardrobe” recently and that the clothes Kennedy wears in his wedding pictures come from Pallack’s store. From the top: a navy pin-striped, doubled breasted suit in lightweight wool; white cotton shirt with French-cuffs; navy-and-silver pin-dot tie, and a white pocket square. It all sounds so proper, we bet no one noticed that the East Coast Senator was dressed on the West Coast.

* OOPS, WRONG IMAGE: Someone forgot to tell Nicole Miller the demographics of her male customers, who tend to be preppy businessmen. The New York-based fashion designer--known for her whimsically printed silk neckwear, blouson jackets and formal accessories--presented her first fashion show in New York recently, only to be queried afterward about what it all meant. Miller’s models, a rough bunch wearing mostly black, performed various sadistic and violent acts onstage. The show also featured gambling, cigar smoking and even a scene with a Harley Davidson. The fashion trends were unclear.

* MOSSIMO’S MAGNUMS: Even if you wouldn’t carry a gun, would you wear one? L.A. fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli will find out in August when he ships his “revolver” collection of handgun-print menswear. One shirt is covered with ray guns and other vintage toys. A bomber jacket has a revolver embroidered on the back. And everything has a hang tag that reads: “Wear guns, don’t use them.” Giannulli sees the clothes as an anti-gun statement, and says he expects they’ll sell to the “more creative” of his customers, who range in age from 14 to 25. With one exception: “If a kid’s mother’s shopping for him, he’ll never see these clothes.”

* SHEER PLEASURE: Leeza Gibbons of “Entertainment Tonight” stopped by L.A.’s Christine Albers showroom during a recent shopping spree for her on-air wardrobe. She selected a number of translucent organza and lace blouses, as well as a lace body stocking. Why the sexy picks? Technical and personal reasons, she said. Sheer fabric photographs denser on TV than it really is, Gibbons explained, and works well with a tailored suit. More to the point, the mother of 4 1/2-month-old Troy Stephen says wearing sheer gives her a chance to celebrate her again-girlish figure: “It feels good to reclaim my body.”

* DIAL A SCENT: Die-hard Donna Karan fans chomping at the bit for her new signature fragrance, Donna Karan New York, will have to call (800) 647-7474 to order the fragrance or to obtain a sample vial. The fragrance is being sold only in New York or by phone. Prices range from $45 for a 1/2-ounce purse spray to $325 for 1 ounce of perfume. Phone orders will be filled beginning July 20.