Peace of Mind for Only $10? What a Deal
William Lauder, Estee’s grandson, is well-known in New York’s cosmetics world, reigning over the company’s successful Origins line. But in L.A., he observed, showbiz is the only game in town.
“Try getting a table at Morton’s if you’re not in The Industry,” he said during a chat at the Origins store opening Monday in Century City.
We think industry types will flock to the teeny-tiny store. “The entire 670 square feet,” noted Lauder, “is dedicated to total well-being.” As are many people in Hollywood.
Having a bad day in Development Hell? Massage tiny dots of Peace of Mind ($10), a “mind-clearing formula,” on your temples and neck. En route to a pitch meeting at Fox? Rev up with Stress Buffer On-the-Spot Gel ($15). Worried that your 18-year-old starlet girlfriend suspects 55 is a lie? Urgent Moisture ($25) promises to return your skin to its “naturally dewy state.” Like when we were in utero.
It turns out that Origins will go a bit Hollywood itself soon. Lauder says an infomercial is in the works.
Yes, a table at Morton’s is well within reach. (For anyone, it seems. We had no problem scoring a table for four Monday night at 7. Although, frankly, we’d much rather have an Origins store.)
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Parental Discretion: Good news for beleaguered parents: The cost of a pair of status sneakers is going down. Nike has reduced the price of its Air Jordans from $140 to $125 (citing “more efficient manufacturing”). Reebok’s Shaq Attacks, once $135, are now $105, and the company is now allowing retailers to offer discounts of 20%. Both companies’ stock market values have tumbled, says USA Today. It seems that kids who once bought two or three pairs of these shoes a year are cutting back. What they really want--as any parent can tell you--is a pair of Doc Martens.
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Baby Steps: Marc Jacobs and business partner Robert Duffy are a bit closer to getting a Marc Jacobs line off the ground. After an unsuccessful attempt at getting financial backing from Italian-based Genny SpA, Jacobs’ ex-employer--Perry Ellis International--announced it would back the designer. Still, even that offer won’t be enough to pay for manufacturing, according to Women’s Wear Daily. So the pair went back to Italy for another round of talks. To be continued. . . .
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The Deflation Rate: For years, Leeza Gibbons played the Good-Time Girl to Mary Hart’s Glamour Matron on “Entertainment Tonight.” Big hair, big eyelashes, big lips, big fun. But on NBC’s new “John & Leeza” show, she’s toned it all down, cutting her hair to a post-headband, pre-Fekkai Hillary length. “I felt I had outgrown my hair,” she says. “I wanted to look more updated, less predictable” and, she concedes, younger.
Unpredictable it was, as Gibbons tried to re-create the free and easy look each day. (Sound familiar?) “For about six weeks, I looked like a bad version of the Brady Bunch.” Now, as a perk of the new job, Gibbons’ hair is done by the same stylist who cut her hair for years at the Bel Age Hotel’s Alex Roldan Salon. And the new makeup? “I tend to squint when I smile; I basically had no eyelids. So we had to create them.”
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Preemptive Strike: The Barney bashing continues. They haven’t even finished digging the hole on Wilshire Boulevard for the high-style New York-based clothier Barneys, and L.A.’s own high-style, high-end clothier, Maxfield, sends out a postcard announcing its summer sale with a “Jurassic Park” theme and this: “Where else are you gonna find this selection? Barneys? Barney’s just a prissy little purple dinosaur, and Tommy (Perse of Maxfield) can kick his Australopithecus! Come on in and join the club.” Tough time in retail.
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Working Woman Alert: Not only do 9-to-5ers miss the best sales, but we’re also missing the money-saving beauty tips featured on mid-morning TV shows. Wednesday, tangerine-suited skin-care maven Adrienne Arpel showed Regis & Kathie Lee what they could do with Vaseline, baby oil, baby shampoo, cornstarch and baking soda. Our favorite: scented dusting powder made from a pile of cornstarch and a few drops of perfume. Kathie Lee looked unimpressed. But Regis got so excited his eyes started bulging. Quick, give the man a Vaseline-and-sugar facial scrub. And rub hard.
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And Then There Were None: Where have all the L.A. Style-ists gone? Many of them have landed at Town & Country, where former American Express Publishing Co.’s Pamela Fiori, editor of T&C;, is supervising a redesign that will premiere in the November issue. Other ex-L.A. Stylers now at T&C; include fashion director Anne Crawford, art director Margot Frankel (as in Max’s daughter), and photo editor Bill Swan. Their job: Make the magazine for the rich and the rich wanna-bes “fresher and sexier,” according to one editor.
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Tangerine Dreams: We’re seeing orange. First at our local resale store, Chic Conspiracy in West L.A., where a beautifully constructed cotton skirt and sheer blouse by Gianfranco Ferre and an exquisite Carolyne Roehm suit were 50% off. (Take note, blondes and brunettes.) Then on TV. Our favorite high-energy reporter, KCBS’ Jodi2 Baskerville, anchored in orange. Finally, KCAL’s Jane Velez-Mitchell appeared in her orange suit. Well, the infusion of color must have gone to her head. Talking by remote to Eva Gabor and Eddie Albert--whose wax likenesses from their “Green Acres” days had just been unveiled at the Buena Park Movieland Wax Museum--Velez-Mitchell bubbled: “Those are quite flattering. A lot of people I know get wax statues, and they hate them!” It’s such a problem, isn’t it?
