Gifts Wrapped in Style : Fabric pieces or scarves can add an elegant touch to holiday presents. A Tarzana designer gives shoppers the chance to be creative.
Innovative San Fernando Valley gift givers are putting a new spin on the old idea of elegant wrapping by using scarves to conceal the holiday booty.
“It’s a clever way of giving two presents, both the wrap and the contents,” says Phyllis Maxx, who has a signature boutique in Tarzana. There, customers can custom-design a scarf to go with an outfit. The wrap can be matched with the outfit’s fabric or done in a complementary color. Prices range from $15 for a simple velvet number to $200 and up for an intricate, multi-fabric scarf with beaded trim. Labor and fabric affect the cost, of course.
“Each package becomes a different thing. Since I am a designer, the wrap reflects my artistic sensibility and (the customer’s),” Maxx says.
An even cheaper variation on the same theme involves using fabric squares to wrap gifts. At House of Fabrics in Canoga Park, sales associate Sam Rabadi says she has already assisted a few customers with yardage for just this purpose. “It’s something different, and that appeals to some people,” says Rabadi, who sells a variety of holiday printed fabrics priced between $2.99 and $6.99 per yard.
One simple wrapping method involves sewing two squares of fabric together to form a pocket for a gift. Lazy gift-givers can even place a present on a bandanna, tie the corners together and finish the whole thing with a ribbon.
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BEEP ME UP, SCOTTIE: Just when you thought you’d seen every conceivable beeper, out pop yet more fashionable incarnations. Seiko now offers a beeper watch, and there’s also Swatch the Beep (now there’s a clever moniker!).
The new Swatch is named for its unique paging system. The display communicates phone numbers or coded messages, which enable the person sending the communication to ensure that it’s private.
As many as 20 numbers can be featured in the memory, but only eight can be permanently protected from erasure. There is a silent mode function, which allows the display to indicate how many messages have been received. As with any beeper, the device must be hooked up via a mobile phone company.
The watch, which sells for $175, comes in four styles in shades of blue or red, or combinations such as green, red and yellow or brown and gold. Although it looks much like a traditional Swatch, the face of the new style features a horizontal bar where incoming information appears. San Fernando Valley Christmas shoppers will soon be able to find these timepieces at The Good Guys in Woodland Hills, Studio City and Northridge, but until shipments come in, special orders will be taken.
Seiko’s MessageWatch combines a pager with the ability to receive weather forecasts, stock market updates, winning lottery numbers, voice mail notifications and sports scores. It’s even possible to add a personal voice mail greeting. Available in styles suitable for men, women and teens, the watch comes in several fashion colors including teal, gray, yellow, khaki and black.
Set to arrive at Rich Time Jewelers in Chatsworth, the watch has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $79.95. Like the Swatch model, the Seiko device must be hooked via a mobile phone company. Richard Sarayudeji, owner of Rich Time Jewelers, says customers have been asking for the novel item. “We think they will be very popular, especially with kids,” he says.
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ICE CREAM ANYONE?: The bold brights touted by highfalutin fashion designers for winter have enjoyed mixed success, so the experts decided to rethink the color explosion for spring. The latest shades are subdued, almost chalky, and far from blinding. Even so, they are a welcome respite from last spring’s bland neutrals.
“We think women will be excited about the more feminine looks being offered this spring,” says Annalisa Sharp, assistant store manager of Rebel, a woman’s upscale clothing boutique in Encino.
Sharp says spring shoppers can expect soft palettes of baby pink, powder blue and buttercup yellow. Like the colors, Sharp says, shapes will be softer, too. Jackets will be less architectural, sweaters less fitted. Look for relaxed linen suits and little cotton sweaters to become the season’s staples.
Teddy Zach, who owns the Body boutiques that feature avant-garde women’s fashions in Studio City and Encino, agrees the trend will be hot for ’95.
“The newness of it appeals; it’s very light and pretty,” affirms Zach, who says the store is expecting beaucoup shipments of sportswear echoing the ultra-feminine trend.
