RSVP : Fashion ‘n’ Fabulous Folk

An eclectic mix of celebrities, models and “just fabulous people” turned out for the biggest fashion event in town, the ninth annual California Fashion Industry Friends of AIDS Project Los Angeles.

Robbie Robertson, Fran Drescher and Leonardo DiCaprio were among the glitterati honoring Italian designer Gianfranco Ferre on Wednesday night at the Century Plaza. Oh, and Rod Stewart, Mr. Blackwell, Dennis Hopper, Julie (Catwoman) Newmar. . . .

“I’m not doing this to promote my name,” said the double-breasted-tuxedo-clad Ferre backstage before the event. “I’m doing this to make a gift to victims of AIDS.”

“I’ve wanted Mr. Ferre to be here for years,” said industry co-chairwoman Dori Bardavid of the $395-a-ticket event. “He’s the master.”

Although she wasn’t wearing Ferre, actress Jennifer Tilly agreed. “His clothes are an homage to earlier styles, but his interpretation is very 1990s. He illuminates a woman.”

At the cocktail reception before the show, the fashion message was mixed, to say the least: cool guys in ruffled-front tuxedo shirts, a blond babe with ringlets and tattoos, lots of impossibly high stiletto heels and a few bizarre ensembles that looked especially out of place in this style-conscious crowd.

A rumor circulated that Arnold Schwarzenegger was in the building. “I smell cigar smoke. Maybe that’s him!” squealed a fan.

At the silent auction, prices for Ferre-designed oversized silk and velvet pillows and throws started at $850. Three liters of his women’s fragrance went from $600 to $450. Such a deal.

When actress/model Kelly LeBrock appeared backstage, she had lots of admirers. One of whom quipped, on spotting her in a cropped red sweater and snug jeans: “That’s what a divorce from Steven Seagal will do for you.”

Model Beverly Peele was reportedly en route till the very last minute. And Carol Alt, in towering Ferre dominatrix pumps, said she’d just flown in from Duesseldorf, Germany. “I still smell like plane.”

Once the show--a duplicate of Ferre’s fall presentation in Milan--got under way, the consensus was that the male models outshone their female counterparts. “Are those the party favors?” asked a female guest as handsome Patrick Dempsey, Antonio Sabato and an assortment of washboard-abbed hunks hulked down the runway.

Teetering down the catwalk in dangerously high heels and dangerously tight skirts were Alt, (who reported on the event for “Entertainment Tonight”), hot model du jour Irina, Rachel Hunter (who brought her own cheering section, including husband Rod Stewart) and part of the Sylvester Stallone growing ex-girlfriend stable--Janice Dickinson and Jennifer Flavin.

Antsy audience members headed for the bar and the restrooms toward the end of the show for tequila shooters and a chance to admire themselves--as young Hollywood is wont to do. Their mantra was “Where’s the after-party?”

Back in the ballroom, Ferre was awarded APLA’s Crystal Apple by longtime client Liza Minnelli, resplendent in a closefitting sequined Ferre gown and aided by a rhinestone-covered cane (made necessary by her recent hip surgery).

Dana Miller, chairman of APLA’s board of directors, was happy to see a sold-out event--expected to raise $500,000 to $750,000. “The fashion industry has been so decimated by AIDS that we don’t need to preach to the converted.”

As guests drifted out the door, APLA board member Steve Tisch shed his tuxedo jacket and revealed a new spin on black tie--a short-sleeved shirt. And we thought we’d seen it all.