Stars Stick to Nerdy Specs Script
An interest in politics probably had little to do with Daryl Hannah’s romance with John Kennedy Jr. (For most women, having a pulse would have been reason enough to date John John when he was single.) So it’s also unlikely that Nixon-era nostalgia drew her to an accessory associated with another political icon.
About 20 minutes into “The Gingerbread Man,” Robert Altman’s noir thriller now in theaters, I realized that Hannah was the woman wearing black plastic glasses that might have been borrowed from Henry Kissinger. I would have written off her glasses as an eccentric choice, the fruit of a desire to transform and deglamorize herself to fit the role of a straight-arrow attorney. But then I saw Mariel Hemingway in the same glasses, brunching in Santa Monica. Beautiful blond actresses, nerdy frames. Smells like a trend here.
Hannah’s rectangular frames go by the name of Corso and are one of the most popular styles offered by L.A. Eyeworks designers Gai Gherardi and Barbara McReynolds at their Melrose Avenue store.
“We’ve been making heavy rectangular frames since the early ‘80s,” L.A. Eyeworks spokeswoman Ruth Handel said. “When a beautiful young girl puts on those geeky frames, they just seem to highlight her femininity. It’s a look that’s been around a long time, and it continues to be big.”
Kenneth Branagh wears Bodhi, round, slender specs, from L.A. Eyeworks in the movie. “Almost anyone who plays an attorney, male or female, picks that one,” Handel said.
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And The Winner Is: The Council of Fashion Designers of America’s annual awards were presented in New York on Sunday night, and the ceremony featured some suspense for the first time in its 17-year history. Unlike most of the evening’s winners, the recipients of the Perry Ellis Awards for new design talent hadn’t been announced in advance. At 22, Sandy Dalal, known for his masterful tailoring, is the youngest designer to be recognized for his menswear. Narciso Rodriguez won the Perry Ellis Award for women’s wear. The 37-year-old designer presented his first collection under his own label in October. Anyone who wants to see the beaded camisoles and curve-hugging straight skirts that made the audience salivate can head to Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills from 1 to 2 p.m. Feb. 20, when Rodriguez will present his spring collection.
Journalists and retailers vote on the CFDA awards, and it has often seemed that a cast of usual suspects rotates in and out of the winner’s circle. Is it Ralph’s turn or Donna’s? Was this a better year for Richard Tyler’s women’s collection or his men’s? Variety did spice the results this year. Marc Jacobs was chosen Womenswear Designer of the Year, John Bartlett got the nod for Menswear, handbag maker Kate Spade was Accessory Designer of the Year, John Galliano copped the International Award, and Manolo Blahnik won a special Stiletto Award for his spike-heeled shoes. Ralph Lauren was acknowledged for Humanitarian Leadership, Geoffrey Beene for his Lifetime Achievement in design, and Demi Moore, wearing a sequined Gucci sweater, presented Elizabeth Taylor with a special award for “a lifetime of glamour.”
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His and Hers: The urge to cross-dress doesn’t surface often, but clothes that belonged to the Duke of Windsor could spark it. Sotheby’s weeklong auction of the royal exile’s possessions was postponed when Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were killed in a car crash. The sale includes the contents of the Windsors’ final home, outside Paris, now owned by Fayed’s father, and will take place Feb. 19-27 in New York.
Although Wallis Simpson was a perennial on international best-dressed lists and a regular (if not paying) customer of the couture, the real fashion plate in the family was the diminutive duke. Standing no more than 5 foot 7, with a waist that seldom expanded beyond 27 inches, the man who wouldn’t be king was known for adventurous pattern mixing. Photographs document that he paired Fair Isle sweaters and rich Scottish tweeds before anyone else dared.
“Because of the photos we can be very clear about what he wore with what,” said Marianna Klaiman, who was responsible for displaying the wardrobe offered in the sale. “He was very fond of tartans, and there are a number of kilts for sale. His clothes were beautifully made and of the highest quality. He wore them for 40 years, and they’re still in great condition.
“There are some fine linen suits that are classically styled, and a lot of his dinner jackets would easily fit a woman,” Klaiman said.
Tiffany Dubin, director of the fashion department at Sotheby’s, has her eye on one of the duke’s tuxedos.
The illustrated, three-volume catalog of the sale costs $90 and can be ordered from Sotheby’s by calling (800) 444-3709. It includes instructions for bidding by telephone--just in case a pair of pink, blue, orange and white-checked golf trousers, a little piece of history with cuffs, strikes you as irresistible.
