Bob Mackie likes cranberry-colored rubrum lilies. Matsuda prefers white lilies. Carolina Herrera loves bouquets of jasmine and tuberoses. Less particular is Donna Karan, who likes all white flowers.
While fashion designers on tour seldom make demands as outrageous as rock stars who insist on bowls of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed, most do have definite preferences that they make known in advance.
When Geoffrey Beene visited at Macy`s here, John Pinocci, who works in the chain`s public relations office, remembers repeated advance calls from Beene`s staff to remind him that ”Mr. Beene does not like to be called Geoff” and ”Mr. Beene does not like to be touched.”
Whatever you say
When preferences aren`t specified, savvy store employees who will be dealing with designers inquire about likes and dislikes.
”They all have their little peculiarities, believe me,” says Larry Hashbarger, senior executive in charge of fashion shows and celebrity appearances at Macy`s. ”We always ask what their favorite flowers are, and we have a gift basket of fruit or wines waiting for them in their hotel rooms.” Judy McFadin, corporate publicity manager for the I. Magnin chain, says her aim is ”to make sure we can provide them with things they feel most pampered with.”
McFadin takes note of designer desires so that successive visits run smoother. When Donna Karan made her third visit in as many years to I. Magnin in San Francisco two months ago, McFadin was prepared.
In addition to using white gardenias for decoration at Karan`s reception and show, McFadin put in a supply of black ceramic coffee mugs.
”Donna never likes to travel without her black coffee mug, so we made sure we had several of them placed around where she would be-backstage at the fashion show, in her hotel room and at the television station for her interview, just in case,” McFadin says.
”As it turned out, she left her own mug behind in Los Angeles, so she was just as pleased as could be that there was one waiting in her hotel room.”
Besides being aware of Karan`s fondness for black mugs, McFadin also knew that she wanted them filled with hot water and lemon slices, not coffee or tea.
Special feeds
Tomi Hoxteter Watson, fashion director for Saks Fifth Avenue in Northern California, also has learned from experience. When Adolfo is visiting San Francisco, she puts in a supply of frozen yogurt for him-vanilla and peach are his favorite flavors. When he eats out, ”he loves to go to Trader Vic`s,”
she says.
When Bill Blass visits, Watson says she`s on the lookout for a ”meat-and-potatoes kind of place” to recommend to the designer who ”loves Mortimer`s meat loaf.” And she knows to allow Blass a certain amount of unscheduled time. ”He`s an avid antiquer. He loves that and he has a lot of friends here who arrange day trips to go antiquing.”
For Mary McFadden, Watson again leaves ”spare time for her tennis dates.”
When Gloria Vanderbilt made a personal appearance at Emporium Capwell in Santa Clara, Calif., earlier this year to plug her ”Glorious” perfume, the store was sent an advance directive that covered flowers and food. The flowers had to be blue, white and lavender to match the perfume packaging. Additionally there was to be a private light lunch for Vanderbilt of fresh fruit, cheese, crackers, Evian water and hot tea.
Who`s to blame?
How much of the specific instructions was from Vanderbilt herself and how much from her staff or the perfume company is a matter of conjecture. But almost every person who has been assigned to escort a fashion designer or a celebrity endorsing a fashion product has a story to tell about advance requests.
”All of them have public relations people who are so nervous that they become the demanding ones, not the designer,” says Ann Jones, a San Francisco interior designer who formerly worked in special events and publicity at I. Magnin and Saks Fifth Avenue.
”Nine times out of 10 the designer doesn`t need or care about what you`ve gone through hell to get them,” Hashbarger says.
Heavy hitters
Celebrities lending their names to perfumes or clothing lines are often more difficult to deal with and more demanding than fashion designers.
Pat Turner, special events director of Emporium Capwell, remembers Raquel Welch being miffed about entering the store through a back entrance, despite the fact that her staff had insisted on the extra security precaution.
When James Galanos makes personal appearances at Neiman Marcus with his furs and I. Magnin with his gowns, the stores pay to fly his favorite model in from New York and sometimes another favorite from Dallas.
Two areas designers often are very specific about are accommodations and modes of transportation.
”Some designers are very private and quiet about where they are staying, and they make the arrangements,” Hashbarger says. ”Some don`t care and others are very definite. Perry Ellis had to stay at the Huntington Hotel, and Elizabeth Taylor stayed at the Stanford Court.”
Manheim remembers designers who eschewed the traditional limousine.
”Perry Ellis would not travel in a limousine. He hated limos and wanted only regular cars, so we got him a silver Ford Vanagon to ride in.”
Jane Fonda was equally adamant. ”She would ride only in an American-made car, and it had to be a station wagon,” Manheim says.
Congeniality awards
For every designer who makes a demand, or who is rude to the people assigned as escorts, there are others who win the hearts of everyone they come in contact with.
Deborah Rabin of Neiman Marcus` press relations office was most impressed with Pauline Trigere. ”She asked in advance for the names of all the support people, security and sales associates she would be in contact with. And when they were introduced, there was an instant recognition.”
The late Ellis` habit of sending handwritten thank-you notes and flowers to people earned him many points, although one cynic points out that he usually ignored the store public relations staff that did the most work.
And Catherine Deneuve endeared herself forever to Pinocci at Macy`s earlier this year. ”She was sick, but still very gracious,” he says. ”We always send flowers, but she`s one of the few people who actually took the flowers with her when she left on the Avon jet.” –
