Bigwig in fashion PR folds shop into Rogers & Cowan.

SHE'S no stranger to the Hollywood fashion scene.

Susan Ashbrook has made a career out of acting as a matchmaker between celebrities and high-end designers for photo shoots, movie premieres and award shows. Now she's taking her formidable roster of clients to Rogers & Cowan as executive vice president.

Among her many adventures is the time with Kim Basinger in 1998, when the actress was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in "L.A. Confidential." Basinger had planned to wear a black dress to the Academy Awards show. But as buzz began to build, the actress decided for something showier, and Basinger's stylist called Ashbrook to make a last-minute wardrobe change--opting for a pistachio green satin gown to be created by Escada, the German fashion house. Afraid that the dress wouldn't arrive in L.A. in time, the designer sent a couture seamstress for an on-site job.

"I rented a sewing machine and we set her up in a hotel room," Ashbrook recalled. "They were buying fabric and putting it together until the day of the event."

Basinger, who won the Oscar, was praised for her style--and Escada benefitted from the publicity.

Ashbrook currently owns a publicity boutique called Film Fashion, which will now come under the fold of Rogers & Cowan. She brings clients such as Sharon Stone and Angela Bassett--as well as fashion designers such as Kenneth Cole.

Ashbrook began her career 12 years ago covering fashion for the L.A.-based Donahue Group, where she met Richard Tyler, and later worked to promote him as designer to stars that included Julia Roberts and Angelica Huston.

Ashbrook enjoys horseback riding. "I love it because it is so unfashionable," she said. "I do dress my horse, though. I make sure he has all the most trendy things, like Swarovski crystal reins and bridle."

She lives with her husband in Venice. The couple has two dogs, India and Oscar.