SCHMOOZE : FASHION'S PRIMA DONNA TAKES CENTER STAGE AT STYLE-CONSCIOUS BENEFIT.What: Donna Karan Donna Karan is the fashion designer and the creator of the DKNY (Donna Karan New York) clothing label. She was born Donna Ivy Faske on October 9, 1948 in Forest Hills, New York. fashion soiree soi·ree also soi·rée n. An evening party or reception. [French soirée, from Old French seree, from seir, evening, from Latin to benefit the Children's Institute International. Where: Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus U.S. department-store chain. It was founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1907 by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and her husband, A.L. Neiman. , Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. . The haps: Guests paid $75 each for a cocktail party and ringside seat for the first L.A. showing of Donna Karan's fall '96 collection Monday evening. It was shades of the '70s, with numerous guests sporting blue nail polish. One woman had two tones of blue on toes peeking out of green sandals. The uniform of the night was still black, but a few favored white pantsuits, including former ``Charlie's Angels'' star Jaclyn Smith. Seated in the front row, one wondered if she was getting ideas for her next Kmart collection. The eats: It was a night for gourmet finger foods, including salmon and lobster appetizers dipped in an array of spicy sauces, tiny roast beef sandwiches, raspberry tarts and decadent chocolate truffles. The fashion buzz: Everybody talked about the retro theme of the clothes, with maxi skirts, narrow pants worn with clunky-heeled mules, turtleneck sweaters with sleeves so long they dragged the knuckles, peacoats and even long alpaca alpaca (ălpăk`ə), partially domesticated South American mammal, Lama pacos, of the camel family. Genetic studies show that it is a descendant of the vicuña. coats. The monochromatic monochromatic /mono·chro·mat·ic/ (-kro-mat´ik) 1. existing in or having only one color. 2. pertaining to or affected by monochromatic vision. 3. staining with only one dye at a time. look was strong, shown in black, brown, inky blue, sapphire and hunter green, but the biggest buzz was about Karan's stunning bias-cut evening gowns made of sheer fabric with strategically placed swirls of panne panne n. A special finish for velvet and satin that produces a high luster. [French, a soft cloth, from Old French penne, pane, fur lining, from Latin pinna, penna, velvet. ``Looks like Bob Mackie's stuff for Cher,'' murmured one guest to another. Mr. Blackwell, L.A.'s most vocal fashion arbiter, said the dresses were great for somebody like Bo Derek Bo Derek A slang term used to describe a perfect stock or investment. Notes: The term comes from the name of the actress (Bo Derek) in the 1979 movie "10," in which she portrayed the "perfect woman. , Demi Moore or Sharon Stone to wear on stage, but they were totally unsuitable for real life. ``It's stunning, but impractical. I mean, you can see right through the thing - at least I could when the models walked by, and it was embarrassing,'' said Blackwell, who thinks a woman is most sexy when she doesn't show everything. ``Leave something to the imagination, like Valentino,'' an Italian designer whose clients include Stone. Other fashion lessons came from the runway. If models are predictors of coming trends, cut your hair and slick it back behind the ears or pull it up into a knot. And ditch the candy-colored nail polish by September. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Mr. Blackwell confers with a neighbor at Mond ay's Beverly Hills preview of Donna Karan's fall line. (2) Karan displayed a taste for turtlenecks, while the runway models showed a liking for slicked-back short hair. Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News |
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