Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 81

Minneapolis Trlbun May 18, 1978 3Ci Designer 'catalog' just an ego booster of fashion's living legends." Now 72, James Is almost forgotten, except by the cognoscenti, and lives with his scrapbooks in three cluttered rooms in New York's Chelsea Hotel. Always a difficult man to deal with, albeit a genius in his profession, James appeared in the Twin Cities several times for Dayton's Oval Room galas, driving my mother, Madame Jeanne Auerbacher, who was then the buyer, to distraction. She always forgave him his foibles because his clothes, on the runway, were a Schlaparelli or Vionnet original. Today they are among the most sought-after clothes for museum design collections, but, ironically, no one "in the business" hires the creator. He was James Galanos' mentor.

Said Ga-lanos, "A simple James creation is worth the whole output of a Seventh Av. year's work." A favorite quote comes from former Cartier jewelry designer, Aldo Cipullo: "To repeat the past is an easy way to get out of thinking, it's an escape. The important thing is to reflect the present." And, yes, you can read about Halston and see him in pictures with Liza, Margaux, Bianca, Diana Vreeland and Andy Warhol. Margot Siegel is the author of "Looking Forward to a Careen Fashion." As a founder of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Fashion Group's costume collection at the University of Minnesota's Goldstein Gallery in McNeal Hall, she seeks American designer clothes, especially those of Charles James, Ann Fogarty, Irene or Adrian, which may be hiding in readers' closets.

membering that she wore the same outfit on the last visit. Says Trigere, "That's when I find it difficult to be a woman. They wouldn't say that to Bill Blass." Or, true fashion great Geoffrey Beene, who is tremendously shy, saying in the book, "Anything static just doesn't work for modern living. If a woman dashes about, her clothes should move with her or else they become a hindrance, they do not serve a purpose. The nature of fashion Is changing, and we have to find a new terminology to describe it.

Fashion Is no longer defined as pretty dress. The important thing is how the dress works. I see my role as a designer as trying to make people's lives easier." And Beene has made a bundle, so for one, believe his definitions. Or, Korean-born designer Kathy Hardwick: "Women should dress to be happy, be comfortable. If you feel self-conscious when you go out, you are probably wearing something wrong." Morris has been very cautious In saying nothing negative about any of the biographies, but some of her text speaks for itself.

Her descriptions of the household arrangements of hatmaker Mr. John, and his partner, Peter Brandon, brought back many memories of visiting their avi-ary-cum-home and being pecked at by their exotic birds. I can't Imagine how Walz could photograph Mr. John and never include Brandon in a shot. Morris got the message, Walz didn't; but she got a sensational phot of Mr.

John and one of the birds (which incidentally, he hates the bird, not the picture). The most touching vignette, to me, was on Charles James, whom Morris rightly calls "one known reasons, unavailable to Walz and her camera or to Morris and her typewriter. Open to question, too, is the choice of having the designers written up in alphabetical order, rather than by the years of their greatest oeuvres, or even by the kind of designing they do. For Instance, Elsa Perettl, Aldo Ci-pullo and Kenneth Jay Lane are jewelry designers (though J.K. Lane really Is just a terrific costume jewelry and a party person); Edith Head is a movie fashion designer, and Charles James, Pauline Trigere and Galonos are America's closest things to real couture designers.

Stephen Burrows, Perry Ellis, Scott Barrie, Donna Karan, represent the "young" designers. But perhaps that is a question that should be put to the Random House editor who smelled a fashion "best seller" and just took the easy way out by going alphabetical. After all, how else could you include a Joe Famolare (he Is the one who makes those ghastly high-soled shoes that sell In the multi-millions) and a Lily Dathe (she is that 80-year-old swinger who used to make outre hats and now wears only wigs). Anyhow, there are a lot of quotable quotes sprinkled throughout the biographies, and it is to be hoped that local fashion commentators, most of whom certainly could benefit from a little real fashion backgrounding, will write down a few and use them the next time a model fails to appear on the runway. For instance, (on the same page as a really ugly photo of her with her hair in curlers) Trigere is reported to have said she is embarrassed when whe goes to visit stores to find women re Entertainment mmmmmm "The Fashion Makers," Photos by Barbra Walz, Text by Berna-dine Morris (Random House, New York, 233 Pages, $15).

Reviewed by Margot Siegel It is all too obvious that photographer Darbra Walz longed to do a coffee table book on living American designers, and so she gave the best fashion writer In America, the New York Times' Bernadine Morris, second billing in order to have a text to accompany her photographs. The photos range from sensational to pedestrian and puzzling. So, unfortunately for readers, does the text. However, fear not, for "The Fashion Makers" is selling like hotcakes, according to Women's Wear Daily, because many of the 50 chosen designers are buying the $15 hardcover in quantity to pass out to favored friends and customers. And why not? This book Is the greatest print egotrip ever for the fortunate 50.

Don't misunderstand. "The Fashion Makers" is not a bad book. It is a terrific background tool for students and others interested in the fashion field. But as a true record of top living American designers, it falls woefully short. It is inconceivable that a tome the purports to be authoritative should highlight such fashion toilers as Bill and Hazel Haire, Frank Olive, Adri and Stan Herman, all of them in the "Stan Who?" category to fashion lay people, and leave out the really great innovators like Bonnie Ca-shin, Tina Leser, Ann Fogarty and Vera Maxwell, to name just a few.

Knowing Bernadine Morris and her phenomenal "feel" for fashion, I have to believe that Cashin and the others were, for un Name BaVHaHaHMBMHBHHiHivvMHBVSalKAAK odES: Hatmaker Mr. John with one of his Gardening I Mary Maguire Center the Flume Contest naming the new ride at Valleyfair! challenge you to a contest pet birds. height (for most lawns, recommended cutting heights are l'j inches in the spring and fall, 2 to 2 inches during the hot, dry summer). It does no benefit to the lawn to let it grow tall (4 to 5 inches) between mowings. If you are sodding this spring, here are some tips to keep in mind: When laying sod, stagger the joints.

Since a roll of sod usually is 36 inches long, the joints should be placed 18 inches apart. Be sure to fit the pieces as close together as possible to prevent drying on the edges. When sodding a slope, start at the bottom, always laying the sod across (never up and down) the slope. If the slope is extremely steep, push wood pegs or stakes into the sod at 1-foot intervals to hold it in place until it roots into the soil. Once the sod Is in place, soak it with 1 to 2 inches of water (an empty coffee can placed near the sod will help you measure how much water you have applied).

Keep the sod moist for three weeks to ensure good rooting. Don't mow the new sod until the grass is 3 inches tall. There are two good sources of information for people with turf questions. The Horticulture Clinic at the university can be reached at 373-1100 (be patient, the clinic gets so many calls you may have to dial several times to get through). And the O.M.

Scotts Co. has a toll-free number for consumer problems. It is 800-543-1415 and is answered weekdays from 8 to 11 a.m. and noon to 4 p.m. (Minneapolis time).

Monday, crews will begin the planting of over 200 flower bedt throughout Minneapolis parks. These crews also are responsible for mowing, pickine up litter, re moving snow and doing other maintenance work in tne parns Rarely do they hear any positive feedback from you, their employer and mam benefactor of their work The next time you are walking. jogging or biking through the parks and spot one ot tne nower planting crews, take just a minute to let them know you appreciate their efforts. Mary Maguire is the coordinator oi horticulture programs for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Questions can be sent to net in care of the Minneapolis Tribune.

Be sure to enclose a seii-aaaressea stamped envelope. In the early 1900's, Minnesota's lumberjacks constructed flumes filled with water to transport logs from timber sites to waterways and saw mills; currently, Valleyfair has recreated this century old transportation method to a knee-weakening ride. It is this ride which is in need of an imaginative name! 1st Prize 2nd Prize There has been quite a bit of promotion of mulching lawn mowers this spring, bringing about many questions: What are they? What do they do? And, most importantly. do they help the lawn? Basically, a mulching mower is one that chops up the grass clippings and drops them back on the ground. The short, chopped-up clippings are supposed to penetrate the grass cover better than regular clippings (which often get caught on the top of the lawn) and break down to provide a source of nitrogen fertilizer.

(It should be noted that some mulching mowers force the clippings to the ground with more force than others.) Advocates of mulching mowers have science on their side. Dr. James Beard, a noted authority on turfgrass maintenance, conducted a four-year study on mulching mowers and discovered they do provide for the return of more nitrogen into the soil. In the study, which was reported in the June 1976 issue of Grounds Maintenance magazine, lawns mowed with a mulching mower where treated with 6 pounds of nitrogen per thousand feet. To keep a similar appearance, lawns mowed with a nonmulching mowers required 8 pounds of nitrogen per thousand feet.

The difference, the study says, was the nitrogen released from the clippings of the mulching mower. The study found that the nitrogen response was obtained within 14 days. Still, some people will not use a mulching mower because they are afraid it will result in thatch problems (thatch is a thick, intermingled layer of dead and living material that can, if it becomes dense enough, severly injure or kill grass). In his research, Beard found nothing to substantiate those fears. His studies of thatch areas mowed wfth a mulching mower found no evidence of new clippings contributing to the thatch.

(By the way, the University of Minnesota has a free fact sheet on thatch that is available by sending a postcard to the Bulletin Room, 3 Coffey Hall, University of Minnesota. St. Paul, 55108. Ask for Horticulture fact sheet No. 40, "Control of Thatch in the Home Of course, whether the benefits of a mulching mower are worth the usual extra cost depends on your lawn needs and your budget.

Re- gardlcss of what type of lawn mower you use, however, try to mow the lawn anytime it is one inch above its regular cutting Th proper way to lay tod la with 18 inches apart for 36-mcn roiis. Your name on the Flume ride MOO Savings Bond Season Pass to Valleyfair 5 cases of Coke 3rd Prize '25 Savinys Bond Season Pass to Valleyfair 5 cases of Coke Trade wA v50 Savinys Bond Season Pass to Valleyfair 5 cases of Coke 4th-10th Prizes Season Pass to Valley fair 2 cases of Coke the Coca-Cola Valleyfair Flume Contest is State Zip Code- Valleyfair's guests riding in free-floating, hollowed-out logs, will bounce and splash in water-filled flumes along a zig zag course that quickens the pulse. During the ride, the guests will float in flumes of two feet of water under a cascading waterfall, over a reflecting pond and through a 105-foot tunnel. The adventure climaxes with a 50-foot heart-stopping splashdown into a lake. RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR COCA-COLA VALLEYFAIR "NAME THE FLUME" CONTEST NO PURCHASE NECESSARY 1.

To enter, complete the entry form found in this ad. or in 8 pack bottles of Coca Cola. Spine. Tab or Fresca. or on a facsimile 3" 5' card, pnnt your name, address, op code, phone number, aye and the name for the FLUME RIDE 2.

Contest is open to everyone and entrants under 18 years of age must have entry signed bv parent or guardian 3. Mail only one entry per envelope. 4 You may enter as often as you wish 5. Entries must be Postmarked no later than June 23. 1978, and received by June 26, 1978.

6. Judges will base decision on onginality. clarity tmd adaptability of name. Judges' decision is final 7. All prize winners will be notified by mail and phone 8.

All prizes will be awarded. 9 All entries and names submitted become property of Coca-Cola and no additional remuneration may be claimed 10 There will be ten pnzes awarded. They include First Pnze $100 Savings Bond. Season Pass to Valleyfair. 5 cases ot Coke, plus name on Flume Second Pnze $50 Savings Bond.

Season Pass to Valleytair. and 5 cases of Coke. Third Pnze Savings Bond. Season Pass to Valleyfair and 5 cases of Coke. Fourth thru Tenth Pnze Season Pass to Valleyfair and two cases of Coke.

1 1 This contest is open to residents in the Upper Midwest area Employees of Valleytair. Coca Cola Company and The Maple Plain Company and their tamilies are not eligible. 12 All entnes must be mailed, to the following address NAME THE FLUME CONTEST Box 3300 Maple Plain. MN 55348 My entry to Name the Entry. Your Name Address City Age Legal Guardian- Telephone Number Valleyfair Drive Shakopee, MN 55379 1 r-' JJv 612-445 6500 SkA IftOtMZT totem for the 1978 Season: Valleyfair Is located on HighwayV" WtllUPCp 101 three miles east of the MlNNESU1A VTTT- Guest, aged 11 -6 00 business district of Shatopee MAM T0 7 Children under 4 year, of FREE ns west the the Joints staggered approximately.