In the 1940’s white women really wanted to look like Ann Sheridan or Joan Crawford and they would run home after seeing movies like Mildred Pierce and sew shoulder pads into their gray serge suits. What’s happened since then? With luck you don’t see too many Sally Kellerman or Faye Dunaway imitations these days ... indeed, what would their “look” be? There was a brief Ali MacGraw hat craze; fortunately, it only lasted fifteen minutes. And TV is no different than films when it comes to creating contemporary fashion idols. No one could look like Cher except Cher, and thank goodness no one else really tries. And although it will be interesting to see if housewives all over America start pulling back their hair, wearing tinted glasses and chain smoking, I strongly doubt whether Pat Loud will start any new fashion trends either.

The Sixties taught us all to be individualistic and far out . . So everyone’s ended up looking,the same or dull, whether it’s denims or maribou. So much for that. Popstars have been copied beyond endurance; for awhile all the teenage girls looked like Janis, now, as Danny Fields recently remarked, they all look the way the GTO’s did five years ago.

So far then, it may be that the only really interesting fashion trend of this decade is the emergence of a very glamorous media influenced black style. If you look at “Soul Train” any Saturday morning (or whenever it’s on in your town), you will often see a splendid array of styles right out of Lady Sings the Blues, Super Fly, The Mack or Book of Numbers. All of the above are highly successful black-oriented entertainment films that feature some of the most glamorous stars around today. The Oscar Telecast was a perfect example; Diana Ross, Cicely Tyson and Billy Dee Williams were not only black and proud, they were gorgeous and sartorially they were the magnificent exceptions in a fashion parade that caused yawns to be heard all across the country. Cicely surprised everyone by not cornrowing her hair (even Melba Tolliver’s got cornrows now; remember when she almost got tossed off “Eyewitness News” for her Afro?), but instead the star of Sounder and Academy Award nominee for Best Actress wore an elegantly simple Marcel wave — very similar to the way Freda Payne wore her hair in Book bf Numbers. Diana Ross was arrogantly sophisticated in two costumes — a steel gray satin pantsuit and a satin low-cut gown with lots of fur framing that proud face. Billy Dee Williams, a major new matinee idol, was splendid in a midnight blue dinner jacket with polka dotted bow tie.

And sipping champagne in the lobby of A1 Green’s recent Philharmonic Hall concert were three beautifully turned out black men wearing the exact pantsuit Ron O’Neal wore in Super Fly — down to the very same fabric, long coat, color — and they were even sporting the same hat Ron wore in his part as “Priest.” (You can be sure that some smart Seventh Avenue manufacturer got all thatt>ut on the market pretty fast!) Billy Dee Williams in Lady Sings the Blues influenced a lot of young men to discard their afros and slick their hair back again . . Pat Davis, Vicki Abercrombie, Mildred Hilliard and others of the “Soul Train” gang are all wearing their hair pulled back into sleek chignons with flowers in it — a la you know who. In fact, many recent gatherings of young blacks often have resembled the Lady Sings the Blues set come to life.

The. influence goes beyond the Bonnie & Clyde rage that happened a few years ago because not only are the black films new, they are in the strong position of helping to keep the movie industry alive. And as more of these films continue to be among the m^ist interesting coming out of Hollywood in the next few years, the fashions that such films inspire should be carefully paid attention to and enjoyed. They’re far more stylish and together than almost anything else — especially while Paris is arguing about skirt lengths (really) — and glitter’s gone beserk.

Has anybody noticed the sudden rash of hookers outside of New York City’s Carnegie Hall? It seems as if overnight the females in the cast of an out-oftown “Hair” company started working the streets — propositioning rock fans as they came out of the, concerts . . .1 told the Village Voice’s Arthur Bell that more men than women are buying Frederick’s of Hollywood underwear than ever before but I don’t think he believed. There’s a real story there, Arthur. . . Bette Midler surprised everyone by attending her After Dark Ruby Award Party in a classically simple, elegant beige gown. Of course her hair was dyed the same color red that it was on her album cover. .. The After Dark party did have an awful lot of Bill Blass suits, but it also had Ann Miller, Ethel Merman, Sal Mineo and oh,. . .Mick Jagger. . . Claudia Lennear wore a mind-boggling totally see-thru green glitter top at her Carnegie Hall debut. She said Bowid gave it to her. He has the very same top in a silvery black, and it’s sold in England by Mary Quant for those of you who are still into showing your tits . . . Warner’s Procol Harum Gala gets A for effort. It s not their fault that everyone didn’t wear white tie. Those who did were gorgeous ... (Bearsville’s Paul Fishkin and Premier Talent’s Frank Barsalona did and were .. .) The women all were magnificent. . . Carly Simon in a clinging wine jersey gown, Bette in a hand painted beige satin — very Rita Hayworth, Viva all in black, London’s WEA press officer Anni Ivil in a high-necked Ossie Clark chiffon (“I feel like a nun,” she exclaimed looking at all the cleavage around her.) . .. Alice Cooper wore a red ribbon plaid suit and his Cindy was in Missoni’s red polka dot knits . .. Gary Stromberg was wearing a Russian Army Officer’s uniform with a chestful of medals. He said he did not get them for public relations. ^

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