THE BEST & THE WORSTEDS

THE BEST & THE WORSTEDS

ELEGANZA

Lisa Robinson

Who Wore What: Where: Sewing Up 75

JANUARY

Fashion-wise, 1975 didn’t immediately dazzle. Robert Plant started, and eventually finished the Zeppelin tour wearing a floral print wraparound blouse and jeans, Jimmy Page wore satin jackets, and John Bonham wore Clockwork Orange boilersuits and black derby hat. (Offstage, Bonzo had a splendid assortment of tailored suits...) Peter Allen wore a rhinestone studded black t-shirt at Reno Sweeney’s and on Broadway, Genevieve Waite wore Doctor Dentons in the ill-fated Man in the Moon.

FEBRUARY

David Bowie visits Zeppelin at the Plaza in a green fake fur midi coat and Borsalino hat, the Jackson Five all have matching white suits at Radio City Music Hall. Bryan Ferry ditches the illfated gaucho ensemble to say nothing of the Hitler Youth uniform and sanely returns to the midnight blue tuxedo at Toronto’s Massey Hall. Still allowed to expose her navel, Cher wears too .many Bob Mackie costumes on TV, Freddie Mercury drags out the old Zandra Rhodes white satin at Avery Fisher Hall and Ferry again dons the tux over at the Academy of Music. (After the concert he changed into conservative grey serge for the private El Morocco supper...) John Entwistle wears a glitter jacket at his party in L.A. and Barry >. Manilow is a vision in white at The jfjo Troubadour.

MARCH

The Manhattan Transfer maintained their nostalgia drag and Monti Rock III wore white fur and blond curls everywhere. The Grammy Awards featured Bette Midler with the Del-Vikings’ “Come Go With Me” 45 in her hair, Yoko in pale green maribou, John in black velvet beret and cape, and Art Garfunkel in one of those tuxedo patterned pullover sweaters like Aerosmith’s roadies wear. Kiss wore makeup and platform boots at the Beacon Theater and Loudon Wainwright III wore a Brooks Brothers shirt at Avery Fisher Hall. Waiters wore sailor suits at the Gilded Grape, Tim Curry wore a corset at The Rocky Morrow Show and Jagger wore a navy pea jacket to Entwistle’s New York party where Entwistle wore a black glitter jacket. AnnMargret wore red sequins to the After Dark Awards and pistachio bugle beads to the Tommy; premiere. Tina Turner, Elton John and Peter Townshend wore white fur, black velvet and grey gabardine, respectively, and Elton sported the latino/macho look with five o’clock shadow. Ian Hunter wore a top hat at the Hammersmith Odeon, and Mick Ronson wore no shirt. Angela Bowie nearly tripped over the train of her red satin dress at the British Country Music Awards and Dolly Parton wore a gold sequin sweater with white studded jeans pantsuit. March was hot.

APRIL:

(Match up)

A) Steven Tyler

B) Bette Midler

C) Minnie Riperton

D) The Dolls

E) Bay City Rollers

1) Wore red patent leather

2) Wore tartans

3) Wore rags

4) Wore sequins

5) Wore white stuff in hair

THE VERDICT ON 75

WHAT ELSE CAN THEY DO, THEIR AUDIENCE EXPECTS THEM TO LOOK LIKE CHRISTMAS TREES:

Mick Jagger — Onstage only. Although the sequin tie at the Dublin charity benefit was a mistake. Perhaps it was just Mick’s sense of humor. Cher — Whenever.

Bette Midler — Given her fans, she’s got no choice.

Labelle — Still a. hoot. But what’s next? Wigs and sequined gowns, maybe?

Elton — Let’s face it, he doesn’t have a whole lot of choice.

Kiss — Let’s face it, they don’t have a whole lot of choice. The makeup is probably an improvement.

ITS ALL OVER, FINITO Esso Jumpsuits — ...

Shag Haircuts — With apologies to Rod Stewart, Lenny Kaye, Ron Wood to say nothing of Keith Richard who are all cute. But this do is done.

Roller Gear — In any form, no matter who wears it, it’s ridiculous.

Satin Suits — Come on, give them up. So Granny Takes a Trip, went out with shag haircuts and platform boots. Short hasn’t hurt Roger Daltrey’s career any...

Hairy Chests — I’m talking about excessive. Should be kept under wraps at all times, or electrolysis considered as an alternative. I know it’s got nothing to do with the music, thank god it doesn’t have to.

FASHION HO-HUMS:

(I'm Sure They Care Ail The Way To The Bank...) Montrose •• The Doobie Brothers Z.Z. Top •• Lou Reed Uriah Heep •• The Eagles

STILL PRETTY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS:

Jimmy Page • • David Bowie

Michael Jackson ■•• Jeff Beck

David Essex •• Mick Jagger (Why can’t I think of any girls for this category??)

STILL SEXY AFTER ALL THESEYEARS:

John Lennon •• Peter Wolf

Patti Smith •• Bob Marley

Maggie Bell •• Keith Richard Tom Verlaine ••NonaHendryx

DESPERATELY IN NEED OF

FASHION CONSULTATION:

Linda McCartney •• Alice Cooper Helen Reddy — (Although who cares.)

Abba

THE THREE-PIECE SUIT DOESN'T HELP:

David Blue

WORTHNOTING:

The Bee Gees (yes The Bee Gees), have a fine collection of beautifully tailored suits and silk shirts; Paul Simon was one of the first to get a Tommy Nutter suit; Bianca Jagger looks smashing without makeup; Charlie Watts is an immaculate, amazing dresser — offstage; and no matter how drunk he gets, Ray Davies always looks perfect.

WORSTSTAGE ENSEMBLES/1975:

He knows.

BIGGEST JOKE/1975:

She knows.

OUTSTANDING/1975:

Patti Smith • • Bob Marley

MAY

Alice Cooper wore badly fitting tights onstage at Madison Square Garden and Labelle wore feathers, whips, chains and capes at the Harkness Theater. John Cale wore sunglasses and a black turtleneck at the Drury Lane Theater and Bryan Ferry wore a tweed jacket and striped tie as he proudly showed off his new London townhouse. Television wore mostly black at CBGB’s, Ava Cherry wore a straw h§t nearly all the time and Bad Company wore jeans onstage in Philadelphia. Genevieve Waite wore a strapless dress at Reno Sweeney’s and John Phillips wore a mustache and a cynical smile.

JUNE

Bianca Jagger wore a white walking suit at the Stones’ Baton Rouge show and Alice Cooper wore cutoffs backstage in San Antonio. Keith Richards wore a confederate flag at the Alamo, Bob Dylan wore a slightly soiled striped pullover to see Patti Smith at The Other End who wore a Keith Richards t-shirt. Paul Simon wore a Tommy Nutter suit backstage at Madison Square Garden the night Mick Jagger wore a black harem outfit with a piece of glass missing from his necklace. JULY

Raquel Welch wore an embroidered shawl to see the Stones and Lorna Luft wore a “No Access Backstage” pass over her tits in the dressing room. Bob Marley wore denim at the Roxy and Diana Ross wore white lace at her party for the Stones. Bianca Jagger wore the same Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo dress to the party that she had worn to the White House and Sarah Dylan wore a shoulder bag. Bill Graham wore a maroon terrycloth robe to his Trident party for the Stones and Ronnie Wood wore a pie in his face at Ian Stewart’s birthday party in Seattle.

AUGUST

Divine wore a brown sheath to the Hollywood Boulevard Female Trouble preem, Peter Wolf wore a black, purple and silver glitter jacket to the J. Geils/Stones’ Jacksonville concert and Faye Dunaway wore a striped sweater set and a big smile. Ron Delsener wore summer white at Hampton Roads/ Stones concert and Billy Preston still wore his wig. Bruce Springsteen wore a cap, lines around the block and the look of success at The Bottom Line, and Roger Daltrey wore Helen Gurley Brown on his lap at his party in New York. Elton John wore an exposed chest and satin jacket on the Rock Awards and Diana Ross wore Big Bird yellow feathers. Bianca Jagger wore a red candystriper dress to the Faces’ Roosevelt Stadium gig and Ronnie Wood wore Mick Jagger’s borrowed red and white karate Giorgio di Sant ’Angelo outfit. The Ramones wore denim and leather onstage at CBGB’s and Wayne County wore a new black wig at Mothers. Ronnie Van Zant wore a Hack t-shirt with “Rolls Royce” on the back and Steven Tyler wore more rags than one thought possible onstage at Central Park.

SEPTEMBER

Fall fashion surfaced as someone wore 1000 slides to a party for Andy Warhol and Linda McCartney wore the no-bra look and unshaved legs onstage in London. Robert Plant wore crutches in Malibu and John Cale wore maryjane t-strap shoes to produce Patti Smith’s LP. Ian Anderson wore a black-t-shirt

and jeans in New York to promote his new album, and Squeaky Fromme wore a red hooded cape to appear in court. Helen Reddy wore her usual undistinguished dress and nauseating smirk as she hosted Midnight Special and Bette Midler wore jeans and frizzy hair to do The Hustle at Le Jardin. Elton John wore work clothes to Neil Sedaka’s album preview and Cher and the Pointer Sisters wore Princess Anne feathered hats, and sequin one shouldered gowns with a piano key motif in a TV tribute to Elton. Patty Hearst wore dirty rubber sandals, khaki courduroys and a striped t-shirt in public and the Bay City Rollers wore plaid on Howard Cosell’s TV show. Rod Stewart wore Britt Eklund and Patti Smith wore black at City Center. Billy Preston got rid of the wig and really went natural. OCTOBER

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 59.

Nona Hendryx wears a live bird on her head Halloween night at the Beacon Theater, Bryan Ferry wears G.I. Khakis for Roxy’s English tour. Cherry Vanilla sits in cement outside Trude Heller’s to make a print for Trude’s celebrity wall, and Steven Tyler strangles in forty seven scarves at the Spectrum. Ian Anderson wore a codpiece in Dettroit and Jim Dandy still featured his prominent turquoise jewelry on tour with Black Oak. Roger Daltrey wore red suspenders and Keith Moon still wears an Esso jumpsuit at Wembley with the Who. And — can you believe it? — John Entwistle is still wearing a glitter jacket. At yet another party for Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger came dressed as a sheik. The Bay City Rollers’ tartans really needed cleaning and Ronnie Wood wore knee sox and boxer shorts at Nassau Coliseum. Eric Clapton wore a pie in his face in Dublin and Mick Jagger cut his hair. NOVEMBER

(presstime; one hesitates in making predictions...) David Essex wears a sequinned vest at The Bottom Line, Keith Moon still wears an Esso jumpsuit on tour with The Who. John McLaughlin grows his hair long again and Paul Simon wears a tailored suit. Rod Stewart ends the Faces tour wearing Jagger-tied-around-the-ankle trousers, and Kiss wear the usual...