Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 27, 1994 TAG: 9403250214
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ROD STAFFORD HAGWOOD FORT LAUDERDALE (FLA.) SUN-SENTINEL
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Lesbian kisses on national TV, menage-a-trois marriage and weight-loss aside, the wacky queen of sitcoms is now diving into the wacked-out world of fashion.
It could make a very big splash.
In the middle of the fall fashion shows in New York, Arnold will premiere her fall collection for plus-sized women at the oh-so-hot-for-the-moment Planet Hollywood restaurant.
``Well, it's not a fashion show like the others,'' says Della Olsher, Arnold's spokeswoman. ``There will be fashion and there will be models - and Roseanne will be there - but it's not really a fashion show.''
What the Sunday afternoon event will be is the hottest ticket in town. For fashion editors who normally scramble to get into Isaac Mizrahi, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren shows, getting into the Arnold show will be the ultimate test. Olsher said the venue can hold about 400 people.
Why all the hoopla?
``She just wants to do something good,'' Olsher says. ``That's what her inspiration is for a lot of things. She particularly wants to help women. She wants them to dress the way they should - which is very well.''
Dressing well for Arnold means fine tailoring. Stanley Warner, president of Celeb Sales (which owns the license to produce the line), said the ``couture'' wool suits that are the base of the collection will be made in Italy ``... where there is the finest tailoring in the world.
``[Arnold] has excellent taste. She likes things free-flowing, very rich and looking elegant,'' Warner says. ``She's really a frustrated Donna Karan customer. She's just infuriated that Karan doesn't come in a size 16, 18 or 20.''
Warner says the collection is in muted tones with Arnold favoring black with tonal grays and beiges.
``She has a maddening desire to have these clothes,'' Warner says. ``Everyone tells me she's never been so dedicated. I mean, she's very real, but she's hard to get to on a daily basis. Fed-Ex is getting rich on us. She must approve everything. She's made corrections on fabrication, she'll even change a button. She definitely knows what the woman built like her wants and needs. We'll make a change and then put it on a fitting model and discover she was right. She just knew.''
And that comes from a lifetime of wanting, say her friends privately. That's why the collection will start out with tailored suits, denim wear (with a rose emblem on the back pocket) that will be followed shortly with eveningwear, sportswear and knitwear - the things she saw in department stores but could never have. Hubby Tom Arnold also will have a menswear line, with denim pants, plaid shirts and a tuxedo - everything the comedian says he wears daily.
And price, oh yes, price is verrrrry important to Roseanne, according to Warner.
``She wants to outfit a woman correctly for the least amount of money,'' He said. ``So a wool suit may be $500, but they start at $200. The denim line is $29.99 and $39.99.''
No retail information yet, but Roseanne's camp recently met with Macy's. The retail giant - which recently restructured out of Chapter 11 - will offer free-standing Roseanne shops within stores.
``You know, they're a little bit down and out,'' Warner says. ``She seems to go with the guy coming out of bad times. She likes people who're knocked down and coming back. She likes fighters.''
by CNB