Designer adds up Oscars tab

By MARY EVERTZ

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 13, 2001

Celebrity fashion designer Randolph Duke, who will be bringing his fashions to the Tampa Bay area this summer, has been accused of "operating with a total lack of class and ethics." And all the brouhaha is over a $1,200 printing bill.

According to the New York Post,Steve Paster, a maker of party invitations for the likes of Denise Rich,Eddie Murphy andSean "P. Diddy" Combs, is threating to sue unless he is paid for 500 invitations to a presentation of Duke's clothes in Los Angeles before the Oscars.

"He asked us for a one-week grace period to pay our bill," Paster says.

Duke's rep said: "I don't know what the situation is, but if there is a bill to be paid, it will be paid."

What ever happened to 90 days, same as cash?

Clothes horse

Duke, whose evening gowns are snapped up by rich and famous entertainment celebrities such asJennifer Aniston,Sharon Stone,Jennifer Lopez,Celine Dion,Minnie Driver,Kim Basinger, Geena Davis,Charlize Theron andHilary Swank, will make his debut on the Home Shopping Network here in August.

Marcia Gay Harden, who won the best supporting actress Oscar for Pollock, chose a strapless, dark-red Randolph Duke dress for the ceremony because, she said, "I just wanted to feel and look like a movie star." His HSN collection will "help women create their own personal sense of style season to season," he said.

The Look by Randolph Duke will feature sportswear, knitwear, evening separates, shoes and accessories.

South Beach scene

Though it has been almost four years since Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace was murdered by a cross-country serial killer in front of his oceanfront villa on Miami's South Beach, people are still paying homage to him. Last week a steady stream of curious passersby went by his former residence. Maybe sparked by publicity about the recent auction of the home's contents by Sotheby's, people posed for pictures and placed flowers on the steps of the estate, even though it is no longer owned by the Versace family.

The Delano,Ian Schrager's art deco hotel on Collins Avenue, still is the "in" place to stay and be seen.

Room rates remain the highest in Miami, from $500 to $2,000 a night. Guests and visitors roam the cavernous lobby with its eclectic decor.

Avoid wearing white, lest you be mistaken for a Delano employee. A pale-faced guest recently turned red-faced at the Delano pool after he asked"P.Diddy" Combs for a towel, thinking the all-in-white rapper was a member of the staff. The same day, publicity potentate John "Nubian Prince" Mosley, also in white, was asked for a lounge chair.

Also bring money. A glass of white wine is $10 at the Delano.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.