Marysville Yuba City Appeal Democrat
January 12, 1989
LOS ANGELE S (AP ) – Frequent target s of fashion disdain – Britain’ s Duchess of York and exiled Philippine ex-first lady Imelda Marco s – topped the heap of Worst-Dressed Women of 1988 unveiled Wednesday by Mr. Blackwell.
Other fashion frumps included actres s Debr a Winger, pop staractres s Madonna, rotund ftinny lady Roseanne Bar r and Marilyn Quayle, wife of the vic e president-elect.
The acid-tongued Blackwell also used the occasion of his 29th annual Worst-Dressed list to lash out at Barbra Streisand, who wasn’t on the list but whose hairdo was worthy of comment. He even wrote her a check.
“This is a $250 check available to any hairdresser who would dare try,” he said. Miss Streisand wa s a worst-dressed selection in 1983 and now occupies Blackwell’ s lifetime hall of fame with Elizabeth Taylor, Charlene Tilton, Bette Midler and Christine Onassis.
Blackwell, whose real name is Richard Sylvan Selzer, had something nice to say about a limited list of Fabulous Fashion Independents, which included Liza Minelli, Ivana Trump, Barbara Walter s and first lady-to-be Barbara Bush.
“Barbara Bush is going to bring back vanilla ice cream and apple pie. It is going to be pure mid-America,” Blackwell said.
Leading the 12 women on Blackwell’ s fashion wrath was the former Sarah Ferguson. “The palace milkmaid strikes again,” he said. He called Mrs. Marcos “a n over-the-hill actres auditioning for Evita.”
Third place went to Debra Winger, who “gives fashion the finger,” followed by Madonna, “helpless , hopeless and horrendous,” Mrs . Quayle, ” a 1940 unemployed librarian,” and Shirley Temple Black, “fr0m the Good Ship Lollipop to the Titanic , non-stop.”
Three celebrity offspring tied for seventh place. The trio of fashion terrors were Lisa Marie Presley, Carrie Hamilton and Katie Wagner.
Jamie Lee Curtis was No. 8, described as ” a pin-up for secondhand Sadie’s Thrift Shop,” and Jodie Foster was ninth, “accused of flunking fashion, guilty as charged.”
Literally rounding out the list was Miss Barr. “Fashion s by Goodyear, body by Sara Lee,” Blackwell said.
Asked for a peek into future fashion, Blackwell said: “The trend that frightens me is they’ve run out of gimmicks and gags . They are into boredom, and they will call this simplicity.
“They have poofed them, ruffled them and done everything else, now we’r e in for bland.”
