Snoopy foresakes his pilot gear

Press, 12 July 1984, Page 23

Snoopy foresakes his pilot gear

NZPA-Reuter New York New York’s top male fashion model at the moment is white, short, and has a stomach that is broader than his chest. Dozens of the world’s top designers have accepted the bizarre assignment of clothing the world’s most prominent nude celebrity, Snoopy the beagle, the canine philosopher star of Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” cartoon strip.

Snoopy has appeared in the strip for decades with a leather pilot’s helmet and goggles and a dashing silk scarf as occasional concessions to modesty. All that has been changed by Determined Productions, which makes things like Snoopy dolls, calendars and toiletries. It has commissioned more than 90 of the world’s top designers to outfit Snoopy and his sister, Belle, with the results on view at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

Among the designers are Givenchy, Gianni Versaces,

and Oscar de la Renta. “There was no problem getting people to do this,” said Determined Production’s June Dutton. “Once one designer says ‘yes,’ the news spreads and no one wants to be left out. All these designers amazed me with their wonderful sense of humour.” “I’m asked to do a lot of really weird stuff,” said a punk designer, Betsey Johnson, who usually spends her time creating bondageinspired fashions for New York’s less inhibited dressers. “This was funny enough and, besides my daughter, Lulu, is a Snooov freak.”

She outfitted a 45cm stuffed Snoopy and a smaller Belle in punk-rock gear, complete with a red mohawk wig for her and a matching yellow one for him.

Ms Dutton says that many of the designers saw the assignment of dressing two less than perfectly proportioned forms as something of a challenge. “Joan and David,” Ameri-

can shoe designers, “went to Italy to have the doggie shoes and boots made,” Ms Dutton said. “The workers in the factory looked at them as if they were crazy, then everyone really got into it, seeing who could turn out the most perfect shoes.”

Snoopy and Belle are also seen dressed in formal wear, such as Versace’s gold lame gown for Belle and a black satin tuxedo with black and white striped waistcoat for Snoopy. The show’s highlight, however, was the area where Snoopy and Belle pretended not to be brother and sister, but husband and wife — the bridal suite. Belle wore Emanuel’s wedding dress made of white netting and sparkles. Snoopy was equally resplendent in a grey and pink satin morning coat. A flower girl wore pink voile.

The exhibition will remain at the institute until September and then move on to San Francisco, Tokyo and Hong Kong.