Bill Hersey’s Partyline July 1981 – Jimmy Osmond in Tokyo
Kuni’s sister, Chichan, married to prominent young architect Takenosuke Sakakura, glowed that evening as she moved around the room, making sure everyone was enjoying themselves. Guests included Yoshio Aoyama, Yoshio and Kumi Taniguchi, Marko and Helen (Ma) Yamawaki, Koko Toby (Georges was in Bangkok on business), Mitsuo Maruyama and the Maruyamas’ son Helge (Lilo was home with a cold that day), Yasuo and Kumiko Hattori, and the youngest of the famous Osmond Family, Jimmy, in Japan for a TV series. (He also did a sayonara concert on the 2nd. He’s returned to the U.S.A. by now and is preparing for another step in his career . . . his first appearance in a Broadway show. He’ll star in a musical called “Little Johny Jones.” David Cassidy starred in the West Coast production of the George M. Cohan-inspired show and it did very well.)
A friend of mine is road manager for the rock group Whitesnake, so I had to get to one of their concerts while they were in Japan. Several members of the group had been with Deep Purple and I’ve always liked their music. It was my first time to a concert like this at Asakusa Kokusai Theater, and I was surprised at the huge crowd that turned out for Whitesnake. The enormous, very old theater was packed. The concert turned out to be more exciting than most I had seen at Budokan. I think it was because the whole atmosphere was more relaxed and the kids were able to stand up, and really get down to the music. Those “security people” at Budokan whose job is to push people down the minute they stand up can get a little heavy and really take away from the enjoyment of a concert. Just ask Rod Stewart.
He was really unhappy about audience reaction at his concerts, but felt better once he was told much of it had to do with the restraint forced on the audience by people hired to do just that. The concert at the Kokusai was great and in talking with promoters later, was happy to learn they didn’t have any problems at all. It’s sad to hear that the Kokusai Theater may be torn down later this year. Tokyo really is changing. Tuesday the 23rd was one of those days I didn’t get to anything I had planned. In the afternoon Kosugi Sangyo showed their latest Halston Collection and that same afternoon and evening there was a press conference followed by a reception given by Wakaba K.K. to introduce Bal Paré à Versailles on the market here.
Quincy Jones Band in Japan
I had been with some of the Quincy Jones Band the night before, but didn’t know they were taking the same train to Kobe. Not only that, we were in the same car. I’m always lucky that way. I not only got a chance to relax and talk with the man himself, but also got an invitation to that night’s concert in Kobe as well. I’ll be talking more about Quincy and Portopia later.
Internationally known fashion designer Jun Ashida showed his 1981 Autumn-Winter collection to SRO audiences (1,200 in all) at six presentations, three Thursday the 25th and three on Friday the 26th. Women in the crowd oohed and aahed through the super-chic and super-versatile collection, while the men seemed to be calculating how much it was going to cost them.
Guests the evening I attended were an interesting and fashionable mix of diplomats’ wives (and a few diplomats as well), Japanese society, foreign society and familiar faces from the worlds of fashion and entertainment. Comments on the collection included:
Barbara Penrose: “I’m going to buy all of them.” You should have seen husband Paul’s face!
Nicole Depeyre of Christian Dior: “I liked all the suits. They’re so easy to wear. They’re also fantastic for working women. With the reversible jackets you can wear wool in the daytime and have silk or satins for evenings.”
Sikina Diria, wife of the Tanzanian Ambassador: “It’s a beautiful collection. I really liked the three-piece ensembles and plan to get something for my daughters and myself.”
As is the custom at Ashida evening showings, a reception and buffet followed. The affair was catered by Le Notre and was not only beautifully arranged, but delicious as well.
Jun used a lot of my favorite color combinations (black, brown, white and tan) in the collection and you can also see them in his summer collection as well. Check out those magnificent window displays in his Akasaka boutique across from the Akasaka Tokyu Hotel. Along the same line, the service staff in the Hilton’s renown Keyaki Grill wear black and brown uniforms which are about the most chic in town.
•Paulina, the youngest daughter of Mexican President and Mrs. Jose Lopez Portillo, and her bridegroom Pascal Ortiz Rubio stopped in Japan as part of their honeymoon after visiting Peking. They spent a few days in Tokyo, and visited Hakone and Nikko before returning to Mexico City.
• British musician-actor-comedian Dudley Moore flew into town to join his lady, tall, glamorous and very talented Susan Anton here for a series of concerts. I saw her perform at a C’Bon Cosmetics Company party . . . she’ll be doing a TV CM for them later this year at twice the price she got from Camellia Diamonds. Rumor has it that Farrah Fawcett will be doing the new diamond CM at twice what Susan got. Farrah’s beautiful, but Susan — the Foxy Lady — really has a lot of fans here and is a hard act to follow. Incidentally Tour Companion listed Susan as a “female singer.” Alice Cooper she’s not.
