Snoopy and Belle in Fashion
When: Opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday and runs through March 12. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Grand Court/Level 6 in the Beverly Center, 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles.
Admission: Free.
Information: www.snoopyandbelleinfashion.com and 310-854-0070.
When: Opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday and runs through March 12. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Grand Court/Level 6 in the Beverly Center, 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles.
Admission: Free.
Information: www.snoopyandbelleinfashion.com and 310-854-0070.
Charles M. Schulz’s Snoopy and the Peanuts gang have been inspiring fashion since Charlie Brown pulled on that zigzag shirt.
Today, these comic strip characters are haute stuff.
A traveling exhibit of outfits created by top designers for 10-inch vinyl dolls of Snoopy and his sister, Belle, opens Tuesday at the Beverly Center, where the collection will be on display through March 12. Among the high-end designers tapped to makeover the beagles for the project dubbed “Snoopy and Belle in Fashion” are costume design Oscar nominee Colleen Atwood, Rachel Zoe and Danskin ambassador Jenna Dewan Tatum.
“They’re as couture as you could possibly imagine,” says Melissa Menta, an executive with Peanuts Worldwide.
“Snoopy and Belle in Fashion” had its premiere at the New Museum in New York City during New York Fashion Week in September 2014 as the project’s second incarnation. In the 1980s, a woman responsible for much of the Peanuts brand merchandise approached Schulz, aka “Sparky,” with the idea of asking superstars in the rarefied world of fashion to create looks for an 18-inch Snoopy plush doll.
She got the go-ahead.
By 1984, several top designers were signed on for the show that had its opening in Paris. They include Karl Lagerfeld, Gianni Versace and Betsey Johnson, who now returns for the 30th anniversary reprise with punk rock versions for Snoopy and Belle, with nose rings for the pair and a pink wig for Belle.
“What is interesting is that a lot of the dolls actually reflect the personalities of the designers,” says Menta, noting the J. Mendel creation with thick-framed glasses and dressed in a suit with a pin cushion on one wrist and scissors in the other hand “is definitely him.”
Diane Von Furstenberg puts Belle in the world’s smallest version of her signature wrap dress, while Atwood taps her Oscar-winning designs.
She transforms Snoopy into the Mad Hatter with a bow made of the same material as Johnny Depp’s coat in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” in 2010. Her look for Belle comes from her work on Rob Marshall’s “Memoirs of a Geisha” in 2005.
Jill Schulz, who spearheaded the “Snoopy and Belle in Fashion” exhibit, admits her dad was not a fancy dresser.
But he appreciated fashion and art.
“He produced these ice shows that he loved for 30-something years, and they were very elaborate two-hour dinner shows,” she says, speaking by phone from Santa Barbara. “Our costume designer (Jennifer Langeberg-Vaughn) did amazing costumes, and my dad did get involved with that. He loved having input on that.”
Over the years, Peanuts have found their way into luxury fashion. More recently Gucci created a line of Snoopy knitted sweaters, crewnecks and tees. The famous beagle has also been linked to BAPE, Stussy and Bamford Watch Department.
“If you go to Europe, most Europeans think of Peanuts as a fashion brand,” Menta says.
The exhibit has been to nine cities around the world since its 2014 launch. Before culminating at Brookfield Place during New York Fashion Week this September, it will travel to six U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, the only Southern California stop.
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