CONSUMERS : Bibs Bid to Be Latest Trend in Designer Dinner Wear
Here’s a product both functional and fun. It’s Bib-Elite, a fashionable bib that can keep that lobster, marinara sauce or salad dressing off your tie or blouse.
The washable bib comes in three styles and fastens behind the neck with a Velcro-like closure. They can be purchased in 100% cotton or a cotton-polyester combination.
These 12-by-20-inch bibs are designed for adults, but there’s no reason children couldn’t wear them, too.
The most popular model is the Tuxedo, which features lapels, a white shirt and black tie, says designer Jean Pomerance, president of the Eat Elite Co. in Sherman Oaks, Calif. The other styles include the Princess, which looks like a black blouse with a white collar and faux pearls, and the Engineer-Western, fashioned of blue and white striped work-shirt cloth with a red and white checkered neckerchief.
In Los Angeles, Bib-Elites can be found at the Tops Gallery in Malibu or the This n That Boutique in Temple City. Or they can be ordered for $13.95 plus $1.50 for shipping and handling from Eat Elite Co., 14844 Dickens St., Suite 204, Sherman Oaks, Calif. 91403; phone, (818) 986-8677.
Bringing the World Into Sharper Focus
Sports fans, opera lovers or bird watchers may want to consider the new Perma Focus binoculars. They let you see everything from 40 feet to infinity in sharp focus. And you don’t have to adjust them manually; you just look through them and they focus automatically.
The new binoculars’ secret is in their optical elements, “engineered to make use of the eye’s natural ability to focus,” say representatives of Jason Empire, the Overland Park, Kan., manufacturer of binoculars and telescopes.
There are several models with different magnification powers in Jason’s Perma Focus line.
The company suggests the Model 194, a 7x35 binocular, for the sportsman, bird watcher or baseball fan. For football or auto racing, a wide angle Model 195 might be preferable. Both are lightweight and come with a wide neck strap and nylon case. They retail for about $70 and $80 respectively.
Boaters, hunters or horse racing fans might prefer the 10x50 Model 196, the most powerful Perma Focus. It weighs 30 ounces and retails for about $100. Opera buffs should check out the Model 184, a 6x21 binocular, which fits in a pocket or purse. It sells for about $60.
Perma Focus binoculars are sold nationwide in camera stores and by chain stores, including Fedco, K mart, Montgomery Ward, Sears, Service Merchandise and Target. If you can’t find them in your area, contact Jason Empire Inc., 9200 Cody, Box 14930, Overland Park, Kan. 66214; phone, (913) 888-0220.
Soap Opera Trading Cards Make a Splash
New from Hollywood--where else?--are Soap Star! trading cards, 14 3-by-5 cards depicting your favorite actors and actresses from TV’s soap operas.
You’ll find Kin Shriner, who’s been on “General Hospital” for more than a decade; Barbara Crampton of “The Young and the Restless,” and Mary Beth Evans of “Days of Our Lives,” to name a few.
Modeled after the long-successful baseball trading cards, Soap Star! cards offer exclusive color photographs of each star, says their creator, Jim Warren, an actor who has appeared in several soaps.
The cards carry a short biography of performers, including a replica of their signatures. A second set of cards will be available in March. They can be purchased for $6 by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Red Star, P.O. Box 3555, Hollywood, Calif. 90078; phone, (213) 851-5111.
