Keith Haring’s mere presence defines the word...

Keith Haring’s mere presence defines the word event. A New York artist known for drawing human figures in outline, Haring recently turned his talents to Swatch watches. So when he touched base at Bullock’s in the Beverly Center the other day, it became impossible to walk, park or even buy a lipstick.

The crowds were lined up for three hours; the handbag buyer said that every time she picked up the phone it was somebody wanting to know when he was arriving.

Haring--a soft-spoken, gentle soul--has become accustomed to the fuss, although he says: “It’s too hard for me to talk about it without sounding pretentious.”

What he was willing to say is that he likes to “play with those definitions” of what qualifies an item to be considered a piece of art. For instance, is a Haring-designed Swatch art? “If it isn’t art,” he reasons, “then why isn’t it art?

“I don’t care if someone else thinks it’s not,” he continues. “There are people who have the watches who place a value on them beyond art. I want them to be more than art, really. I’d like to reinstate some artistic integrity into the pop culture in the way that Walt Disney or the Bauhaus movement did.”

On fashion, Haring has this to say: “Fashion doesn’t appeal to me as much as I appeal to fashion.”

What will they think of next? How about an aerobics exercise book for dogs?

In “Kody’s Workout,” an adorable golden retriever is photographed doing Jane Fonda leg presses, pumping iron and flexing his muscles.

“I did this thing for fun,” said the dog’s owner, Cheryl Neilond, a fitness instructor in Carmel. “My students told me I should do an exercise book, but nobody knows who Cheryl Neilond is.”

So there was Kody, in sweat band and ankle warmers, spread eagle in Neiman-Marcus and happily signing autographs (well, paw prints) in the book. Clearly, here was a celebrity relaxed with his celebrity.

“Why is he lying down?” someone asked. “Is he on drugs?”

“Noooo way,” Neilond said. “Goldens are very quiet.”

Eric G. Smith, as flamboyant and outrageous as Haring is not, is among a new breed of designers who specializes in socks.

“People who love socks are called ‘sockotics,’ ” says Smith, who was in town to promote his E.G. Smith line at Bullock’s Westwood and Beverly Center.

A lawyer by training, Smith went into the family sock business instead and found his calling.

“Socks are in my blood,” he says earnestly.

Three years ago, Smith had an idea to manufacture men’s socks in 100% cotton (“people love cotton”) and in nine colors “which was five colors more than anyone had ever done.”

The socks also refused to stay up. Slouchy socks, Smith decided, reflect a state of mind. “They say, ‘don’t be uptight.’ ”

Today, Smith also makes women’s socks (children’s socks are next), and his palette is as vivid as a large crayon box.

His newest socks are tie-dyed by “hippies in upstate New York.” Retailing at $15, Smith calls them his “benefit socks” because he is donating his profits to AIDS organizations around the country, including AID for AIDS in Los Angeles.

When Giorgio, the Rodeo Drive boutique and perfume manufacturer, tossed a party to unveil the plan for its ornate Fountain of Versailles-inspired float for the Rose Bowl parade, you can bet the champagne was flowing.

There was also the world’s shortest fashion show--eight dresses long. Come New Year’s Day, the gowns will be modeled on the float, having been designed for the occasion by an international flotilla of designers including Vicky Tiel, Bob Mackie, and Thierry Mugler.

Rose Bowl Queen Kirstin Harris and her court were present at the gathering and they seemed awe struck by the world of high fashion.

Compared to the gowns the royal court will wear in the parade, “these dresses are more elegant and sophisticated,” allowed a diplomatic Princess Sandra Waltrip. “Our dresses are more princessly and conservative.”

Around the corner on Rodeo and Little Santa Monica Boulevard, the doors opened at a new men’s shop called (Ixiz), which is connected physically and financially to another new men’s store called Kent & Curwen. Both are divisions of D’Urban, Japan’s largest producer and distributor of women’s apparel.

The (Ixiz) side is sort of a contemporary, international mix from 70 designers around the world. You can buy anything from a tuxedo to a plastic pen.

The Kent & Curwen side takes you back in time to clubby England, pre-Ralph Lauren. In fact, in England, the company still manufactures school ties, cricket uniforms and crested blazers.

In the midst of all this is a “water bar” where you can choose from 50 bottled waters from around the world, selling for $1 to $2.

“The Russian water is good for hangovers,” said a customer. “It’s real strong and kind of salty.”