| Show Lifestyle ait fake Stibunc Friday August Section 28 1987 Page 21 A Designer Marcia Sherrill above knows her “gators” Julianne Shu-p- e shows a Kleinberg Sherrill handbag belt with buckle of silver By Carolyn Monson Tribune Fashion Editor Know the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? Marcia Sherrill does That's not bad for a philosophy and fine arts major at Vanderbilt University Nashville Tenn But it's alligators not crocodiles that have taken over her life She's not involved in their care and feeding She uses American alligator skins (just the underside) for her belt and handbag designs She can tell you though that the important difference between them is that some crocodiles are endangered and thus illegal to harvest andor wear American alligators although carefully regulated are not The World Book Encyclopedia explains teeth and snout size differentiate the two Since teeth are not involved in design she focuses on the two skins If you look closely at a crocodile’s skin pattern tiny holes are visible in each square She explained that some people believe the holes are hair follicles left over from evolution American alligators are free of holes In Salt Lake City earlier this week for an appearance at the downtown Nordstrom store (her designs are carried exclusively at Nordstrom’s in Salt Lake City) Ms Sherrill talked about her “gators” The creatures it seems are a rare breed They survive only in China where they are considered endangered and thus protected and in the southeast corner of the United States When something’s labeled alligator it's American since the Chinese prohibit harvesting “When people say their alligator goods are European rest assured it isn’t possible" Fish and Wildlife Services allows an annual alligator harvest — usually in the fall — and the firm Kleinberg Sherrill of which she is a partner buys skins at auction The firm concentrates its buying on alligators raised on farms rather than the wild ones “Wild gators have parasite damage scars even knife wounds the results of being hunted The others are cleaner” she said “Since the meat is considered a delicacy t'uc younger and smaller alligators are more likely to be auctioned” The firm tries for a skin size 8 to 10 feet long A small handbag requires an entire skin The firm however is noted for its larger bags requiring at least two skins each In 1981 when the American alligator was taken off the endangered species list her partner and friend (both Ms Sherrill and William Kleinberg re natives of Birmingham Ala) took an interest in the reptile He found one of the few alligator tanners left in the South to work with him developing product ideas Ms Sherrill had been hired as a young men's manufacturer and was living in New York Mr Kleinberg asked her to be the firm's accessories designer and Kleinberg Sherrill was born That was three years ago — just ahead of fashion’s thrust into exotic skins “It's ironic that he would contact me to design accessories I had been thinking seriously about doing it on my own I love See Column 2 Julie Simper above shows handbag belt in light brown alliga- tor They are designs of Ms Sherrill Belts left feature detach- able buckles in silver and gold over bronze m ' s 1 Tribune Staff Photos by Tim Kelly Design by Rhonda Hailes I JVC a U No’S? 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