In conversation, Mr. Jermyn speaks softly and mixes short, lucid sentences with longer, less coherent remarks. He has been arrested more than a dozen times since 1986 for violations such as trespassing and jaywalking, according to court records. Most of his skating and curb-side dancing now takes place near Robertson Boulevard, but in the past he roamed throughout Beverly Hills and West L.A., often cradling a boombox and shimmying to loud music.“He was always an extraordinary dancer,”says Jim Horne, a classmate of Mr. Jermyn’s at Los Angeles Baptist High School.
In addition to his sister, Mr. Jermyn speaks regularly with Ginny Berliner, a 64-year-old woman who befriended him when she owned an antique shop on Robertson. Mrs. Berliner, who now lives in Maryland, used to pay for Mr. Jermyn to sleep in a motel and covered his monthly coffee bill at Michel Richard, the well-known patisserie.“He wants notoriety and glory, but he can’t accept money,”she says.
On a recent afternoon, clad in his trademark black leggings and visor, Mr. Jermyn said he is“a facilitator”for the brand, and hopes it will expand into music or film. He has become a one-man marketing team, plastering company stickers and pictures of himself on a wall that faces pedestrians on Robertson.
At Kitson’s boutiques and on its Web site, the first shipment of“Crazy Robertson”women’s clothes—about 35 items—sold out in three days, and the store immediately ordered about 90 more pieces, according to owner Fraser Ross. Many of the online buyers were not from Los Angeles and presumably not familiar with Mr. Jermyn, he says. The brand may have appeal beyond L.A., says Mr. Ross, because its name includes“Robertson,”which like Rodeo Drive is a destination associated with glamorous shopping.
Mr. Hirsh says the success at Kitson has already generated interest from other retailers. He calls Mr. Jermyn“our Michael Jordan”and is looking into a trademark for“the Crazy Robertson”name and logo.
Ms. Jermyn, meanwhile, has different hopes.“I don’t want to see my brother get hurt,”she says.“They’re taking advantage of someone who is very vulnerable and very trusting.”
毫无疑问，好莱坞是引领时尚潮流的中心，而眼下，这个时尚中心最吸引人们眼球的并不是某位知名设计师或是崭露头角的新星，而是一位整天穿着溜冰鞋跳舞的56岁流浪汉。
他叫约翰·韦斯利·杰梅恩，他在洛杉矶西区已经呆了20多年。人们给他起的绰号有“疯狂罗伯逊”、“罗伯逊舞蹈家”，因为他常常在西洛杉矶最新潮的购物区罗伯逊大街一带游荡，而这里也是游客和影视明星最爱光顾的地方。关于杰梅恩的个人背景，当地人和互联网上有不少传闻，其中流传甚广的一个说法是，他虽然外表寒酸，其实身家百万。
杰梅恩为“疯狂罗伯逊”品牌拍摄的宣传照看上去满离奇的。不过，杰梅恩的名字现在跟一个服装品牌密不可分，这个名为“疯狂罗伯逊”的品牌是上个月推出的，产品是T恤衫和运动衫，是由三位23岁的小伙子创立的。一经问世，该品牌就在Kitson这个专卖店大受欢迎，而这个专卖店正是帕丽斯·希尔顿等小报热衷追捧的明星们经常光顾的地方。这些服装上印着杰梅恩的超酷外形，其中一款售价98美元的连帽衫上面有他跳舞的图案，背上还写着“没钱，也没烦恼”。Kitson专卖店在罗伯逊大街上开了三家分店，在其中最大的一家店里，印有杰梅恩肖像的衬衫与售价290美元的“辣妹”牛仔裤和50美元的婴儿鞋摆放在一起。那些鞋子是由明星吉恩·斯坦芬尼设计的。
第一章 The Best Poses for Women (9)