At Marc Bouwer the day before, there were no animal skins, but several anti-fur slogans projected onto the walls. Rue McClanahan showed up in front row. The former Golden Girl is an animal lover and a couturier herself - her clothing line "A Touch of Rue" caters to women of a certain age. "I think all of us are animal lovers, but most of us don't think about what it means to be wearing their pelts on our backs," she said. "I love you too, but I don't want to skin 'ya!"

Blanche Devereaux, Ms. McClanahan's character on the long-running sitcom, was known for her flowing billowy blouses and clickety-clack heels. The show has been in syndication for over a decade, but when Ms. McClanahan and a couple of her cast mates recently made an appearance at a Barnes and Noble book signing, "there were hordes of twentysomething and teenage girls screaming like they were rock stars," said Jim Colucci, author of the book The Q Guide to The Golden Girls. "It was hysterical."

Ms. McClanahan doesn't get the whole stoic horse walk of girls on the runways these days. "I could never be a model," she said. "Because I could not be that bland and personality-less. I'd respond to the crowd: 'hiya, how ya doin'!!'"