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“Groomed, Glossy, and Tall as Skyscrapers”
John Galliano made a rare public appearance in New York to fête the reopening of Dior’s 57th Street flagship last night. The refurbished shop is the work of Peter Marino, who spent 18 months making the space feel like a private Parisian town house set in New York City. “Stores are getting too commercial; we want to slow that down with a lot of luxury and details,” the architect said. “I already think this one might be a little better than the Paris store, but don’t tell.”
While Amy Adams, Liv Tyler, Karlie Kloss, and Karolina Kurkova all circulated, Galliano sequestered himself in the VIP salon with Natalie Portman, a.k.a. the new Miss Dior Cherie. “New York is energizing times 11,” the designer told Style.com. “And the great thing about it is that it’s not only energizing while you are here, but you go back to Paris and you are still electrified by it.” And what about his Big Apple clients? “They are groomed and glossy and as tall as skyscrapers—which I love.” And his Oscar dreams? “As you know, I am a gentleman, and you are naughty. You won’t know until you see her on the red carpet.”
—Kristin Studeman Continue reading
Dresses Over Pants—Where Do You Stand?
—Brittany Adams Continue reading
Not So Little Britain
Presenting Naomi Campbell with the Special Recognition trophy at last night’s British Fashion Awards in London, her pal Edward Enninful said, “If Naomi didn’t exist, we would have had to invent her. Also, she is the best person to turn to when you need to find the best restaurant, anywhere in the world.” On stage, the model spoke through tears: “Thanks to my mom and my partner, both of whom are here and have to deal with a wild, wild woman.”
Wild was the theme of the evening, courtesy of host Claudia Winkleman. The U.K.’s answer to Chelsea Handler, Winkleman said she wanted to “mount” British Style award winner Alexa Chung, and that she may “lick” presenter Bryan Ferry. Claudia, that’s a lot of barnyard love. Model of the Year Lara Stone also flexed her funny bone, joking that she’ll finally be known as a model, rather than as the transsexual who married comedian David Walliams, who’s made a career of poking fun at “the gays.”
On a more sober note, Sarah Burton accepted the Outstanding Achievement award for her “hero” Alexander McQueen, and an emotional Daphne Guinness presented the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator to Nicola Formichetti. “I wish, I wish Isabella was here tonight to see this,” she said.
The ceremony ended with Bianca Jagger naming Phoebe Philo the Designer of the Year. Immediately afterward, a steady stream of winners, presenters, and A-list attendees, including the Prime Minister’s wife, Samantha Cameron, poured into the Savoy Theatre’s dining hall for a celebratory dinner. For those with energy to burn, there was an after-party at Movida, but presenter Daisy Lowe was just happy the awards were over: “I am so glad I didn’t trip over the stairs.”
—Afsun Qureshi Continue reading
Hardy Boy
Pierre Hardy celebrated his new Jane Street shop, his first-ever in the States, with a jam-packed in-store party last night. There were plenty of girls representing in their strappy PH heels, but no one was flashing a new pedicure; New York’s first cold snap made tights a necessity. The guests in the crowd fresh off planes from Art Basel Miami Beach, in particular, seemed to huddle together for warmth.
Later, at a dinner for 40 at Sant Ambroeus, talk at Hardy’s table turned to wintry pastimes: watching TV and escaping to warmer climes. Pat McGrath recommended a new British show, Luther, starring Idris Elba of The Wire, before declaring her love for Mad Men. “I went up to January Jones and Christina Hendricks a bit starstruck at a party and said, ‘I looove you,’ and they told me, ‘Oh Pat, we know you, you used to do our makeup.’ They were models first, you know.” Bonus fact: that toothless 11-year-old on the cover of Vogue Italia circa 1996? Mischa Barton.
As for Christmas vacations, Karl Templer is headed to Harbor Island, and Jen Brill will visit family in Hong Kong, then touch down in Palm Springs on the way back for New Year’s with her girlfriends. Hardy himself is returning to Paris via four days in St. Bart’s and is spending the holiday in Venice. “I want to see the Palladios,” he said, “but the new store is really the best present I could hope for.”
—Nicole Phelps Continue reading
Up at the Chateau
A few attendees at last night’s L.A. premiere of Somewhere complained of a chill, but not Erin Wasson. The model—who has a cameo as a Party Girl in Sofia Coppola‘s new flick—stated, “I just got back from Russia. This is not fucking cold.” She had proved the point by donning a thin jumpsuit with a plunging neckline and pompom embellishment by Louis Vuitton, the night’s sponsor. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Wasson said of her experience on set. “I’d met Sofia at fashion parties, but to see her work, she was so beautifully soft-spoken. Stephen Dorff said she didn’t want the lead actors running lines together before shooting because she wanted everything to be natural.”
Hollywood newcomer Elle Fanning, who plays Dorff’s daughter in the film, showed her own sartorial chops in a black Valentino dress that got a thumbs-up from her big sister Dakota. “I have to get her approval,” Fanning said of her famous sib. If the Fanning sisters share a love for designer wares (in Elle’s case, vintage in particular), they’re not necessarily swapping wardrobes just yet. “She does not like it when I take her clothes,” the younger Fanning laughed. “That’s one of our number one arguments.”
Coppola, who’s releasing a follow-up line of handbags in collaboration with Louis Vuitton in new colors this spring, told Style.com: “I wrote Somewhere when I was living in Paris and feeling a bit homesick for American pop culture. And I was thinking about when I lived in L.A.” As for any particularly raucous nights at the Chateau? “I have memories of decadent moments there, which were fun…but nothing to share.”
—Alisa Gould-Simon Continue reading
Get the Look
—Marina Larroude Continue reading
What’s Your Fantasy?
Credit Marco Brambilla for adding an extra dimension to Art Basel Miami Beach. Friday night at the Standard, the artist behind the mesmerizing video collage of heaven and hell at the hotel’s New York property gave an audience including Francisco Costa, Jeffrey Deitch, and co-hosts Jefferson Hack and André Balazs a sneak preview of his latest work. Titled Evolution, it’s a baroque mash-up of samples from epic movies set in periods ranging from ancient Rome to the imagined worlds of Star Wars and A Clockwork Orange. The whole thing is in 3-D, and Armani was kind enough to send along a box or two of its slick new 3-D glasses. Getting everyone to give them back on the way out was a less successful project.
There was even more of a scene in the hotel’s backyard on Saturday, when Playboy and Stoli Elit sponsored a dinner with an extra-spicy ingredient: all kinds of performance art inspired by the idea of the nude. The splashiest piece, so to speak, was Vanessa Beecroft‘s creative arrangement of 18 naked models in the pool. “It’s a vintage performance, but not a reproduction of anything in particular,” the artist explained. Olympia Scarry (who showed at the NADA fair) opted for a contrarian approach, anonymously stalking through the party in a burka that Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci had designed for her. Meanwhile, at the Mondrian, the chef Sam Talbot was giving the likes of Rogan Gregory and photographer Poppy de Villeneuve a taste of the brand’s upcoming New York property, and at the Delano, Susan Sarandon partnered with the L.A. MOCA for a Ping-Pong party.
In the Design District, Alber Elbaz had created an installation reminiscent of his famous window displays for Lanvin. With a pre-fall collection due in three weeks, the designer isn’t exactly basking in leisure time. “Usually, this time of year I never move from my studio,” he said at his dinner on Friday night at the Rubell Family Collection. To liven things up, Elbaz had scrawled notes to friends on the linen tablecloth and dangled plumed top hats from the ceiling. “Just a bit of festivity,” the designer shrugged. “This is maybe what art and fashion are all about.”
Later on, Elbaz joined Anouck Lepère, Nicky Hilton, and Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren at the Visionaire party at the W—as did the weekend’s big guest of honor, Tilda Swinton. Pringle of Scotland had squeezed just about as many people as it could onto The Webster’s second floor for a dinner in her honor a couple of hours earlier. The actress took a break from some affectionate horsing around with Ryan McGinley to mention that, like Elbaz, she’d never been to Miami before. “The thing that was a surprise was how much it was exactly as I expected,” she noted. “There can’t be many places that are a fantasy of what they are.”
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
Two Dinners and a Movie (Plus a Late-Night Bash or Two)
Last night in Miami, the party set was all dressed up with everywhere to go—actually, scratch the “all dressed up” bit. Albert Hammond, Jr., had trouble getting into the glitzy after-party for a screening of Julian Schnabel‘s latest film, Miral, on account of his hoodie and Dr. Martens, never mind that he was a guest of the filmmaker’s son Vito. “This is the nervous-I’m-going-to-get-kicked-out corner,” he explained, sitting on a bench in the lobby of the New World Symphony building. Also circulating were Alber Elbaz, Naomi Campbell, and Sean Penn, whose Haiti charity was the beneficiary of the evening’s very lucrative auction (arranged by Maybach) of new artwork by Schnabel. In his sweatpants and a frayed flannel shirt, the latter looked even more than usual as though he’d just taken a late-morning stroll out to the mailbox—though presumably he didn’t have any trouble at the door. Bruce Weber, a neighbor of Schnabel’s in Montauk, barely lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, he dresses like that back home,” he shrugged.
Safe to say there was a little less sartorial insouciance at the W magazine dinner at Cecconi’s, which was populated by the likes of Stefano Pilati, Elisa Sednaoui, and Colette’s Sarah Lerfel. In conversation with artist Louise Neri at the head table was Francisco Costa, who’d done a talk about minimalism at DesignMiami earlier in the evening. Ron Arad, chatting with Chiara Clemente two tables over, had also done a talk that day. “It was one hour of my life,” the designer concluded, and added that he now needed to try the Standard’s pool.
Meanwhile, Bally was doing a bash in the Design District and Schnabel the younger was hosting a late-night party at the W with Alex Dellal and Stavros Niarchos. At the Delano, Interview partnered with Fendi and LVMH to throw a comparatively subdued rooftop dinner in honor of some of the subjects of a feature in the latest issue, about the L.A. art scene. Artist Kaari Upson seemed happy with the results—”I have one naked breast,” she enthused. (In the photo spread, that is.) There was more nudity than that on the beach at the after-party, as part of a lively performance that combined Caribbean carnival, a cappella singing, and bagpipes, and had MoMA PS1 director Klaus Biesenbach urging revelers to get in the water. Another reason to go casual?
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading