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West Side Story
The Whitney went downtown for its annual American Art Award Gala, which meant more open collars than usual and extra talk of the future. The dinner took place, after all, on part of the plot in the Meatpacking District that the museum hopes someday to turn into a 200,000-square-foot southern branch.
The evening raised a total of $1.6 million. With an estimated budget of $680 million for the new outpost, the museum that gave Jasper Johns and Cindy Sherman their first retrospectives has a ways to go. But it’s also got friends in the right places—including Diane von Furstenberg, who hosted the cocktail hour at her studio up the street. Having thrown events there five nights in a row, the designer said she’s finally letting the space go dark for a while: “Thank God!”
From there, the group—which included Larry Gagosian and John McEnroe—migrated two blocks south to the dinner tent, which had been outfitted for the occasion with colorful hanging panels by the artists Wade Guyton and Kelley Walker. “This feels like a school trip,” mused Alice St. Clair Erskine. (Well, a school trip with Anh Duong, Caroline Winberg, and Shala Monroque.) Ever the student, Lady Alice was sporting her grandfather’s Eton waistcoat; she’d even turned down an invite to Monday’s Met ball to practice line readings for an upcoming audition.
During dinner, Alex von Furstenberg accepted the evening’s big award on behalf of the Diller—von Furstenberg Family Foundation, which has helped the museum get a foothold in the neighborhood. Lou Reed performed. Whitney director Adam D. Weinberg said goodbye to the tent: “I hope you’ll be here when the circus leaves and the art comes back.” And then another major player in this developing West Side story, André Balazs, led the way to the top of the Standard.
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
City of Angels?
Los Angeles, home of the up-skirt photo op, countless starlet meltdowns, and at least three of Tiger Woods’ alleged mistresses, could stand to use a lesson in all things ladylike. In flew Derek Blasberg to oblige. Last night, the Style.com editor at large and his cheeky new self-help guide, Classy: Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady, were toasted by friends and fans at the super-sleek Missoni store that just opened in Beverly Hills. “I feel honored and grateful and all those adjectives,” said Blasberg, between autographing a fan’s book and greeting pals like Olympia Scarry and Dasha Zhukova. “Although there’s so much pressure when the party is for you. I just want everyone to have a good time.”
Blasberg had little cause for concern. Nicole Richie, Kate Bosworth, and Margherita Missoni, who hosted the evening along with Style.com’s editor in chief, Dirk Standen, were there to put guests at ease. Asked which of his many female friends best embodied the Classy ethos, Blasberg pointed to Missoni, who was gently corralling guests toward the back room where the book was being sold. “I think a hardworking, responsible young woman, even if she deals in knitwear, is pure class,” he deadpanned. Bosworth offered up her own musings on what separates the ladies from the tramps. “Young girls wear too much makeup these days,” she said. “That’s actually my own biggest regret. I was in such a hurry to grow up. You should just enjoy feeling youthful and fresh.”
At the dinner that followed at Mr. Chow, Blasberg caught up with Nicky Hilton, Malin Akerman, and Patricia Arquette over a family-style feast that went uncharacteristically late for L.A. (Co-sponsor Fiji Water can’t be blamed for any hangovers the next morning.) The fashion world was also well represented, with designers both local (Band of Outsiders’ Scott Sternberg) and visiting (Pucci’s Peter Dundas) on hand. Attention was briefly diverted from table talk when two chefs wheeled out a dough-filled cart and proceeded to demonstrate the art of Chinese noodle-making. “What are they doing?” asked Erdem Moralioglu as the men silently kneaded the dough into a long, thin ribbon. “Making a scarf,” quipped Tara Subkoff.
—Evelyn Crowley Continue reading
Hall Monitor
The Independent Filmmaker Project has supported the development of more than 7,000 movies over the years, and at the organization’s spring gala last night, the indie film community gave right back. “I actually, on the red carpet, gave the photographers my posterior,” Patricia Clarkson reported, re-enacting an over-the-shoulder glance. “This dress gives you a good derriere.” She was in a hot pink number by Diane von Furstenberg, who hosted the party (her fourth in as many nights) at her Meatpacking District studio.
Before dinner, Tatiana von Furstenberg accepted special recognition for her debut feature, Tanner Hall, which will hit theaters in August. She’s currently in post-production on a triptych of short films shot at a forties-era Tyrolean resort. “It’s a very scary process,” the younger von Furstenberg said of filmmaking. “I went from having zero people in my employment to leading a team of 75 overnight.” Purple editor Olivier Zahm led a team of one—Paz de la Huerta—on an impromptu photo shoot before dinner, where the pair was joined by the likes of Uma Thurman, Mira Nair, and Precious screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher. Also spotted: Byrdie Bell, whose stint on Israeli Big Brother has made her a hit abroad, and model/actress Kiera Chaplin, who had an update: “I’m not acting anymore. I’m writing a book.”
But just about everyone else had a new movie in the pipeline, from Zachary Quinto, who’s producing and acting in one about the financial collapse, to Clarkson, who’s starring as Tallulah Bankhead in a biopic that starts shooting this fall. “We just got the script today, and it’s extraordinary,” she said. And the wardrobe? “Oh, Lord God!”
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
Tee Party
Charlotte Ronson collaborated this season with her stepfather, Foreigner front man Mick Jones, on a line of limited-edition I Heart Ronson for JCPenney tees inspired by the band’s album cover art. Foreigner, in turn, headlined the party Ronson hosted last night at Milk Studios in L.A. to celebrate the new collection. “It’s actually more nerve-racking playing in front of friends and family than total strangers,” admitted Jones backstage. “But the party atmosphere here helps.”
Also in the crowd of young Hollywood types like Rashida Jones, Nikki Reed, and Olivia Thirlby were Ronson’s music producer brother, Mark, and her DJ sister, Samantha. Asked what the family’s secret to success is, Charlotte smiled, “Our mother. She always encouraged us to just find something you’re passionate about and go for it.” A bout of food poisoning kept Ann Dexter-Jones from the party, but she was there in spirit. Drawing up his sleeve to reveal a diamond-studded bracelet, Mick Jones said, “Ann designed these for all of us to wear. It’s a clan thing. Are you wearing yours, Samantha?”
She had to admit she wasn’t, but bracelets or no, it’s clear that this is a tight-knit brood. “Who loves Charlotte Ronson?” Samantha asked the crowd before beginning the acoustic set that served as a warm-up act for Foreigner. The band, which goes on tour next week, took the stage to jam out its classics along with songs that’ve been reproduced by Mark Ronson. He and Samantha ended the night on the turntables. The family that plays together, indeed.
—Evelyn Crowley Continue reading