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Paris Revue
With the Couture shows all wrapped up last night, it was time to—what else?—party. First in line was a fête for Swarovski’s newest Crystallized collaboration at the Pozzo di Borgo hotel in the Seventh. This year, the Austria-based company invited designers to collaborate on little black dresses to be auctioned off at Phillips de Pury in September, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society and France’s La Ligue Contre le Cancer. “We thought now was the time to focus on a fashion basic,” Swarovski’s Markus Lampe said as he showed off bedazzled L.B.D.s from labels such as Vivienne Westwood, Givenchy, Missoni, and many more. Inglourious Basterds‘ Mélanie Laurent said if she had to pick one, it would be the Lanvin sheath. “But I am French,” she explained, “so maybe I’m biased.”
On the other side of the Seine, at Valentino’s Place Vendôme headquarters, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli toasted their latest collection amid an impressive array of centuries-old chandeliers, fresco paintings, and gilded paneling. “Yes, we are very lucky,” Piccioli acknowledged, with Natalia Vodianova on one arm. “This space, our show, and now tonight have all been a dream come true for us. But enough talk of that, let’s dance!” With Julio Santo Domingo on the decks, it didn’t take much coaxing to get the chicest girls—Charlotte Casiraghi, Shala Monroque, and Coco Brandolini included—up on their feet.
Across the square at the Ritz, Kate Moss was celebrating her post as Longchamp’s newest handbag designer with a dance party of her own, complete with a DJ set by the Queens of Noize. But despite the rowdy performance, all eyes were on the supermodel and her entourage. At the stroke of midnight, Moss waltzed out, followed by her boyfriend, Jamie Hince, and a few girlfriends. By the time she reached the back door, it was a full-on Moss migration, with dozens of people prepared to follow her seemingly anywhere. Always ready with a one-liner, she asked with a smirk, “All this fuss? For a bag lady?”
—Derek Blasberg Continue reading
Swift Move
Last night in L.A., the 13th Annual Unforgettable Evening gala benefiting cancer research went off exactly as billed. “To me, the most memorable part of the night is that Tom Hanks called me ‘hot’ in his speech,” said Christina Applegate, who was honored with the Nat King Cole Award for her dedication to encouraging early detection for breast cancer. Hanks chairs the event with his wife, Rita Wilson, and their pals Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, and in the crowd were Reese Witherspoon, Olivia Wilde, Angie Harmon, and Molly Sims. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were recognized for their work with brain tumor survivors with the 2010 Courage Award. But their fellow country music star and Grammy nominee Taylor Swift had maybe the biggest night of all. Taking the stage after dinner for a special performance, she said: “Thank you to the Hanks and Spielbergs for having me, and for letting me say ‘the Hanks and Spielbergs’—a sentence I never thought I’d say.”
—Victoria Namkung Continue reading
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
The invitation for Riccardo Tisci‘s Givenchy after-party at the Ritz hotel last night promised an “intimate” affair. And—how’s this for novelty?—intimate actually turned out to be an apt description of the buffet dinner for 50. Joining the likes of Francesco Vezzoli, Natalia Vodianova, and Kanye West were Tisci’s personal trainer, his best friend from childhood, assorted family members, and his fashion show hair and makeup teams. “He is just the sweetest man in the world,” effused Ciara, who first collaborated with Tisci when she was his date at Fashion Rocks in Rio last October. “In fact, he’s so sweet, I’d bet he’s even going to let me take these pants home with me.” The spangled harem pants in question were couture (Fall 2009), and chances are good that the R&B diva will really get to keep them. Later in the evening, she revealed she was taking Tisci out to lunch today “to seal the deal.”
—Derek Blasberg Continue reading
Street Couture
—Tommy Ton Continue reading
Maximum Exposure
This week in Paris is devoted to the art of haute couture: made-to-measure fantasies for the uppermost echelons of the upper crust. But let’s talk about underwear. Natalia Vodianova carved out a little time on the schedule for a runway show for her collaboration with lingerie brand Etam at the Ritz hotel. “I figured that if you’re going to buy a dress like that, you want something special to wear underneath,” the Russian beauty smiled at a dinner that followed the show in a second-floor salon of the hotel. “And I thought it would be nice to give them a little something extra: a concert!” She was referring to a raspy couple of songs from Charlotte Gainsbourg, whose newest record, a collaboration with Beck, will be released later this month.
Not that Vodianova’s hostessing duties stopped there: After the show, concert, and dinner, all the cool kids in France—Charlotte Casiraghi, Alexa Chung, Margherita Missoni, Alexia Niedzielski, and so on—filed into yet another series of Ritz salons for a dance party with Mark Ronson on the decks. “I won’t bite,” Ronson hollered into the microphone, coaxing the crowd to his end of the party. His girlfriend, Josephine de la Baume, was quick to add: “Yes, he does. But not that hard.”
—Derek Blasberg Continue reading
Maximum Exposure
This week in Paris is devoted to the art of haute couture: made-to-measure fantasies for the uppermost echelons of the upper crust. But let’s talk about underwear. Natalia Vodianova carved out a little time on the schedule for a runway show for her collaboration with lingerie brand Etam at the Ritz hotel. “I figured that if you’re going to buy a dress like that, you want something special to wear underneath,” the Russian beauty smiled at a dinner that followed the show in a second-floor salon of the hotel. “And I thought it would be nice to give them a little something extra: a concert!” She was referring to a raspy couple of songs from Charlotte Gainsbourg, whose newest record, a collaboration with Beck, will be released later this month.
Not that Vodianova’s hostessing duties stopped there: After the show, concert, and dinner, all the cool kids in France—Charlotte Casiraghi, Alexa Chung, Margherita Missoni, Alexia Niedzielski, and so on—filed into yet another series of Ritz salons for a dance party with Mark Ronson on the decks. “I won’t bite,” Ronson hollered into the microphone, coaxing the crowd to his end of the party. His girlfriend, Josephine de la Baume, was quick to add: “Yes, he does. But not that hard.”
—Derek Blasberg Continue reading