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The Leopard Lover Doesn’t Change His Spots
Roberto Cavalli has never done things by halves, and his 40th anniversary party was a star-studded case in point. For his lavish bash at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he turned the chapel into a gallery, featuring iconic photos by Mert & Marcus and a smattering of strategically displayed vintage dresses. The great hall became a lounge with heaving banquet tables, Champagne, and Cavalli vodka. Taylor Swift, Rachel Bilson, and model-turned-actress Yu Yamada mingled gamely with the crowd, while Janet Jackson opted for refuge behind her bodyguard.
“I’ve been wearing Cavalli since before he did men’s,” reminisced the L.A.-based fashion peacock James Goldstein. “I was about 20 when I first tried on a pair of his pants, and I’ve been collecting ever since. Cavalli loves women, parties, and nightlife more than anyone I know.” (The women clearly love him back. “I needed this dress,” said Hilary Rhoda, in a red halter gown.)
“Cavalli’s fashion is just so feminine-friendly—I’m no six-foot girl and I’m not that young anymore, but I can always find something that makes me feel gorgeous,” added Yasmin LeBon, who may—stay tuned—make a catwalk appearance later this week (“even though it makes me feel like a grandmother,” she joked). Heidi Klum, clad in a column of gold sequins, added, “I wore his white lace leather pants to host the MTV awards; I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. He’s still at the top of his game.”
The designer made his entrance just before Kylie Minogue took the stage, with Italian icon Ornella Muti on his arm. “It’s just pure emotion,” the designer said. “I’ve done what I wanted to do. I’m very happy about my life, maybe for the first time.” Surely there’s something else he’d like to get done? He paused, then: “Ask me in the morning.”
—Tina Isaac Continue reading
Souk’s On
Morocco is fertile ground for fashion—Alber Elbaz was born in Casablanca, Yves Saint Laurent had a long, intense romance with Marrakech—and now the country’s tourism promoters are going all-out to seed the place with stylish visitors. To that end, they threw a lavish dinner in New York last night to celebrate the Red City, as Marrakech is known on account of its distinctively colored walls, and invited the likes of Wes Anderson, Joan Juliet Buck, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, and Marchesa’s Keren Craig.
It was Morocco in Manhattan: A sprinkling of rose petals led the way through the transformed Skylight Studios on Hudson Street into a pair of cocktail lounges, past silver tea sets, clay tagines, scented candles, and multicolored babouches. During dinner, Hassan Hakmoun and his fellow musicians performed songs with a trancelike rhythm. Maybe the most impressive sell of all, though, came courtesy of Anjelica Huston, who co-hosted the affair with Alan Cumming. “You eat very well, you stay at the Mamounia, you go and visit the various gardens, and you watch some belly dancing,” she said, happily enumerating some of Marrakech’s charms. “It’s very exotic.” She also pointed out that her father, John, had made one of his best films, The Man Who Would Be King, in the country.
Chatting with Anderson (the man who, aside from her dad, may have given her the most rewarding roles) and Waris Ahluwalia (a cast mate from the director’s The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited), the great American actress recalled bringing a little bit of North Africa back with her. In the old days, Huston mused, she got through New York winters with help from a djellaba acquired on her travels. “It was beautiful and really thick—I think it was horsehair, or yak’s wool, or something.”
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
A Name to Watch
Maybe for the first time ever, New York’s creative elite is buzzing about a Thai film director. Who is this unlikely hero of the art and fashion crowd? “I can’t pronounce it,” Shala Monroque confessed last night at the Monkey Bar, where she joined the likes of David Byrne, Terence Koh, Steven Klein, and Francesco Vezzoli (the last, one of the evening’s cabal of hosts) at a dinner in honor of—wait for it—Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Weerasethakul, known to his Western friends as Joe, has emerged from total obscurity (and into semi-obscurity) thanks to his latest film, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. A surrealism-shaded tale about an old man living out his final days in the country, it was awarded the Palme d’Or by Tim Burton’s Cannes jury in May and is slated to hit U.S. theaters early next year. “It’s a ghost story, but one that’s extremely thoughtful and not really meant to be scary,” explained Cindy Sherman, who just saw the film at the New York Film Festival. “It’s very odd,” she added, citing a much-discussed love scene involving a princess and a catfish.
But for Weerasethakul, who flies home to Chiang Mai today but will be back in November, the truly strange and delightful scene was the one that had been organized for him this night in New York (and co-hosted, albeit in absentia, by Tilda Swinton and Marc Jacobs). “I didn’t expect so many celebrities,” he beamed. Later, he collared David Byrne for a photo op. “This is New York, where anything can happen,” Weerasethakul said. “And it happened.”
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
Supporting Cast
During Milan fashion week, no one needs an excuse to get dressed up. But if a good cause provides one anyway, well, break out the gowns. AmfAR, the 25-year-old AIDS research nonprofit, held its second annual Milan gala last night, and designers, models, editors, and celebs got all decked out for the occasion (while raising a few bucks in the process, of course—the evening ended up netting a cool $1 million).
Dinner and a little music—Elvis’ “If I Can Dream,” performed by a Cavalli-clad Cheyenne Jackson—was accompanied by a live auction conducted by some very recognizable faces. The evening’s co-chair Heidi Klum, also in Cavalli, presented a photograph of Marilyn Monroe from Bert Stern’s The Last Complete Sitting. Chanel Iman, in head-to-toe Gucci (“Gucci for amfAR!” she cried), took bids for the evening’s top lot—a saxophone signed by President Bill Clinton, which went for €100,000. And Diane von Furstenberg, in a gold-hemmed coat and sheer top, drummed up interest in a customized Mini Cooper, one of the evening’s sponsors—hers was cherry red and plastered all over with iconic DVF kiss prints.
Marshalling a little sex appeal for a worthy charity? Nothing wrong with that—even if she wasn’t the only one with the same idea. “So many women here speak with bedroom accents,” von Furstenberg joked as Erin Wasson, Leona Lewis, and Yvonne Sciò took the stage. “I used to be the only one!”
—Courtney Smith Continue reading
Studio 54 Revisited
It was notoriously difficult to get a drink at Studio 54. So call the five-or-six-people-deep lines at the bar during last night’s Glamour Party a nice bit of verisimilitude. The guest of honor—and inspiration for the disco theme—was former Studio habitué Diane von Furstenberg. Fresh off a flight from Istanbul, where she’d opened a new store, she insisted that her hosts, Vogue Italia‘s Franca Sozzani and Lapo Elkann, had indeed gotten the vibe of the famous nightclub right. “It makes a lot of sense to celebrate in Milan; it all started here,” she added, explaining that the first samples of her wrap dress were made in this city.
Jada Pinkett Smith couldn’t vouch for the accuracy of the decor, having never been to the legendary New York hot spot, but she did bring a bodyguard, in case things really heated up the way they used to. Shortly before midnight, the party’s other boldfacer, Mischa Barton, had yet to arrive and the dance floor was still empty, but hey, the night was still young by Studio 54 standards, and the mojitos were still coming. The minty, lime-infused rum drinks might’ve been the one big anachronism. As menswear designer Umit Benan put it, swirling his glass, “I don’t think they had discovered them yet.”
—Nicole Phelps Continue reading
Night and Day
Bulgari prides itself on being the luxe-est of the luxe, and its cocktail party last night at—where else?—the Bulgari Hotel in Milan was a typically high-end affair, with the brand’s new bag dangling from the arm of a real-life princess. (That would be Princess Lorenza de Liechtenstein, wife of CEO Francesco Trapani.) But the fête was in honor of a capsule collection of bags by Matthew Williamson, so a bit of the boho party vibe crept in, too. Rachel Bilson, Diane von Furstenberg, Suzy Menkes, and Carine Roitfeld were all on hand to toast the geometric, jewel-inspired creations in radiant shades of sapphire, ruby, and emerald—and, Williamson being Williamson, a few in psychedelic kaleidoscope prints. “Being respectful of the old-school glamour, quality, and luxury that one associates with Bulgari,” the designer said, was the most important aspect of the project. “But,” he added, “fusing it with the DNA of my brand, which is more about color, youth, and a bohemian spirit.” That spirit may explain the seventies funk soundtrack, too.
The evening continued at Ferragamo’s Seize the Moment party at the Palazzo Mezzanotte—or, as it’s otherwise known, the headquarters of the Milanese stock exchange. By day, the palazzo is all business; last night, it was throbbing with models, celebrities, and titled members of Milan’s most famous families, who cheered on guest DJs Lola Schnabel and Julio Santo Domingo. Disco balls spun and the mirrored dance floor was packed—a few brokers, sure, but also Claudia Schiffer, Margherita Missoni, Mischa Barton, and Jada Pinkett Smith, who swayed behind the VIP-section ropes. The packed bash was in celebration of the house’s show that afternoon, but according to its creative director, Massimiliano Giornetti, partying is more than a release—it’s a professional obligation, too. “Celebrating with a dynamic, interesting mix of people points the brand in a more forward-thinking direction,” he said. The night went late; call him a workaholic.
—Courtney Smith Continue reading
Let It Pour
When I look back at all the musical entertainments Donatella Versace has provided for her guests over the years, I’ll always have the softest spot for a pre-superstardom Robbie Williams in Paris well over a decade ago. But last night’s special performance at Palazzo Versace in Milan comes a close second. Hercules and Love Affair wrecked the joint much more efficiently than the torrential rain that geysered from the heavens like the Last Deluge. The fact that spirits refused to be dampened was a partial testament to the upbeat, on-form collection Donatella had just shown, but there’s also the simple fact that fashion is tired of Debbie Downers. So the good times have rerolled all the way from New York to London to…Via Gesù last night.
The evening began with a dinner for 100-plus (intimate in the grand scheme of fashion week things), which was cleverly illuminated by the glow from various pieces of red Venini glass. Once that glow was enhanced by the tip of January Jones‘ cigarette, smokers of the world united behind her. Après ça, le déluge—rain, and Milan in its entirety joining the festivities. (Door dramas galore!) Then January and co.—including Christopher and Tammy Kane—trooped upstairs for music from Alex James, who began his DJ set with some classical/popular hybrids in the vein of the Malcolm McLaren soundtrack for Donatella’s show. The hostess looked like she was having a blast—and isn’t that supposed to be the sign of a good party?
—Tim Blanks Continue reading
“A True Indie”
Bill Cunningham, as just about everyone in the fashion world knows, crisscrosses Manhattan on his bike, shooting stylish people on the streets by day and on the social circuit by night. But the 81-year-old New York Times photographer and his trademark blue smock were nowhere in evidence last night at the Tribeca Grand, where MAC hosted a screening of Bill Cunningham New York, a documentary directed by Richard Press that offers an unprecedented view of the famously devoted and solitary—not to mentioned beloved—examiner of the way we dress.
“He doesn’t like being praised,” Paper magazine editor Kim Hastreiter explained before the screening. When the film played at MoMA in March, she added, “he wouldn’t come in. He only shot the people arriving. He’s a true indie.” (He’s also a true friend of Hastreiter’s, having turned her from a Madison Avenue shopgirl into a magazine editor when he helped get her a job at The SoHo News in 1978.)
Maria Cornejo, Terence Koh, Prabal Gurung, and a handful of other “kids,” as Cunningham would have affectionately called them, came by for a cocktail and a peek at the flick, which opens in March. That seems a long time to wait, until you consider that Press and his producer, Philip Gefter, spent ten years making it—eight of them convincing Cunningham to participate. “I think eventually we just wore him down,” Press said. “He’s never seen the movie, and probably won’t. He knows what’s in it. He’s given us his blessing. But he’s just like, ‘You kids, I’m glad you made a movie. I’m too busy to see it.’ “
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
The Dress Off Her Back
Brazil has no shortage of high-fashion exports—need we say more than just “Gisele“? And many of the country’s own—including the bombshell supe—turned out last night to support the Brazil Foundation, which held its eighth annual gala at the Met in New York last night. Andrea Dellal, in Dolce & Gabbana; Francisco Costa; and Vik Muniz were on hand for the fête. But the occasion wasn’t all play, as it turned out; like any gala, there was business to be done, too. The Brazilian marketing guru Nizan Guanaes, the evening’s chair, set a $2 million goal for the night’s fundraising, and, lo and behold, the attendees surpassed it. (The final tally was around $2.5 million.)
There’s Gisele to thank, at least in part, for that. She contributed $50,000 on her own, and then she took the mic to extemporaneously auction off her floor-length Calvin Klein Collection gown. (“Are you OK with that, Francisco?” she called to her friend the designer, at her side. What was he going to say? No?) “I’m not going to take this dress off here, because I’m a mother now,” Bündchen said in Portuguese. “But after the party, I’ll give it to the winner.” She set the price at $50,000 and said, “If no one pays, Nizan will have to pay!” Nizan did—and his lucky stepdaughter, Helena Bordon, currently an intern at Valentino, is now the proud owner of a Gisele hand-me-down.
Following the Met gala, the party continued at the Boom Boom Room, where Lorenzo Martone hosted a crowd that included Fernanda Motta (an emcee, along with Muniz, at the gala earlier in the evening), Anne Hathaway, Kevin Spacey, and Jim Carrey. The party raged until nearly dawn—just as in Rio.
—Marina Larroude Continue reading