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The Children’s Hour
Fashion week is over and the weather’s turning—for a certain category of New Yorkers, the evening curriculum is about to change. “When I got dressed tonight, I looked at the tuxedo hanging there and I thought, ‘Get ready,’ ” Dennis Basso said at last night’s New Yorkers for Children fall gala. Yes, that surprisingly durable institution—black-tie season—has begun.
The NYFC benefit, as always, was about celebrating and supporting youth in foster care. Prompted by moving testimonials from some of the charity’s young beneficiaries, the assembled guests at Cipriani (including Jason Wu, Hilary Rhoda, and Rachel Roy) raised a total of $1.6 million, with help from a $10,000 live-auction donation from CIRCA founder Chris Del Gatto, one of the evening’s sponsors, and a $5,000 contribution from Courtney Love.
Selita Ebanks, who spent time in foster care after her mother emigrated to the U.S. from the Cayman Islands, served as an inspiring master of ceremonies—”Look at me now!”—and the Victoria’s Secret Angel even got away (barely) with a joke about having wings. She also fielded a question about her rumored suitor Kanye West—”a really great friend,” she insisted.
When the hip-hopper took his seat next to her at the main table, it certainly looked like that, and maybe more. The guy also got a shout-out from Estelle, who closed the formal program with a live rendition of “American Boy.” By that time, the crowd was up and swaying and perhaps even thinking, as designer Michelle Ochs put it, “It’s really nice to get out of the studio and out of your sweats, and get dressed up.”
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
Cutting a Rug
It may have been London fashion week, but one of the week’s hot attractions was an American—one who, for her shop-in-shop at Browns Focus, brought plenty of her homeland’s totems with her. There were Pendleton shirts, cowboy boots, and a dream catcher woven with Pamela Love‘s name hanging proudly in her new mini-shop, and if it was meant to catch the London crowd, it worked. Dree Hemingway and Style.com’s Maya Singer hosted a bash for the space last night, and Alexa Chung, Susie Lau (a.k.a. Susie Bubble), Henry Holland, and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld all dropped by for a margarita, courtesy of El Camino. “She’s this jewelry superstar now!” said Restoin-Roitfeld, in a black Mark Fast dress straight off the catwalk. Henry Holland professed to be smitten—”Pam is lovely!” he said. And if the Britons are falling for Love, she’s equally taken with a few of their native institutions, too. “I discovered Marks & Spencer,” she revealed, while nearby, Chung nodded approvingly. “I got a million pairs of tights,” Love added. “And lots of bras. It was great!”
For dinner, many of the crowd repaired to St. James’s swish new sushi restaurant, Sake No Hana, for Another Magazine‘s dinner celebrating its new cover girl, Björk. She had many other engagements—she’s been recording a new album, and that afternoon, had sung at Alexander McQueen’s memorial—but made time for Another‘s Jefferson Hack, one of her biggest admirers. “She is a pioneer in terms of fashion, never mind music,” Hack said. “She does what she wants, on her terms, with utter integrity. You cannot commercialize Björk.” Dinner-goers Lucian Freud and daughter Bella, Daphne Guinness (locked in conversation with Philip Treacy), Jade Jagger, Samantha Morton, and Hussein Chalayan were apt to agree.
The night ended where a London night often ends—at Bistrotheque, where MAC and Belvedere joined forces to throw Giles Deacon an after-party. The revelers arrived, literally, by the busload—a double-decker reading “Giles/MAC” showed up at one point with 30 models, to the utter delight of the drag queen manning the door. Joining them were Abbey Clancy (the pregnant WAG currently dominating the U.K. tabloid headlines), Alessandra Ambrosio, Chanel Iman, Katie Grand, and more. The snacks came courtesy of Deacon’s family farm, and even the decor was Giles—carpets in an eyeball print from the Spring 2011 collection. That turned out to be a provocation too good to resist: We saw someone do a DIY and lift a meter of the rug to accessorize their outfit. “Why not?” asked a fashion student partier. “Everything from my closet is either stolen or from a charity shop—I can probably say the same for half this crowd, too. It’s not often we can walk on Giles, then wear him the next day. If I brought my cutting scissors, I would do the same.”
—Kiki Georgiou (Pamela Love) and Afsun Qureshi (Another and Giles) Continue reading
Unbrace Yourself
Gordon Gekko is back in New York. The iconic eighties corporate raider makes his return in Oliver Stone‘s Wall Street sequel, Money Never Sleeps, and the man who plays him, Michael Douglas, continued his spirited, public battle with throat cancer by attending the movie’s premiere last night at the Ziegfeld Theatre.
Douglas was joined by his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and co-stars Josh Brolin, Frank Langella, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon, and Shia LaBeouf, who plays Gekko’s protégé and potential son-in-law. “I was walking into a lion’s den—the cast was outrageous,” LaBeouf said. (Of course, in his and Mulligan’s case, it was also attractive enough to spark an off-screen romance.) But the film has other buzz-generating assets besides its actors, not least of which is its timely topic: the fierce rivalries and reckless bravado of New York financiers, and the devastating wider consequences of both. In the name of authenticity, the bespoke suits by New York and Savile Row tailors that LaBeouf and company wear in the film were “so expensive that you couldn’t believe it,” according to costume designer Ellen Mirojnick. Appropriately, the after-party was at Cipriani.
On the carpet, Stone pointed out that the essentials of the business haven’t changed that much since the first Wall Street. “The enduring quality is the love of money and greed,” he said. LaBeouf, though, had discovered some differences during his preparatory tour of investment banks. “Suspenders are out; socks are out,” he reported. That may have affected the way he approached the role—but not, he made clear, his personal style. “Of course, I’m wearing socks!”
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
Explorer’s Club
Dinner host Alexa Chung contemplated the tent. “Whew,” she said at last. “Thank God I wore pants.” Chung meant pants in the English sense, as in underpants. Everyone at last night’s Mulberry dinner had to climb through a tent set up in the ballroom of Claridge’s in order to dine. Earlier that evening, at the BAFTA screening room, Mulberry had shown a short film by Tim Walker called The Lost Explorer, which involves a sort of magical tent; the entrance-by-tent thing at the party was meant to echo its role in the film, as a passage to a new realm.
And a wondrous realm it was. Guests including Gemma Arterton and Helena Bonham Carter sat down to a meal executed explorer-style, with wine served in tin cups and main courses in metal saucepans. Even the flatware was hooked, camping-style. Mosquito nets, hurricane lamps, and director’s-chair seating added to the feel of genteel expedition. (Designer Rhea Thierstein was responsible for the party’s Sir Edmund Hillary vibe.)
“The tent must’ve been Tim’s doing,” said Mulberry creative director Emma Hill, with a glance down the table at Walker. “I don’t think a woman would come up with the idea of making people crawl to get into a party. Don’t tell, but I came in through the kitchen.” Hill went on to note that she jumped at the chance to support Walker on his first-ever film project. “He came to us for sponsorship, and there was no way we were going to pass that up,” she explained. “I’m a huge fan of Tim’s photography—I mean, every season, when we put together our inspiration board, there are probably a dozen images of Tim’s on it. He’s a hero of mine.”
Though Mulberry’s involvement with the creation of The Lost Explorer was strictly limited to financial backing, Hill revealed that the brand and Walker are embarking on a more collaborative endeavor now: Walker will be shooting the new Mulberry campaign.
—Maya Singer Continue reading
The Love Lockdown
The Notting Hill outpost of co-host Joseph was the venue for Love magazine’s Sunday night bash, and as usual with anything that involves Katie Grand, it was one helluva show. Model/mother/musician/muse Karen Elson gave an acoustic set in a peach gown and matching fascinator, clearly channeling Stevie Nicks. “Slightly nervous,” she admitted, “but not letting on.” And you know what? Her voice was great. Guess being married to a rock star (her husband is Jack White) has its merits.
Maybe it was the crowd—Pixie Geldof, Henry Holland, Alessandra Ambrosio, Ron Arad, and, somewhat randomly, Janice Dickinson—or maybe it was the giant pictures of Gisele, Sienna, Rosie (and Love‘s five other August cover stars) hanging off the windows, but the mood inside the shop was electric. Then again, it could’ve just been Grand’s outfit: a Spring 2011 Giles look that will hit the catwalk today complete with a Louis Vuitton fur and shoes. As Julien Macdonald (who recently joined Elle Macpherson as a judge on Britain’s Next Top Model) tore up the dance floor, he relayed what all were feeling: “It’s only day three and [I’m] having so much fun. Too late to pace myself now!”
—Afsun Qureshi Continue reading
After the Storm
The Calvin Klein team celebrated the end of fashion week—and gave a hand-picked group of guests somewhere cozy to hole up following New York’s freak tornado—with a dinner at the Lion last night. As usual, the label had brought in the boldfaced names: Ensconced in the speakeasy environs, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, and Katie Holmes were in just about as relaxed a mood as you’re likely to see their ilk in at a fashion week after-party.
One particularly easy conversation topic, of course, was the runway show Francisco Costa had put together earlier in the day. “They chose very angelic models,” noted Isabel Lucas, who, as everyone in the room seemed to be saying, easily could have been one herself. “And the clothes, especially the cream and the lighter-colored dresses, were so goddesslike and very feminine,” she added. A few things had caught Julianne Moore‘s eye: “I loved that it was all primarily black 6nd ivory, and I liked the silk and I loved those pleats in the back,” she enthused. Earlier in the week, she’d also checked off Reed Krakoff (a friend since her Coach campaign) and Tom Ford, who’d asked her to walk in his secret show on Sunday. “Tom is such an appreciator of humanity,” she offered.
Long after the chocolate soufflés had been cleared, guests lingered in the Lion’s hidden upstairs den and at the downstairs bar—until the staff very visibly started packing away the furniture. Costa protested by leaping atop a stack of chairs. “He’s such a hard worker and such an amazing artist,” Holmes had just finishing saying. Now, here he was, sitting pretty—and he didn’t want to leave.
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
The Eagle Eye Has Landed
“It’s the finale!” L’Wren Scott announced last night at the Chatwal Hotel Lambs Club. The designer was celebrating post-show with friends and fans including Mick Jagger, Jade Jagger, Daphne Guinness, and André Balazs. “I’m happy with what we’ve done this season,” she said. “My team worked very hard.” Scott’s staff returned the compliment. We learned that they call her “eagle eye” for an obsessive attention to detail that’s earned her in-house comparisons to fit maestro Azzedine Alaïa.
Scott’s perfectionism isn’t lost on Kanye West, who, aside from some very active twittering, laid relatively low this week. “I didn’t get to see that much fashion because I’ve been in the studio, but I made time for this,” he said. His other fashion week highlights? “The Rodarte sisters. Their stuff is amazing,” West declared. The rapper skipped out early and missed the after-party upstairs, but Scott stuck around despite a 10 a.m. trunk show at Barneys today. “After that, I’m going to take a day off,” the designer said. “I’m going to sleep, and for once in a long time, not think about fashion at all.”
—Bee-Shyuan Chang Continue reading
The Brit Pack
Florence Welch arrived an hour late for her set at last night’s Mulberry party. There were plenty of other hot fashion week tickets in town (including Style.com’s own shindig), but Kelly Osbourne, Alexis Bledel, and Harley Viera-Newton all stuck around to hear the Florence + the Machine front woman’s high notes. “I’m really thrilled that I’m in New York,” the British songstress cooed to the crowd atop Soho House. For the record, so was Mulberry’s Emma Hill. “I lived here for 15 years, so it’s a bit like coming home,” said the creative director, who’s already heading back to London to reprise her Spring 2011 show there this weekend.
Alexa Chung, the muse behind Mulberry’s best-selling Alexa bag, talked to us about her recent turn creating a capsule collection for Madewell. “My father is a graphic designer,” she said, “and it’s what I wanted to do before I became a model. I love designing; it comes kind of natural to me.” Some girls have all the luck, don’t they?
—Bee-Shyuan Chang Continue reading
Ten and Counting
After ten years of covering fabulous parties, we figured it was time to throw one of our own. To that end, we found a modest little piece of Soho real estate—a former Con Ed station that now houses a soaring five-story town house—and filled it with the people who’ve helped make the site what it’s become over the past decade. While we were at it, we asked some models in Marchesa gowns to do their best mermaid imitations in the indoor pool. “I don’t usually let strangers swim in my pool,” said editor in chief Dirk Standen. “But for our tenth anniversary…” The real owner was not on the premises, of course. Perhaps he was at the even more impressive pad he’s rumored to own in L.A.
For anyone inclined to test the waters, there were swimsuits on hand. “Only if it’s white and feathered,” Terence Koh demanded. (To match his Alexander McQueen ruffle collar, of course.) Most everyone, though, was busy exploring the space and kibitzing with more designers than you could shake a pin box at—Alexander Wang, Reed Krakoff, Zac Posen, and Maria Cornejo included. Vera Wang stopped by with her figure-skating muse Evan Lysacek, and the four stories of stairway traffic came to a halt when Robyn emerged from one of the place’s many hidden nooks to give a midnight performance. “Highlight of the week,” Prabal Gurung declared. “I just tweeted it!” So it’s official.
Having presented his TSE capsule collection that day, Jason Wu was thankful for a night out: “I feel like I haven’t left my studio in four weeks—I’ve been in a fashion bubble,” he said. (Not that going to a Style.com party is any way to get out of it.) Like Gurung, Wu moved to New York around the time Style.com launched. “I think we’ve grown up together,” he mused. The designer wasn’t part of the late crowd that included Anouck Lepère and Courtney Love. On his way out, Joseph Altuzarra issued his review—”glowing”—of the little project we managed to squeeze in amid all the reviews and runway slideshows. “But I’m not surprised,” he added. “I think it’s the wave of the future.”
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
Another Don Hill’s Party
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be a piece of chicken cooking inside a George Foreman grill? You would have found out, if you attended last night’s Dazed & Confused party at Don Hill’s. Hot, hemmed in from every side, suddenly flipped around by forces beyond your control or comprehension. To say the joint was packed would be the understatement of the century.
Dazed editor Jefferson Hack undoubtedly knew he was in for a fire-hazard crowd from the moment Yeah Yeah Yeahs agreed to play. As usual this week at Don Hill’s, the gig was secret; as usual, the word got out.
Earlier that evening, at Hack’s Another Magazine dinner, the vibe was considerably mellower. Lily Donaldson, André Balazs, Adam Kimmel, Leelee Sobieski, and Daphne Guinness were just a few of the notables who made it up to the party at the Milk Studios penthouse, which interior designer Ryan Korban had kitted out in his signature Italian-seventies-meets-French-forties style.
“The idea was basically, let’s make the penthouse feel like someone’s incredible apartment, and entertain the way you would at home,” Korban explained. And sure enough, Jen Brill and Terence Koh could be found lingering over small plates at a dinner table, while Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard lounged on sofas nearby, and Serge Azria, who co-hosted the Dazed fête with Nur Khan and Hack, was out mingling on the patio with the smokers. Very civilized. Chicken was served.
—Maya Singer Continue reading