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Rubber Soul
AmfAR brought its Inspiration series to Paris on Friday night, jazzing up the men’s collections with a “Black Tie/Black Leather”-themed evening. The gala picked up where it had left off in New York earlier this month, with two important differences: This time there was air-conditioning, a first for the Belle Époque Maxim’s. As for the distinctly young-and-happening vibe, that came courtesy of Club Sandwich, which handled the after-party.
Jean Paul Gaultier was the evening’s honoree, and along with Lee Radziwill, Lou Doillon, Alexis Mabille, Mark Vanderloo, and Alex Lundqvist, Kylie Minogue was on hand to salute her longtime friend. “Jean Paul is relentlessly curious, which shows in his designs,” the pop star said. “He collects knowledge. I mean, I am wearing a taffeta palm dress!” Minutes later, Minogue joined French TV personality Mademoiselle Agnès on stage for the live auction and spontaneously added her own couture outfit to the short roster of lots, sweetened with a dinner for ten with JPG. It went for €20,000.
In all, the party raised €145,000, but the man of the hour was circumspect about receiving the honor. “I don’t know whether I inspire others, but I’m certainly inspired by them. As a designer, I believe that the most important piece of clothing ever created is the condom.” Well, that, and maybe Minogue’s palm frond dress.
—Tina Isaac Continue reading
Horse Play
It was a tale of two tumbles yesterday in the English sporting world, with the national team losing 4-1 to Germany at the World Cup, and—making a louder thud, in certain circles, at least—Prince Harry very publicly falling off his polo horse on Governors Island.
Harry’s spill (which resulted in no injuries) was all in a day’s work raising funds for the disadvantaged children of Lesotho—which, as the prince explained during his pre-game speech in the luncheon tent, was the worthy cause behind all the Champagne and white linens. “Please dive into your picnics,” he urged in closing. The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic is a social event as much as anything, after all, where the true spectator sport takes place on the sidelines.
Once again this year, the summer heat forced the dress-up set to make an extra effort to stay chic. Val Kilmer‘s game plan involved a seersucker suit, while André Balazs (who’d done the women of New York a favor the night before by trotting out both polo teams at the Standard Hotel) went with all whites. Rachel Roy made use of a hand fan, and Marchesa designer Keren Craig took cover under Annabel Tollman’s antique pink parasol. Lorenzo Martone, meanwhile, was evidently suffering in a knit navy jacket. “I chose it for the color, not the weather,” he confessed.
In the end, Nacho Figueras‘ team defeated Harry’s in the extra chukker. But anyone will tell you that what really unseated Harry was a horse, of course.
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
A Blast at Glasto
—Alistair Guy Continue reading
On Top of the World
Carlos Miele is sitting pretty in New York, and last night he invited a crowd to come up and share the view. From the rooftop of his Chelsea penthouse, it’s not a bad one. Miele has just designed a pair of chiffon scarves to benefit Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, which was the official reason for teaming up with Vogue and the CFDA for a party. It was also the jet-setting Brazilian designer’s last night in town for a while, and he’d put more effort than usual into rolling out his Resort collection this year—”always a good excuse,” Miele admitted, to uncork some Champagne.
Or, in this case, rum and pineapple juice. With Harley Viera-Newton (who’s half-Brazilian herself) serving up tracks by Tom Jobim and Gilberto Gil and a capoeira class serendipitously taking place in the street below, there was enough Ipanema flavor for “the Brazilian mafia” (in the words of Lorenzo Martone, who swung by with Alessandra Ambrosio, Irina Shayk, and Jessica White) to feel quite at home. And with the World Cup going on, this was one fashion party where it was OK to talk about sports. “We’re going to be champions,” Miele predicted. “I just hope the final is not Brazil and Spain, because I’ll be in Mallorca.”
Later on, the Standard threw a slightly risqué rooftop bash of its own. Parisian scene-maker extraordinaire André Saraiva and Standard owner André Balazs, who was gamely circulating in the same striped shirt his wait staff was wearing, co-hosted the official unveiling of Le Bain, the hotel’s new poolside lounge. As in past nights, a topless contingent (male and female) took over the pool, but the expansive terrace, where groups of revelers sat picnic-style on the Astroturf and at least one couple was canoodling on a giant whoopee cushion, was the place to be. “Very L.A.,” Mamie Gummer noted approvingly. Elise Øverland and Terence Koh found themselves getting squeezed by the very busy stairway. “I think we’re in the wrong place,” Øverland fretted. This night, at least, a lot of her fellow celebrants would have begged to differ.
—Darrell Hartmann Continue reading
Norwegian Beauty
—Celia Ellenberg Continue reading