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Divos Live
El Museo del Barrio’s spring gala had a slightly different tenor this year, and his name was Plácido Domingo. The Spanish superstar singer flew in from the West Coast, where he’s in dress rehearsals for the Los Angeles Opera’s production of Wagner’s Die Walküre, to be honored by the Upper East Side museum.
“Silence is the most precious thing,” Domingo mused amid a noisy swirl of fans and photographers inside Cipriani 42nd Street. There wasn’t much of it for him this night, of course, between all the obligatory chitchat and the acceptance speech he made later. The evening’s golden-voiced headliner (along with his co-honoree, artist Tony Bechara) helped the museum raise more than a million dollars. Supporters shelled out for Judith Ripka jewelry and luxury vacations in Acapulco and Puerto Rico, with the room pausing noticeably to appreciate the elder-statesmen moment that occurred when Oscar de la Renta introduced Domingo at the dais.
“It’s nice to be among my people, no question about it,” de la Renta told us down at ground level. He couldn’t be tempted to stay for dessert, though. No matter: Don Oscar’s handlers tapped Christian Cota to fill his seat before the legendary designer’s half-eaten scallops had even been cleared. Joked Cota: “I was tempted to take a bite, for inspiration.”
—Darrell Hartman Continue reading
From Sea to Shining Sea
The Metropolitan Museum, that quintessential New York institution, received a little West Coast love last night: Cameron Silver and Susan Casden hosted a dinner in honor of Andrew Bolton, curator of the Met’s American Woman exhibition, at L.A.’s José Andrés restaurant The Bazaar. “I love the Met so much that I flew in from New York today before going back in 24 hours,” said Silver. “I’m going to eat carbs tonight.” There certainly was plenty of food on offer—Andrés, of course, is famous for his molecular gastronomy—but Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Eva Chow, Peggy Moffitt, and the legendary designer James Galanos, among others, were more interested in talking fashion than deconstructing “organized” Caesar salad and boneless chicken wings.
Artist Kimberly Brooks, who recently painted a group of stylists, costume designers, and other style makers (Silver included) for her show The Stylist Project, recalled her private tour of American Woman in New York. “I was so moved by Andrew’s exhibition. It was an emotional experience,” she said. “The evolution of women’s independence [it depicts] is profound.” After dinner, guests had a chance to meet with the man of the hour, who had a few observations on the crowd. “When I’m in L.A., I notice that women are much more avant-garde and conceptual in the way they dress,” said Bolton. “The fashion is much more extreme than in New York.” Don’t tell Katy Perry and her LED lights that.
—Victoria Namkung Continue reading