Category Archives for Uncategorized
They Really Like Him
Sure, there were celebrities somewhere and the Like was about to play, but Thursday’s Zac Posen for Target party was all about the clothes. Perched on plush pink carpets in a Herald Square event space, racks of the designer’s flirty dresses and ruched, Esther Williams-esque maillots for the mass retailer were being cleaned out, and fast. Pat Cleveland had eyes for the floor-length safety pin print dress, while Daisy de Villeneuve kept a firm grip on a Target-red cropped leather bomber. “I love this,” she said. “It’s brilliant.”
As for the stars, Claire Danes, Selma Blair, Parker Posey, and Maggie Gyllenhaal claimed the pink couch in the crowded VIP section, while Ginnifer Goodwin, Mena Suvari, and Michelle Trachtenberg posed for photos with a beaming—and, due to a lack of AC, somewhat gleaming—Posen. “I wanted this collection to have glamour and energy but still be elegant,” the designer said over the strains of the Like. “Whether you’re in your kitchen making eggs or going dancing, I wanted it to be accessible. This is the largest distribution Target’s ever done,” he added. “I feel a lot of responsibility.” Alek Wek, in a tie-dye tank dress from the line, volunteered her endorsement. “I love everything Zac does,” she said. “He is all about strong women, and he makes you feel good in whatever you’re wearing.”
—Alison Baenen Continue reading
Welcome Signs
Who says there’s no culture in L.A? Kate Beckinsale, Pierce Brosnan, Michel Gondry, and Ed Ruscha, among others, came together to host a cocktail party at Tod’s last night in honor of Jeffrey Deitch, the new director for the Museum of Contemporary Art. Guests such as Halle Berry, Gwen Stefani, Kate Bosworth, Jessica Alba, and Camilla Belle hit the brown carpet at the Italian label’s recently revamped Beverly Hills boutique to welcome the former New York art dealer. “Getting an infusion of New York energy in L.A. is always really exciting, and Jeffrey is the groovy right guy we need at MOCA,” said co-host Kelly Lynch, in vintage Zandra Rhodes.
Tod’s founder Diego Della Valle and creative director Derek Lam showed off the brand’s new digs, which now feature eggplant-colored walls covered in family portraits. “This residential feel is a great extension for us,” said Lam, a native Californian who prefers to spend his time in L.A. on the road—literally. “I love driving around with the radio on, taking in the car culture.” Academy Award-winning costume designer Milena Canonero and production designer Dante Ferretti transformed the boutique’s third-floor VIP showroom to a 1940’s-style supper club, complete with an original 1946 Rock-Ola jukebox. “I always used to complain that there wasn’t much art in L.A., but once I discovered MOCA, I thought, oh, OK,'” said Beckinsale. “So I’m happy to support.” The event benefited MOCA’s exhibitions and education program.
—Victoria Namkung Continue reading
Natural Selection
The giant whale in the center of the American Museum of Natural History’s Milstein Hall wasn’t the only wildlife on display at last night’s Spring Safari Dance. Sponsored by the Palm Beach high priestess of floral prints, Lilly Pulitzer, the event had a “Lilly or Louder” dress code, and the ladies (and guys) complied. Veronica Webb showed off a dramatic red look designed by pal and Project Runway alum Irina Shabayeva that was adorned with a smattering of chiffon flowers. “I love young designers,” she said. Socialite jewelry designer Ivanka Trump eyed her fellow chair Emmy Rossum‘s Stephen Russell jewels, but didn’t show any professional jealousy. “You look fabulous!” she said.
In fact, all of the colorful gowns and gems on display had Coco Rocha regretting her relatively simple black dress. “I had this Zac Posen safari-themed gown and I thought, no, that’s too much,” she told us. “I had no idea people were going to go all-out like this.” The model, it seems, has other frocks on the brain. “I’m currently doing fittings with Zac on my wedding dress. It’s a work in progress, but it’s getting there!”
—Bee-Shyuan Chang Continue reading
Couples Retreat
Alasdhair Willis, co-founder of the design label Established & Sons, and his other half,
Stella McCartney, had double reason to celebrate at the dinner party they hosted in Milan on Wednesday night. Her new boutique has just opened on via Santo Spirito, and his latest furniture collection is as usual one of the must-sees of the annual Salone del Mobile. Not surprisingly, the crowd at dinner was a curated cross section of the design and fashion worlds, including Tom Dixon and Ronan Bouroullec from the former, and Christian Louboutin and
Giambattista Valli from the latter. “To come to Alasdhair’s event and to co-host a dinner, it’s always a great moment of pride for me,” said McCartney. “I’m so impressed with what Established & Sons have achieved; their product looks so slick and cool. I also think that we complement each other quite well in what we do.” You could say the couple that launches together, stays together.
—Shonquis Moreno Continue reading
Go Wide
—Romney Leader Continue reading
The Wait Is Over
When Paris-based designer Isabel Marant‘s obsessed-over New York boutique finally opened at 2 p.m. last Friday, a line of eager shoppers stretched down the block. Not long after, the scene inside was so intense, “it was as if someone had stood on the corner and shouted, ‘Everything’s free inside!’ ” one eyewitness remarked. As for the guests at last night’s Kenmare dinner party celebrating the opening? If they hadn’t participated in the shopping madness over the weekend, it was only because their closets are already stuffed with Marant’s clothes.
Stylist Samira Nasr claims to have at least 20 of the designer’s T-shirts and almost as many of her pants. Actress Amanda Peet said, “Tina [Chai] comes back from Paris with dresses for me and my mom. I tell her, ‘Get whatever you want and I’ll write you a check.’ ” Chai, a popular stylist, joked, “They see me at the store, and they say, ‘Oh, here comes the lady who spends a lot of money.’ ” Model Kasia Struss, who already owns about five or six things, told us, “I wanted to buy the whole Fall show. You know it’s a good show when you want everything.” And when we asked Teen Vogue‘s Gloria Baume about her Marant collection, she said, “I’d say about a dozen, but it’s not how many I have now; it’s how many I’m going to have now that the store is open.”
Marant herself is thrilled about the opening in general and one element in particular. “This afternoon we saw this really gorgeous tall guy in my trousers,” she noted. “Quite a lot of guys wear my clothes in Paris, but I was surprised to see it here.” After dinner she was presented with a giant cake covered in candles, and everyone sang Happy Birthday. “Thank you so much,” she said. “I’m going to say something stupid now. I love you, America.”
—Nicole Phelps Continue reading