15 posts tagged "Andre Balazs"
The New Chambre Maids (And Men), David Gandy: The Book, Fly The Standard Skies, And More…
France’s Chambre Syndicale, the body that organizes Paris’ fashion shows, has announced its newest members and associates. Congrats to Azzaro, Carven, Damir Doma, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Thimister, Véronique Leroy, and American (sometimes) in Paris Zac Posen. [WWD]
Dolce & Gabbana have found their ideal poster boy (literally) in David Gandy, who’s starred in many of the label’s menswear campaigns and runway shows. They’re now cementing their affection for the British-born model with a new book dedicated only to pictures of him—the first they’ve ever done focusing on a single model. [Vogue U.K.]
Next up for the Standard: its own airline. André Balazs’ do-no-wrong hotel group has launched its own mini plane service, StndAIR, offering flights to the Hamptons in a plane painted the Standard’s own cherry red. Here’s hoping for a liftoff from the Boom Boom. [W]
And Lindsay Lohan takes on her latest role: art star? The troubled actress gets in front of the lens for a short film—the first—by artist Richard Phillips, who’s no stranger to celebrity portraiture. [T]
Lauren Hutton Assures: Glenn O’Brien’s Book Will Make You Better In Bed
Kate Moss went on the record—and on the book jacket, in fact—to support Glenn O’Brien’s How to Be a Man. But she’s far from the only stylish woman (to say nothing of the men) to do so. “Read this book it—it will make you better in bed,” Lauren Hutton advised last night. “It makes you more of a gentleman, it makes you think and what could be better than thinking?” (The affection is evidently mutual: The silver-haired writer called Hutton out as his paragon of well-dressed womanhood in an interview with Style.com.) Hutton, along with some eminently well-suited gents, including Thom Browne, André Balazs, Stephen Burrows, Richard Buckley, and GQ‘s Jim Nelson, lined up at Bergdorf Goodman Men’s for an autographed copy of the book.
Balazs mentioned he’s known O’Brien since their club kid days at Area in the early eighties—and presumably seen him through a few sartorial iterations. “What he knows is not to let the clothes define the man, but the other way around,” the hotelier said.
But in some cases, the scribe himself helped to define the man. Rap legend Fab Five Freddy, who worked as a cameraman for O’Brien’s cable-access show TV Party, credits the guy for launching his music career. “It’s a lot deeper than how to be a man,” he explained. “From Glenn, I learned how to insert myself into the popular culture.”
Rodarte’s Night At The Museum
It’s a Black Swan kind of week in L.A., as Natalie Portman looks likely to clinch the Oscar on Sunday. So what better time for her pals at Rodarte, Laura and Kate Mulleavy, to debut their first solo exhibition—of their Black Swan designs, no less? L.A. MOCA’s Jeffrey Deitch snagged the sisters’ designs for Rodarte: States of Matter, which opens March 4 at the museum. The tightly edited collection of Swarovski crystal-dusted costumes and other sculptural designs was brought to life by the duo’s longtime collaborator, French producer Alexandre de Betak, who also works on their runway shows. “We wanted to express the duality of dark and light,” de Betak explained at a preview of the exhibition last night, referencing the strict color theme and extreme lighting design. “It’s in the different textures they use and it was important to express that in the way we brought it all together—the fluorescent and then the moody lighting, the beautiful white costumes and the drama of the dark.”
Hot on the heels of their Fall ’11 show, the critical darlings attracted an impressive showing considering Oscar week’s tight social calendar. In town for Barry Diller’s pre-Oscar luncheon, CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg stopped in to congratulate the sisters and spent time with André Balazs, while guests like China Chow, Liz Goldwyn, and Audrey Marnay milled. Even crosstown rival LACMA’s Michael Govan arrived with his wife, Balenciaga’s Katherine Ross, in Rodarte for the occasion.
Of their first solo exhibition, Kate Mulleavy felt they’d found the perfect home. “It’s so amazing because MOCA is such a special cultural place in Los Angeles and even globally now. Having grown up here, it’s such an honor. We’ve never really done anything like this before in Los Angeles.” And it appears collaborating with de Betak was key. “It makes it even more special to do it with Alex. He’s such an incredible artist and what he does allows us to build these worlds. The fact that he took a chance on us even though we’re still relatively younger and independent is amazing, and being able to continue to work together so many seasons is special.”
The Beckhams Are Expecting, Slimane Shoots De Niro, The Flat Rises (Again), And More…
No sooner has one gorgeous child been born—that’d be the new baby son of Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom—than another’s on the way. David Beckham took to Facebook this weekend to announce that he and Victoria are expecting their fourth child. [Vogue U.K.]
Words we thought we’d never have occasion to write: Hedi Slimane photographs Robert De Niro and produces some of the best portraits of the actor we’ve seen in years. [Hedi Slimane]
What’s next for the man who created Boom Boom? According to rumors, André Balazs has got his eye on a very storied New York property: the Chelsea Hotel, onetime home to Sid Vicious, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, and Iggy Pop. [@PeterDavisNYC]
2011: year of the flat? [WWD]
LimoLand Is The New Black
“If you walk around New York, men are usually wearing black, then white or gray if you are very happy,” said Jean “Johnny” Pigozzi, the French-born business mogul-turned-designer behind LimoLand. “I want to change that.”
LimoLand is a good place to start. The wildly colorful printed sportswear line is anything but black and white, and it now has a permanent home: a new boutique in the Meatpacking District in New York City, which Pigozzi (left) opened with a bash on Friday night. (Pigozzi says womenswear will be the next task to tackle on his agenda: “I am going to do hoodies and polo shirts and younger things, but don’t worry, I am not going to make ball gowns and silk clothes.”)
On Friday, the designer himself was sporting a bright blue hoodie from his line, and no sooner had a host of his famous friends—including Brett Ratner, Dasha Zhukova, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, and Bob Pittman—walked in the door than they were swathed in Technicolor. The clothes may be loud and the festive accommodations may have recalled a frat-basement bash—tequila shots courtesy of Casa Dragones and a burger dinner on offer at a self-styled dive bar across the street—but the spirit of the line is still plenty luxe. André Balazs, a poster boy for the label, traded his black sport jacket in exchange for a printed navy hoodie. “I was admiring it and I was just told it’s called ‘Hedge Fund,’ ” he said with a big smile.