11 posts tagged "Oprah"
Gaga’s Words Of Wisdom, The Fashion Gang Visits Oprah, Luxury Shopping At Costco, And More…
Attention “fashion-sexuals,” little monsters, Andy Warhol, and Stephen Gan: Gaga 101 is now in session. The Lady’s first column for V Magazine has hit the Web and it’s a doozy. “Dear critics and bullies: get your library cards out because I am about to do a reading,” Gaga writes. Our take-away? Don’t ever leave your library card at home; according to LG, legendary social Nan Kempner sure wouldn’t. [NY Mag]
Set the DVR: It’s designer day on Oprah, with DVF, Michael Kors, and Tory Burch all stopping by. This news brought to you, naturally, by CFDA executive director Steven Kolb’s Twitter feed. (It’s where we get almost all of our serving suggestions.) [@StevenKolb]
Birkin and Bentley buying is back, but bling is not, the WSJ reports. According to recent studies, the wealthiest Americans have emerged from the recession with a new shopping consciousness: They’re looking for discounted luxury products, and Target and Costco are now among their favorite stores. Birkin bags now in Aisle Five? [WSJ]
Iris Apfel—whose enormous wardrobe was large and lavish enough to deserve its own Costume Institute show—is bringing her quirky style to the masses. Apfel is launching a line of jewelry HSN, her first foray in the design world. The “kind of throwaway chic” collection includes chunky necklaces, bracelets and brooches made from Lucite, mixed metals, and beaded materials; it does not, unfortunately, include a pair of Apfel’s signature owlish glasses. [WWD]
And for your daily Galliano update: The former Dior creative director’s court date has been set for June 22. [Vogue U.K.]
American Women, Then And Now
Oprah Winfrey, who is a co-host of tonight’s Costume Institute Party of the Year with Vogue‘s Anna Wintour and Gap’s Patrick Robinson, wasn’t in the house, but the American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity preview and press conference at the Met this morning drew a big crowd nonetheless. Explaining the genesis of the exhibition, curator Andrew Bolton said, “Our original focus was American women of style—Rita Lydig, Lauren Bacall, Gypsy Rose, and other women who’ve donated their clothes to the Met. But the Brooklyn Museum collection [which the Costume Institute recently acquired and which forms the basis of this show] reflects more powerfully on ideals of femininity and how they echo the American woman’s gradual emancipation.” Not only the physical emancipation of the Gibson girl, but also the political emancipation of the patriot and the sexual and economic emancipation of the flapper. Still, there’s no resisting assigning icons to the show’s six archetypes, and the last room features over 200 still and moving images of famous American females from 1890 to today. For Bolton, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer is the modern heiress, Serena Williams today’s Gibson girl, Lady Gaga our bohemian (her predecessor—Mrs. Philip Lydig, as shot by Edward Steichen, left), Michelle Obama a contemporary patriot, Beyoncé a latter-day flapper, and Angelina Jolie a twenty-first-century screen siren. Many, if not all, of those women will be in attendance at the gala tonight.
What might prove to be most compelling about the show, however, are the fairly unknown French and American designers it showcases—Weeks, Simcox, and Madame Eta, among them. In Costume Institute chief curator Harold Koda’s estimation, that has a lot to do with the nature of the Brooklyn Museum’s collection. “They were more focused on addressing the American design community, and how the collection would inspire other designers.” Indeed, there are plenty of frocks, in the Flapper and Screen Siren rooms in particular, that wouldn’t look out of place at “the party of the year.”
PLUS: For more on the American archetypes, check out our American Woman feature.
Yea, Nay, Or Eh? When Gaga Met Oprah
What happens when two of the world’s biggest media personalities come together? This jumpsuit. Custom-made by menswear designer Nicolas Petrou of Petrou\Man, the mesh bodysuit with paillette sequins seemed an almost demure choice for Gaga—as we learned from her interview, she hates to be called “Lady.” (Of course, she did don a studded metal romper for her performance.) What do you think? Is this a chart-topping hit, or is she caught in a bad, well, jumpsuit?
Prabal Gurung: “The Vision Gets Clearer Every Season”
The Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation awards, announced this morning, gave seven lucky designers a cool $25,000 to put toward their Fall 2010 shows. Among them: our pal Prabal Gurung (pictured, a look from his standout Spring 2010 show, on which the win was judged). We caught up with the Nepal-born designer for a few words on his runway debut, his red-carpet fans, and a few starlets (sadly unnamed!) who don’t quite measure up to the PG standards.
Congrats, Prabal, on your award. What can we expect from the Fall 2010 collection?
It’s like I always say: From one season to the next, it’s an evolution, not a revolution. Whatever I do in one season, I can do better, and I want to get to a point where it reaches perfection. The vision gets clearer and clearer every season. But it’s going to be the same idea: beautiful fabrics, lots of draping and tailoring, an old-school way of making clothes done in a modern way. But it’s my first runway show and it’s definitely going to have a little bit of attitude.
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The Fashion Set Fêtes Precious
This year’s little movie that could is shaping up to be Precious, the inspirational tale of a supremely disadvantaged teenager in eighties Harlem. The curious crowd that dropped by last night’s Cinema Society screening for a preview included Donna Karan, Agyness Deyn, and Tommy Hilfiger, the evening’s sponsor.
Sure, it’s a big deal now. But before the game-changer known as Oprah, who signed on as executive producer after the indie film’s Sundance triumph, the fate of Precious was less than certain. “I didn’t know if it would just end up on Netflix, with us having the premiere at my mother’s house,” cast member Paula Patton said before the screening, which took place at the Crosby Street Hotel. She was in a buoyant mood, despite a dress that looked just about ready to pop. “It’s too tight to find out, but we’re pretty sure it’s Tadashi Shoji,” Patton joked.
Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, and (in a bravura turn that’s surprised just about everyone) Mo’Nique round out the cast. Although none of them came by last night, the film’s breakout star, Gabby Sidibe, cruised through the after-party, and Colin Powell (not exactly a regular at movie premieres) made a surprise visit. What does it mean when a little movie comes with so many big names? “It means the movie better show and prove,” offered Terrence Howard. Judging from the responsive audience last night, this one is doing both.