Anne Hathaway in “The Magnificent Seven”
Instead of trying to recap all of last night’s fashion highlights – I’ve decided to hone in and focus on Miss Anne who was clearly using the position of co-host to maximize her stature as Fashions most-wanted. Even the boldest choice, Dress #7, lauded audible gasps at the party I was at. Here’s a brief rundown on what was, to me, the highlight of the night: The Magnificent Seven.
#0 : But before we begin, let’s discuss The Red Carpet dress: Red. Classic. Valentino. She was swishing that train around like she was a swifter! Fab.
Remembering the Memoirs
Jezebel recently posted “20 Celebrity Bios You Should Read” … and bravo goes to Janice Dickinson, whose shattering model memoir No Lifeguard on Duty, tops the list at #1.
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So, as a tribute to memoirs … here is a listing of five of my favorite out-of-print stories…
Roman by Polanski
Cinematic genius – international playboy – tragic victim – immoralist. Which is the real Roman Polanski? Published in 1984, it’s his story as he wanted to tell it – at that time.
The Baby by Viva
Although the subtitle reads “a video novel” – I’ve always considered “The Baby” to be more memoir than fiction… but this confusion just adds to the allure of this Warhol-inspired book by one of his superstars, Viva. Even Joan Didion quoted it “I think The Baby is enchanting, or maybe enchanted, an extraordinary verbal videotape of a life in the process of being lived.”
Long Live McQueen
The world lost an incredible talent yesterday, when Lee Alexander McQueen died.
Alexander McQueen was a true visionary and his talent captured a spirit rarely seen. Like a poet, he wove patterns and fabrics to create music. Like a musician, he played with length, fit and edges to create, well, poetry. I was – and will always be – a big fan. He had style, 
wit, attitude. A post-punk f-you British attitude.
My first McQueen purchase were these incredibly ridiculous Skull shoes that I bought on the eve of Sebastian Horsley’s London book party in Fall of 2007. I remember walking into the incredible Bond Street store and knowing I’d walk out with something. I didn’t exactly just walk out, mind you. I walked out a full 5 inches taller.
McQueen was an artist. And like all true artists, he didn’t bend and was true to his vision of what fashion is, was and could be. He pushed it. Skulls became fashionable, shoes unwearable.
That’s the thing with art. There’s a mark left. An intangible impression.
I’ll miss you Lee Alexander McQueen. We all will.
It’s Not Easy Being Green
The brilliant editors at W Mag have “announced” that green is the new black. And it has nothing to do with the environment.
I don’t know about you, but I stopped wearing “colored” nail polish when I was about 8. Occasionally, I will still rock the “Light My Sapphire “ or the ever-so-popular “Oh Cabana Boy” … But I can’t imagine taking the leap to neon green.
Discuss.
Well Goodie for You
Last week, I attended the launch party for Alix Strauss’ new book: Death Becomes Them (amazing book about the famous and how they died). I always enjoy a good book party. While I groan about going the hour before, I have always left with a good feeling. Who knows why.
May I recommend, going forward, that all parties have some sort of “goodie bag” – and please (and this goes for us, too) pack the bag with cool stuff.
For inside my Death Becomes Them goodie bag, were the following items:
Funeral Home Perfume, Tin Coffin with Skeleton Mints, John Doe: Death By Chocolate, Sigmund Freud Watermelon Pop, Instant Happy Childhood Memories Spray, Vincent Van Gogh Vodka, Hemingway Daiquiri, Waterproof Mascara, Tarte’s Monday Lipstick, Thank You Rock from Virginia Woolf.
The Goodie Bag was sponsored by; Oriental Trading Company, Demeter Fragrance, Ramy, Tarte, Bloomsberry, Vincent Van Gogh Vodka, Sidney Frank Importing Comp. and Philosophy for the “Hope in a Jar” basket and “Party Girl” raffle prizes.
So, well done, Alix Strauss.
Shot through the heart and you’re to blame …
Shot Through the Heart
Thanks to Joseph for the lead, I’m now sporting this fetching necklace, courtesy of Fetty. Comes in a few different styles, all cleverly named (the aptly named Lizzie’s Love is a lovely necklace sporting a heart with an axe, you get the picture…) … I currently have a fascination with charm-necklaces, my current favorites hailing from Vivienne Westwood, so adding this Fetty to the mix was just, well, fetching.
On the Internet, everybody knows you’re a cat.
Jack, not twittering. (photo: Joseph Papa)
Cats are twittering. Yes, that’s what I said. There are a lot of cats using twitter.
Some examples:
mommy and daddy went away last weekend, and now they’re going away again this weekend. i should punish them by peeing on their bed.
i got to play with my string this morning. today is already awesome.
i think i’d be good at the french horn.
the number one thing
that people say about me: that i’m so soft.
Today mommy cut Cathy cartoons out and hung them on the fridge.
Ha ha, I just made that last one up. And I’m not really that mean. If he had the time, my cat Jack would twitter, too.
I wonder if Twitter Wit: The Cat Edition is far behind …
“It’s foolish not to look that way now …”
Grey Gardens
I know I’m last to the garden party. Only this past weekend did I finally watch the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, ‘starring’ Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Little Edie. I admit, even in my Interview magazine laden childhood, I never was really influenced by the film – which seems odd – how the film seemingly skipped over my adolescent fascinations with artists, musicians and writers (Andy Warhol most notably – how he must have loved this film).
Grey Gardens is the name of the mansion where the Beale’s reside. With no income, the massive house has gone into disarray and the girls live in seclusion while their bitterness, disillusionment and missed dreams have worn them into the ultimate bickering side-show. All beautifully captured on film. In the years since, the documentary – and especially Little Edie – has inspired a Broadway musical, the recent HBO film, a Rufus Wainwright song … and countless fashion designers (for the trapped-in-a-time-capsule aspect of Little Edie’s fashion alone, this film is worth watching).
In an article published by The Harvard Crimson in 1976, the filmmakers are quoted as saying that Grey Gardens is not a documentary, but “a non-fiction film”. Which I completely agree with. A typical documentary, you’d learn more of a story; the how’s and why’s of a particular situation. That’s not the case with Grey Gardens. In Grey Gardens, you’re shown a quick view into an incredibly bizarre real existence.
But, like most reality, I just didn’t like it. Is that OK to say? Maybe it’s because I’m expected to love it. But maybe because it need subtitles. While I caught lines like “It’s foolish not to look that way now” (Big Edie remarking on modeling shot of Little Edie, 15 years ago…) – oh how I long for the lines I missed.
Today, we’re a bit obsessed with reality – not our own – but the realty of others. Television is dominated by this trend and one imagines that Grey Gardens might be the original reality program. If the Edie’s were around today, there’s little doubt in my head we’d be watching them on E!, following in the footsteps of Anna Nicole … truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
