The Buzz
If you thought Oscar de la Renta had organized those highly publicized studio hang-out sessions with disgracedDiordesigner John Galliano out of the goodness of his heart, that's precisely the case if "goodness of his heart" is a euphemism for "favor to Anna Wintour."
In an extended interview with journalist William Norwich in this week's New York magazine, de la Renta goes out of his way to shine light on the Vogue editor's involvement:
"I think John is one of the most talented men I’ve ever met. I like him very much. The years I was doing Balmain in Paris, I went many times with Anna [Wintour] to his shows. It is so strange to me what people who don’t know Anna think of her. She is so wrongly guessed. She is the most wonderful person, so smart, and so funny, and an unbelievably loyal friend. So when Anna asked me if I would have John in my studio, I said yes. I also believe that everyone should have a second chance, especially someone as talented as John. And he has worked so hard on his recovery. … I think the only similarities between me and John is that we both love what we do."
Now granted: not only is this most likely a very rigorously edited interview, it's also an unconventional interviewee/er relationship (the conversation opens with ODLR remembering that time he nearly strangled Norwich), so it is possible that I'm misreading the subtext in the statement above. But it looks odd to me. All but the last sentence (which answers a direct follow-up) is a response to Norwich's broad curiosity about Oscar de la Renta's new arrangement: "So, what’s it like having John Galliano here?"
ODLR's compliments about Anna Wintour are off-topic, seem exaggerated and are just plain weird when you consider that the person he's talking to, Norwich, is an established fashion journalist who himself works for Vogue magazine. Like, he's familiar with Anna Wintour, thanks! As much as I'd love ODLR's incomprehensibe effusions to be related to some kind of repressed aggression towards Wintour, it's more more likely that the designer was determined to reveal her hand in the John Galliano comeback crusade because he wants to downplay his own involvement.
So the question: Why does Oscar de la Renta want us to know that he didn't invite Galliano to his studio apropos of nothing? I think there are two possibilities. 1) I've previously written about how I don't support a Galliano comeback. It's possible that ODLR was pursuaded by my awesomely persuasive persuasion. 2) However, some many commenters weren't persuaded. One even accused me of having being paid off by Dior chairman Bernard Arnault. I assure you, Mr. Arnault has not been in touch with me (I wish), but perhaps he's been talking $$$$ to de la Renta instead? If ODLR was willing to put his neck on the line just so that like, one of his dresses will end up on a Vogue cover in the near future, I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to distance himself from the whole comeback narrative in exchange for some of Arnault's vast quantities of cash money.
Ta-da! Mysteries meet me and run for their lives.
Image via Getty
Previously: Oscar de la Renta Is Bringing John Galliano Back Into the Fold
 Maybe it's because this weekend was so miserable weatherwise and faced with such inhospitable being-outside conditions, many would-be fashion week show-goers chose to stay inside instead, that Twitter's new short video iPhone app, Vine, gained a real stronghold on #nyfw hashtags near you.
If you haven't played with the app yet, it's going to sound really dumb when I describe it to you (and in reality, it kinda is), but it's extremely addictive. Following the logic of parent company Twitter's micro-missives and people's attraction to stricter formal limitations in social sharing, Vine's technology allows users to post super-short clips with unlimited cuts (basically six second max videos) which loop infinitely (like GIFs). The results are often charming — more textured and atmospheric than Twitter pics, but still lightweight and browsable.
Some of the accounts currently monopolizing Vine's popular #nyfw tag: V Magazine, Bergdorf Goodman, W mag, e-com site RentTheRunway, CFDA president Steven Kolb, Buzzfeed Shift editor Amy Odell, The Webster Miami, fashion PR firm KCD, WSJ reporter Elizabeth Holmes — overall, an impressive and relatively diverse selection of fashion folks. (We're there too, but more catting it up than anything else.)
Vine is currently only available for iPhone and iPod Touch.
One of the biggest problems with working in the fashion industry is that you’re constantly bombarded with sartorial temptations. Case in point, when I put together some gift guides for The Fashion Spot, I couldn’t help but splurge on myself…sometimes it’s too easy to forget about budgets, especially when it comes to a money-is-no-object guide (pardon the selfishness!). Luckily, the splurges were all on obsession-worthy investment pieces, one of which was a shearling coat from Karl Donoghue (similar to this one).
The coat is gorgeous. Not to toot my own horn, but I get complimented on it all the time and while it drives me nuts that although the coat looks black, it’s actually blue and therefore proceeds to leave blue marks all over some of my favorite purses, I can’t help but wear it much to the detriment of my accessories. Better yet, it’s not only incredibly chic, it’s incredibly functional and keeps me warm even in the most frigid of temperatures (not to mention Nemo). It’s burdensome enough when you have to change shoes, the last thing you want to do is run home and change outfits, so I love that if heaven forbid I’m caught in a situation this week where something unexpected comes up that I’m not appropriately dressed for, I can just leave this fitted coat on and no one will blink an eye.
Advertisement
Organic Avenue has been getting even more buzz than usual this Fashion Week. A favorite of designers, publicists and editors during this time-crunched period, the raw/vegan/organic food and juice brand announced that they’ve teamed up with the CFDA for Fashion Week, offering its healthy juices and food half-off, along with one free juice, for models. The idea is to give overworked women a fast, convenient way to nourish themselves while staying healthy when they don’t have the time to focus on it. This is key! Not only for models, but for everyone else involved in the Fashion Week spectacle. Anyone who has been backstage knows that the grub served tends to be ridiculously unhealthy – I’m talking brownies and mayonnaise-filled sandwiches – ditto for surrounding events and food served at Lincoln Center, making Organic Avenue a seriously awesome best friend.
While my body can’t sustain being on all-juice cleanses given my active lifestyle, Organic Avenue has a fantastic option that works in raw food. They deliver the juices and food to your home in easy-to-tote, lightweight, spill-proof packaging, allowing you to stuff them haphazardly into your bag without worrying about spillage. Their juices are the most clean tasting and fantastic ones I’ve tried (some brands are so sugary, you feel like you might end your drink with a mouthful of cavities) and their food is amazing…seriously! Even some of my fellow vegan-hating blogger friends were trying to munch on my lasagna! I told them hands off, it’s a one person portion only!
They’ve also got a variety of salads (crispest lettuce you’ll ever try) and sweet snacks like coconut mousse and coconut yogurt (both dairy free and low in sugar while satisfying lingering sweet cravings…the texture of both is totally on point despite the lack of dairy).
As much as people like to sugarcoat things, Fashion Week can be laced with a lot of judgment, so you don’t exactly want to be caught noshing on Doritos or a gyro when you’re waiting for Jason Wu or Rag & Bone to start. It’s imperative, however, to snack regularly or risk waning energy or even worse, getting sick. Organic Avenue’s offerings are designed to not only nourish my body, but they give me the energy I need to make it through busy work days, while also leaving my breath clean and my spirits high – it’s pretty remarkable how what we eat effects our mood. Most of their foods are also packed with probiotics, the good bacteria essential for maintaining a healthy gut, this is especially important because few things can mess with your digestion the way stress can.
As an added bonus, I couldn’t even begin to count how many people I’ve met thanks to noshing on Organic Avenue. People inevitably ask me about the food/juices when they see me eating because pretty much everyone in the industry is either curious about the brand’s offerings or swears by it. Who knew Organic Avenue could be a modern gal’s networking tool?
One of my best friends is a total shopaholic. Whether she’s at Barneys, Macy’s or a flea market, she’ll find something she needs to have. We had dinner plans a few months ago at The Nomad and before sitting down, we popped into Maison Kitsuné. Before I knew it, she had checked out with hundreds of dollars worth of clothes (though that only amounted to two things at the pricey boutique) and I was left contemplating a bag. “You’ll wear it with everything,” she said of the Want Les Essentiels de la Vie bag I was eyeing. I was dubious, but I succumbed to the loving peer pressure and bought it.
Fast forward to today and the bag really has become the best friend that I take with me almost everywhere. The brand specializes in menswear accessories, but the O'Hare Tote I bought can just as easily work for women. It’s super convenient for Fashion Week because it has slots for shoes in case you need to switch between events (or subways…) and conversation-starting touches that fashion folks appreciate like bi-colored gold and silver zippers (because the siblings behind the brand couldn’t agree!). It's also got front pockets, interior laptop pockets and a shoulder strap, making it beyond convenient to store my iPad Mini, Organic Avenue snacks, iPhone (though who am I kidding, it's always glued to my hands), and pretty much everything else I need to get me through the day. (More on the essentials stored inside in the coming days!)
But this is a major improvement on last year's mess. Also, kudos to Fashion Copious for posting the picture. I'll say thank you on behalf of Sports Illustrated, which last year made the unconscionable error of releasing the Kate Upton Swimsuit Issue cover on Valentine's Day.
Related:
|
