It may sound like a cash-for-gold scheme, but no. The Ultimate Gold Collection Fashion Show on May 23, curated by Carine Roitfeld, will showcase the likes of Karlie Kloss, Alessandra Ambrosio, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Lily Donaldson in custom-made golden—and, in some cases, gold—outfits. The precious models will don gowns, some of them literally worth their weight in gold, by a cast of luxury labels including Chanel, Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana, as well as one-of-a-kind jewels by Bulgari, Hoorsenbuhs, House of Waris, and Kimberly McDonald.
The event, held during the Cannes Film Festival on May 23, is part of the Cinema Against AIDS charity to benefit amfAR, sponsored by and live-streamed on LoveGold. Although it isn't likely anything to walk down the runway will look quite like this mock-up of a size 0 Elizabeth Taylor—to whom the show is a tribute, despite her association another kind of bling—dripping in Roberto Cavalli and Chanel, or Richard Burton in a severely drop-crotched pants.
Over the weekend, James Franco painted a mural on a wall near Bedford and Grand in Williamsburg, reports Gawker. The povera-style painting of Franco and his co-stars in the apocalyptic disaster comedy This Is the End confirms that anytime anyone paints a mural to promote a movie, it is indeed the end. (He's much more convincing as Cindy Sherman.)
However, since it got us to watch the trailer (below), it seems to have done the job. As far as we can tell, the plot follows a group neo-nerd comedians—Michael Cera, Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill—who play stoned, munchies-addled versions of themselves (so probably not actually acting) while aliens invade, cities burns, and Emma Watson kicks ass.
That's probably the most normal response the airhead heiress had, as told to The Cut, upon seeing Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring in Cannes. Hilton, who let Coppola film in the actual Hollywood home robbed so daringly and meticulously (not! the door was unlocked) by a gaggle of Hollywood teens, also offered these enlightened tidbits: "During some parts of it, I literally had tears in my eyes and I wanted to cry;" "I was like, 'Oh my God, this really happened to me. These kids were really in my house and did this to me;" "I mostly blame the main girl. I don't know her name. But her;" and finally, "Yeah, bitch." Ok, ok, that last one was in response to a random passerby who wanted a picture with her.
Making the most of his on-again-off-again comeback, John Galliano may soon submit to a tell-all TV interview with Charlie Rose. While discussions are in the early stages, reports WWD, the vilified designer may soon tape an appearance, which would seem to be his first, and only his second major sit-down, following an interview with Ingrid Sischy for Vanity Fair, also in the works.
Charlie Rose, who occasionally reports for 60 Minutes, is an interviewer of the intrepid, hard-hitting kind, which makes the prospect of Galliano sitting down with him so enticing — no evasive funny business, faux confessionals or croc tears, like the queen of daytime talk shows. Designers Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs have made multiple appearances on the PBS show. Barack Obama, too, has taken questions on the dark, nondescript, unglamorous stage.
Spokespeople at both camps are denying it, which of course makes us think it's going to happen.
Watch Barack and Michelle Obama on Charlie Rose in 2012...
Rihanna isn't the only one getting a side shave. Watch Ai Weiwei give a haircut (ok, maybe it's more of a bowl cut than a side shave) last week to blogger Anthony Tao of the website Beijing Cream. It was filmed at Fodder Factory restaurant, also in Beijing, while the famed Spanish chef José Andrés talks excitedly about lobster and while an instrumental version of Hotel California plays in the background. It's weird and wonderful! Apparently AI gives many such haircuts, for reasons we're not clear on...
It's not all the Chinese artist and dissident has been up to. He recently revealed plans to record a rock album with his friend, the singer and guitarist Zuoxiao Zuzhou, inspired by the 81-day incarceration in a Chinese prison that shot him to international fame. During that time, he says, his guards would request that he sing songs to them, but he "felt so sad I couldn't sing any except the revolutionary ones we had to learn when we were growing up. After I came out, I realized I had never really listened to music or sung, so I decided to make an album. I know so many artists and musicians and they were really supportive." One of those supportive musicians was Elton John, who's agreed to advise him on the project. That'll be interesting!
Congrats are in order. Parsons and Kering (formerly PPR) have announced the two winners of their joint student design competition, Empowering Imagination. Harim Jung and Yunxiang Zhou edged out 12 other BFA Fashion Design graduate finalists to take the prize for women's and men's, respectively. The 14 thesis collections were presented to a panel that included Eco Age’s Livia Firth, Style.com’s Dirk Standen, Barneys New York’s Dennis Freedman, Kering’s Laurent Claquin, Paper’s Mickey Boardman, and Parsons’ Simon Collins. Jung and Zhou will be provided with an internship at one of Kering’s 19 brands and a closed mentoring session with Style.com, and will see their work showcased at Barneys (Co-op) for two weeks beginning May 28.
Without its precious cargo, what good is a wine barrel, you ask? See for yourself. Fashion progeny Angela Missoni and Chiara Ferragamo, along with 30 other designers and architects including Daniel Libeskind, Marc Sadler, and Arnaldo Pomodoro, worked alongside recovering addicts in the San Patrignano Rehabilitation Center in Italy (Europe’s largest drug rehabilitation center) to repurpose wine casks into colorful, uncomplicated items of furniture. Now that's clean living.
On view May 17-19, Poltrona Frau Showroom, 145 Wooster Street, NYC. Proceeds will go toward the San Patrignano Center.
The Dsquared twins, the Caten brothers, will soon launch a line of men's undies and they're letting you know with this cheeky photo by Steven Klein that's clearly intended to provoke—and arouse. The combination of a pirate's eyepatch, a Hitler-Youth haircut, and a swimmer's ass will do that. It grabbed us anyway. But wait, is he taking off his whitey-tighties or putting them on? We have to know!...
"Maybe her sleeves were too tight," speculated Chloe Sevigny to The Cut about Gwyneth Paltrow's Met Gala bitching. Remember? After whining to USA Today that the super-glam evening was "un-fun," Paltrow, admittedly tipsy, had dinner with two Australian radio-show hosts who had won a contest. Here's a snippet of that conversation...
"Do you want me to be honest? It sucked. It seems like the best thing in the world. You think, 'Oh my god, it's going to be so glamorous and amazing, and you're going to see all these famous people.' And then you get there, and it's so hot, and so crowded, and everyone's pushing you. This year it was really intense. It wasn't fun. Kanye West was playing, and he was furious, and he threw his microphone down. It was all drama. I don't know why he was furious. And everyone was dressed in punk, and I feel that we're all a bit old to be dressed punk. You know what I mean? I didn't. I just went kind of normal."
Anyway, Chloe Sevigny is right. One has to dress for comfort at these functions, as Sevigny has learned from the five times she's been to the Met Gala. Or is it six? Who can keep count? She went on to say...
"It's more important to be really comfortable in your dress. That was a big thing with Proenza Schouler. They made my dress this year. I said, 'I have to be able to lift my arms and move them around'...I think it depends on what table you’re at, and who you’re with, and obviously your attitude. But it’s a lot of hoopla over not a lot. Everybody thinks it’s so much pressure, and you do the carpet and it’s such a big deal, and it’s just a museum fundraiser, you know? But you have to wear comfortable shoes and an outfit you can be okay in."
