GIVE A SHOUT TO WORD UP! wordup@papermag.com
Entries tagged with 'Vogue'
Posted May. 1, 2008,
About Last Night... Carlos Miele and Vogue Rainforest Foundation Party
By Caroline Torem Craig
Is there a more beautiful shop in all of New York than the Carlos Miele store on far West 14th St.? The cocktail celebration to benefit the Rainforest Foundation hosted by Carlos and Vogue was attended by Kim Raver and Lindsey Price, stars from a neighboring jungle -- the Lipstick Jungle! Also in attendance were Patricia Velazquez, Cataline Sandino Moreno, Leven Rambin and Genevieve Jones. Pure white never looked so "colorful" as when used as the backdrop for his wildly shirred, pleated, hot orange, reds, pinks and purples -- creations practically "samba-ing" off the racks by themselves! T-shirts designed by Michael Roberts, Scarlet Johannson, Carolyn Trentini and Diana Picasso were hauntingly different in their black and white simplicity.
Posted Apr. 14, 2008,
Who Are You Polly Maggoo? Out on DVD!
By Dennis Dermody
I can't believe I'm holding in my hands the gorgeous DVD of The Delirious Fictions of William Klein. It's not out until May 20th but it's a must own! William Klein was a famed photographer who worked as a photographer for Vogue before he decided to become a filmmaker. Qui etes-vous Polly Maggoo? (Who Are You Polly Maggoo?) was his brilliant 1966 satire on the fashion industry starring his favorite model Dorothy McGowan as Polly Maggoo, followed around by a French TV crew. Future Dark Shadows star Grayson Hall plays the frosty fashion magazine publisher.
This opening scene of the movie where the models are screwed into these bizarre aluminum sheet dresses is hilarious. This three disc set includes Klein's Mr. Freedom (1969), a blistering satire on America about a Communist-hating super-hero, and The Model Couple (1977) about a couple involved in a controlled government experiment. The eye-popping black and white pop 1960s visuals of Who Are You Polly Maggoo? will make you crazy....
Posted Apr. 9, 2008,
On Racism, Vogue and now Spike Lee
By David Hershkovits
One of the most contentious posts we've ever had was written about the current Vogue cover featuring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen. PAPER managing editor Rebecca Carroll, jumping off comments by Harry Allen, opined that she believed the cover to be racist because it succumbed to sterotypes that have been plaguing African Americans for centuries.
Though she made many valid points and I never expected everyone to agree with her, I was surprised by the vehemence of many of the comments expressed by those whom I know or assume to be not African Americans. What I took away from this is that there is a longing among many otherwise liberal people for the race issue to be put behind us. Call it fatigue with advocates who are perceived to have been playing the race card for too long. Barack Obama, himself, has worked hard to make distance between his brand of African Americanism and the old school Civil Rights movement's breed of leaders like Jessee Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton. Be that as it may, race continues to be a hot button issue. The reactions to Jeremiah Wright's histrionic preachings is an example of white folks feeling sterotyped by blacks just as blacks feel stereotyped by whites.
Posted Mar. 31, 2008,
Is Vogue's Recent Cover Racist? Um, Yeah.
By Rebecca Carroll

“Facts or knowledge do not blunt racist intent. This is a truth daily and ancestrally familiar to Black people.” –- As quoted from a recent post on Harry Allen’s “Media Assassin” blog about the stupid-ass LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen Vogue cover for the magazine’s current “Shape” issue.
Here’s the thing of it, people -- is the cover a “less than subtle piece of racist indoctrination”? Duh. Of course it is. That’s not really the question. The question is: Isn’t it enough that there is doubt surrounding whether or not this cover is racist? Did absolutely no one at Vogue think for five seconds that this might be viewed as offensive? Are there NO black people or culturally aware white people at Vogue? Do they not ever run images or ideas by people who might have a different perspective, say, a broader scope -- people who might, I dunno, live in the real world? If that’s the case (no black or culturally-conscious folks on staff, no outside perspectives allowed in), then I feel slightly more forgiving, because how could they know otherwise?
How could they know that the image of a big, hulking black man forcefully clutching the fragile waist of a white woman evokes the image of the black (slave) buck and the white mistress; the black athlete and the coveted, trophy white woman; the black pimp and the coveted, trophy white woman; the black thug and the innocent white woman; the scape-goated black rapist and the unsuspecting white housewife…oh, and the black man as ape, sure. Over 150 years of this image just about everywhere: How could they know this might be offensive or appear racist?
Posted Feb. 4, 2008,
Stefan Campbell Presents: Eric and Becca on Their First Date
By Stefan Campbell

This is Eric, a guitarist and music major at Hunter College, with Becca, who works for an advertising company in Chelsea. They are both 22-year-old, born and raised New Yorkers on their official first date, complete with hair twirls and the classic “yes, I’m listening to your every word” forward-leans. It was very Marcia Brady and The High School Jock. I spotted them on January 24 at 7:25 p.m. at Le Pain Quotien on 17th and Seventh Ave. while I was editing the portfolio of photographer Enrico Dungca. Eric, whose personal musical style is “electro-folk,” and Becca met in 9th grade when he was dating her then (and still) best friend, however she always thought he was “cute,” she confessed. They were together for hours having coffee talk (I wonder how long they texted and IM-ed before deciding to meeting up face to face) then next off to see Juno. ( Most of us know how Juno’s first date turned out with her high school crush.)
Posted Feb. 3, 2008,
Threeasfour Wins the Day!
By Kim Hastreiter



Threeasfour really came through today showing a collection that proved what I've been screaming about for the past ten years. That they are among a tiny handful of GREAT designers that we have showing here in America. The collection was supreme, chic, beautifully crafted and completely innovative, from the way they experimented with tailoring (their jackets were pieced together in ways I haven't seen done before) to their super creative draping and wrapping. I adored the huge elephant pantyskirts (looked like huge pants in front but wrap skirts from the back) and their aprons and harnesses they put over coats and jackets that were wonderful. I also loved that you could really see all three of their sensibilities wrapped up in the clothes... If you want to see the whole show go to style.com where they are touting it on their home page.
Posted Feb. 1, 2008,
Luigi Tadini Reports: "Viva Lanvin!"
By Luigi Tadini


“My work doesn’t scream, it whispers.” – Alber Elbaz
Jeanne Lanvin opened the doors of 22 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in 1889 and quickly gained fame for her striking and delicate mother-daughter robes de style. In a matter of months the dress garnered a devoted and exclusive Parisian clientele. Jeanne’s exquisite designs where unique from the beginning, so it is no surprise that Lanvin would join the Syndicat de la Couture 20 years later.
The iconic style of this fashion house, born in the late 19th century, still creatively inspires the fashion industry today with its meticulous attention to detail.
Flash forward to 2001 when Israeli fashion designer, Alber Elbaz, was appointed the creative director for the brand. Elbaz had a long line of success before his position at Lanvin having worked at world-renowned fashion houses like Guy Laroche and Yves Saint-Laurent; but it was in his new venture that his talent and vision had no limitations.
Posted Sep. 11, 2007,
Fabian Basabe's Back in New York and Painting the Town Red
By Fabian Basabe

So I landed at JFK early from the red eye, went home for a power nap, had a late lunch at Cipriani's (the one in Grand Central Station) and headed over to the New York Yacht Club for Chris Benz's fashion presentation.
Now, as I have tried to convey in this blog, Fashion Week is a lot of fun, but then, amidst the multitude of events, you stumble into the one that is really very cool! The Yacht Club is, in my opinion, one of the best building in NYC, and Chris's presentation was in its best room... you know, the one with the miniature boats and the wooden walls and the mosaic glass mirrors on the ceiling? That one. Now, pack it up with slick socials, cool fashion people and gorgeous models, add a soundtrack straight from the 1920s, stud it with girls wearing Benz's colorful and elegant creations and top it off with Chris, the cherry on top, in a panama hat and a bow tie. It was fun and original and true to Chris' inspiration -- a modern take on a bygone era.
Posted Jul. 12, 2007,
Mr. Mickey Wants to be a Cowboy!
By Mickey Boardman

Giddyup little doggies! Mr. Mickey wants to be a cowboy! MM is just back from a super fun and glamorous rodeo at Rancho La Zaca in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. It was MM's first real live rodeo and it was super fun. The hostess was Sandy Hill and she her husband Tom Dittmer have been throwing 4th of July rodeos for five years now. It was a fun combination of LA types and cowboys. You can see more in the October issue of Vogue --they were there shooting Sandy.
Anyhoo, being a knucklehead, Mr. Mickey had to try out the mechanical bull. Well he nearly died just climbing on the damn thing! The guy running the machine said he'd put it on kid speed but still Mr. Mickey flew off immediately. Here's a photo by Frank Helmer to prove it.
After the jump see the shot immediately after this one and some other great shots by the fabulous Roman Alonso.
And stayed tuned for some movies that Mr. Mickey made with his new Flip Video camera. If he can figure out how to upload them! MM made mini movies with the likes of Vincent Gallo and Bo Derek!!! MM is an auteur!
Posted Jun. 15, 2007,
More Fun at the Colette Luncheon and Pink Martini Concert!
By Kim Hastreiter
WOW I'm exhausted today. Wednesday was a wild one. First we hosted a luncheon at Indochine celebrating the tenth birthday of our fave shop in Paris, Colette. Sarah Lerfel and her mom (and shop namesake) Colette hopped over to New York for the occasion and it was SUCH a fun crowd. It was a great mix of artists, DJs, designers (young cool ones mostly), socialites and hipsters who all respect Sarah's eye and vision and wanted to come celebrate her. We had a great table of friends of Sarah -- many of whom I also knew.
Brian Kaws (the artist, see his photo below) was across sitting next to Supreme's James Jebbia who just became a dad! To my left was Weiden and Kennedy guru John Jay, and to my right was fabulous designer Thomas Brown, who I introduced to my Portland friend Thomas Lauderdale, who was playing at Carnegie Hall that night with his group Pink Martini (that's a whole other story to come!). I think Brown should dress all the Pink Martini guys actually.
Posted Apr. 25, 2007,
Eight Items or Less: Top Ten Happy Foods, Manny Ramirez, Jack and Meg's New Single & Cory Kennedy Documentary
By Carol Lee

1. Top Ten Happy Foods: In a bad mood? Maybe it's what you ate or didn't eat. This came to me a little late, but it's never too late to know about things that could make you happy. Nutritionist Joy Bauer broke down the happy food group here in bite sizes. Basically it's all about omega 3 fats, folic acid and fiber which translates to eating lots of fish, fruits, veggies and legumes. According to this study, if you are a hardcore carnivore then you are miserable!
1) Wild salmon - rich in omega 3 fats and vitamin D
2) Spinach - rich in folic acid and soluble fiber
3) Skim milk - rich in Vitamin D and B12
4) Ground flaxseeds - rich soluble fiber, omega 3 fats and folic acid
5) Blackberries - rich in soluble fiber and folic acid
6) Omega 3 fortified eggs - rich in omega 3 fats, Vitamin D and B12
7) Sardines - rich in omega 3 fats and Vitamin D
8) Soybeans - rich in soluble fiber, folic acid and omega 3 fats
9) Beans - rich in soluble fiber and folic acid
10) Brussels sprouts - soluble fiber and folic acid
Plus an extra for good luck!
11) Sunflower seeds - rich in soluble fiber and folic acid
2. All you Jack & Meg fans, you don't have to wait till June 11th, the official release date of the White Stripes' new album Icky Thump, to hear their first single of the same name. Set your alarms, because you can get it through iTunes music store starting at 12:01 a.m. this Thursday (4/26) -- and not a minute too soon.
3. Manny Is My Man: I care about baseball as much as I care about the rail & road report. But really, to my surprise, when I began thumbing through the new issue of The New Yorker, I couldn't put down the profile of the Red Sox bad boy Manny Ramirez. The story was so riveting! It had me at the first paragraph, which read: "Manny Ramirez is a deeply frustrating employee, the kind whose talents are so prodigious that he gets away with skipping meetings, falling asleep on the job, and fraternizing with the competition." Ramirez grew up in Washington Heights, sports dreads, drives a Caddy and (probably) smokes weed. A new folk-hero is born!
4. We heard... in case you haven't gotten enough of her already, jailbait it-teen Cory Kennedy has been tapped to be a subject of a documentary....
5. As I was leafing through the May issue of Vogue that has a cavalcade of blank-faced models sporting the new Gap-and-hot-young-designer-collab-whites on the cover, one thing really jumped out -- a full-page Band-Aid Active Flex Blister Block Stick ad! I hate blisters and regular Band-Aids always crumple up and leave a gross sticky mess on your foot. I guess you're supposed to roll it on the sensitive area like a stick of deodorant. Well, I'm into it.
6. Lastly, I found a great restaurant web site better than both City Search and Menu Pages called Urban Spoon. When you search for a restaurant, it lists all the reviews by bloggers, as well as by the usual critics, and it tells you other eating/drinking options in the vicinity.
















