PAPERMAG

R.I.P. Vidal Sassoon

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:30:15 -0500

As a jet-set-hipster-in-training growing up in suburban Illinois, few names elicited the aspirational glamour of legendary hair stylist Vidal Sassoon. The day I first saw his three-step hair care system on the shelves of my local supermarket I thought I'd finally found my ticket to the glam life of trips to Europe, elegant parties and designer ensembles. Once I had a driver's license, I rushed downtown to the Vidal Sassoon salon at Water Tower Place mall. I thought I'd finally arrived. Sassoon was handsome and chic and had that irresistible English accent we Americans are all suckers for. He revolutionized hairstyling in the '60s with his blunt easy-care cuts including the look he did for for Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby. The world is a little bit less glamorous without him.

Happy Birthday, Doris Day!

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:40:55 -0500

Today is the birthday of a woman who gets my vote for being the biggest fashion inspiration in the history of film. She may not be a sex-vixen femme fetale, but Doris Day has given me more fashion thrills over the past four decades than all the chic, glamour-puss-clothes-horses of Hollywood. In a weird way she was the Carrie Bradshaw of her time -- the fun girl next door every woman wanted to be and who was comfortable enough in her own skin to wear the craziest and sometimes cockamamy fashion concoctions. Doris was old-school. She was always in fully coordinated accessories. Shoes to match the bag to match the hat to match the gloves. She was wild, but still a classic American girl. You felt that if Doris did it, it must be right. Happy 88th, DD!

Paper Takes a Dinner Field Trip to Nordic Hotspot ACME

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:20:02 -0500

Mr. Mickey took the Paper editorial team on a little field trip last night to Acme, SoHo's super-hip restaurant-of-the-moment from Jean-Marc Houmard. We were celebrating the birthday of our bookings hunk Jordan Sternberg and were ready to let our hair down. Or in, my case, to flip my toupee!

Houmard is one of the geniuses behind Indochine, a legendary spot on Lafayette Street known for its succulent pan-Asian cuisine and its legions of loyal high-fashion fans like Iman, Carine Roitfeld and, well, ME. Acme is about as far from colonial Vietnam as could be. The décor is basic and utilitarian in a comfy kind of way and the cuisine is Nordic inspired. If you go crazy for pickles and artctic char, drop everything and run over to Great Jones Street immediately.

Chef Mads Refslund considerately gave us a puu-puu platter of menu items so we could get a real overview of Acme's culinary cuteness. I'm a vegetarian and with a little tweaking (no lardo on the carrots please!) there were plenty of dishes for me to enjoy (although watch out, cruelty-free carb loaders! The yumzy French-fries are fried in duck fat!).

The veggies and omnivores on our editorial team alike were gaga over the farmer's eggs with cauliflower and aged parmesan. They were chic little devils served in their shells with tiny spoons. The creamy cauliflower foam mingled with the sharp tang of the parmesan for a real taste sensation. I also liked the the hay-roasted sunchokes and thought they tasted a little like French toast (in a good way). And, meanwhile, what exactly ARE hay-roasted sunchokes?

The arctic char's sherry vinegar marinade and the chicken and eggs with delectable fingerling potatoes were also a favorite among our party last night. A special Woot Woot also goes out to the black heirloom carrots with pine and blood orange. First, 'Black heirloom carrots' sound like a new alternative hip-hop band from Greenpoint and, secondly, who knew pine could be such a tasty treat?

As dessert rolled around I confess that I suddenly forgot I had given up sugar. When the Danish donuts with quince & apple were plopped in front of me, it was all over. I mean, Mr. Mickey never met a donut he didn't like. Though we were nervous about trying the fallen fruits platter -- featuring dried pears and a wheatgrass granité -- we were pleasantly surprised. I recommend it for anyone looking for something light and fun after gorging on fries and a schooner of bread and butter.

Overall, Acme is a fun place to go with a special someone or a bunch of your work friends after a day in the office, as we did last night. It's chic but not stuffy and the food is delish but not daunting. Pass the house-cured salmon!

Photos by Mr. Mickey. Thumbnail photo of Acme exterior by Paul Goguen/Bloomberg.

Singer Storm Large Makes Going to the Dark Place Fun in Her Memoir Crazy Enough

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:27:07 -0500

I love a nice, juicy memoir about an insanely horrible childhood -- and Storm Large's Crazy Enough is exactly that. Large's new book is a true page-turner and details growing up with a cuckoo-crazy mother and ending up a rock 'n' roll junkie and sex addict. But Large is able to laugh at herself and the various hair-raising situations she's found herself in. For instance, her mom serves Storm "shicken mush" with a nice dollop of Calgonite dish powder. She lies about her age (saying she's younger than she actually is) when having inappropriate underage sex at family gatherings. Basically, all horrifying stuff -- but somehow she makes us laugh as we groan and feel amazed that she survived it all. We chatted with Large, whom we first met as a singer with the popular band Pink Martini, to find out how Crazy Enough was born. Oh, and check here to see when Storm is coming to a town near you!

What prompted you to write a memoir?

I got shanghaied into doing it. I wrote a one-woman show called Crazy Enough and my buddy, Larry Colton, sent the script to his book agent. From there, the agent, Richard Pine, along with Larry, started harassing me into writing a book proposal.

You've had a life that many people would describe as traumatic, but you seem to have such a great perspective and sense of humor about it. Has that always been the case?

Oh, heavens no. I felt sorry for myself most of the time when I was much younger. That's why I did so much reckless and stupid shit. The one thing that's been consistent, though, has been my sense of humor. As miserable as things would get, I could always find something funny about it, sometimes after the fact. But hindsight is 20/20 and, in my case, I can usually see clear through the crap to the funny.

When did you start being able to laugh at your past?

Usually within minutes of getting over something. It's a little obnoxious but it's kept me alive.

Has your dad read the book?

I don't think so but a few colleagues of his have read it and give him glowing reviews on my writing. Many with the caveat: "Mmmm, maybe you shouldn't read it, Henry." However, the fact that his fellow teachers were impressed, he's feeling a little less tense about it. So far no one has called him and said, "Wow, Henry, what a big fat whore your kid was! I had no idea!" Which is nice.

Performing has been an amazing survival technique for you. What about it is so therapeutic?

Being on stage, for me, is the safest place I've ever known. Most of my life I felt completely unloved, unlovable, despicable and ugly. I saw no way to lift up and out, other than with the specks of transient pleasures in sex and getting high. Performing and playing music turned all that around for me. It's more tangible than sex, more satisfying and way healthier than speedballs. Music is where everybody goes to express something or let something go and to be at the helm of that energy, to be the conductor of that wild ride for people -- there are no words to describe it. But it sure feels like all the love in the world in that moment.

Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler and The Row All Deserve The CFDA Award

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:30:21 -0500

Awards nominations invariably bring out the critic in people ('You call that Best Picture?') and I confess that I'm a bit of a squeaky wheel in this regard. I still haven't recovered from Tom Ford's Single Man not getting nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award -- hopefully, with more years of therapy, I'll learn to live with this. It was therefore surprising to me that I was so satisfied with yesterday's nominee announcements for this year's CFDA Fashion Award for Womenswear Designer of the Year. Marc Jacobs, Proenza Schouler and the Row are three very different fashion brands but all are award-worthy and each gave a stellar presentation last month during New York Fashion Week. Here's why I'm backing all three as winners:

Marc Jacobs is the Meryl Streep of fashion, so nominating him for any award is a bit of a 'duh' moment. And as with Meryl, although you really think Marc deserves the award each time, a part of you also thinks they should give it someone else since Marc always wins. But could anyone who saw his Fall 2012 presentation last month doubt for a second that Marc deserves the award (not to mention his equally spectacular Louis Vuitton presentation in Paris)? The clothes were amazing. Every fashion girl will be wearing pilgrim shoes with rhinestone buckles and disco socks this fall. But what sets Jacobs apart is that he's a beacon of sincerity and sentimentality in a sea of cool and fierce fashion. Although he'll be forever labeled the coolest designer in the universe, Jacobs' shows bring a humble warmth that's lacking in our cynical style world. In both aforementioned shows, Jacobs didn't feature models who looked like cuntier-than-thou vixens strutting to a throbbing disco beat. They looked like sweet, real girls ambling self-consciously along a fairy-tale set by artist Rachel Feinstein to a medley of "Who Will Buy?" from the musical Oliver! (sample lyric: 'Who will buy this wonderful feeling? I'm so high I swear I could fly.') Half the time I end up crying at Marc's shows because there's a sweetness and sentimentality that he gets me with every time.

Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler don't really serve up sentimentality, but season after season they prove that no designer in America is as influential when it comes to the direction of fashion. Seeing the new Asian-inspired silhouette they sent down the runway this season, you can understand how one brand's strong vision can drive fashion. It's similar to how Christian Dior debuting a new silhouette changed the direction of fashion everywhere. From the beginning, the boys have managed to pull off a seemingly contradictory balance: The clothes are outrageously chic but still youthful and cool. Proenza Schouler could honestly win this award every year and it would be well-deserved.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's The Row are the new kids on the block, having been nominated for the Swarovski Award for up and coming Womenswear designer just last year. Although they're relatively new to runway presentations, the collection they sent out at the Carlyle Hotel last month was as chic and polished as anything we saw on the runway this season. While there's no Dr. Seuss-inspired whimsy or direction-changing silhouette from the Row, their clothes are outrageously gorgeous clothes. And in the end, isn't that what earns the award?

Photos via Style.com

RELATED:
CFDA Awards 2012 Nominees

Oscars Best Dressed and Worst Dressed According to Mr. Mickey

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:30:20 -0500

While Mr. Mickey wasn't wooing Sacha Baron Cohen and Tom Hanks via Twitter during the Oscars, he was keeping careful notes on which starlets and screen sirens looked pretty amazing, pretty OK, and not so great. Here's his roundup of the best looks, the worst looks and ones he was conflicted about at last night's ceremony.

BEST DRESSED:

Rooney Mara always looks flawless on the red carpet and she looked amazing in Givenchy Haute Couture. Some people think she's 'too fashion' -- an expression I hate. The pale skin, the hair, the strong lip and the stronger point-of-view always knock my socks off. She hasn't had a red carpet misstep yet.

I'm deeply in love with Emma Stone and thought her Giambattista Valli dress was major. You can tell she's really feeling it because it's tough to make a giant bow like that work unless you believe in the look. Nobody wears color like Emma and she was wonderful on stage teasing that drippy Ben Stiller.

Gwyneth Paltrow looked like a real movie star and I love that someone major wore Tom Ford. He's so Hollywood glamour! She was fun as a presenter, too, although often my problem with Gwynnie is everyone's problem with Gwynnie -- she's so great to look at, but when she opens her mouth she says something very 'clueless rich girl.' It's too bad because I think she's amazing and she can wear ANYthing.

My jaded NYC friends and I squealed with delight when Angelina Jolie strode onto the stage in Atelier Versace (our only other squeal of delight came when Meryl Streep won for Best Actress). Say what you will about her arms being too skinny (they are), this is what a fucking superstar looks like. The hair! The makeup! Totally gorgeous.

I adore Viola Davis' natural hair! The Vera Wang gown is great too. Sexy and glamorous but wearable. She's never looked better.

I thought Meryl Streep looked so great in Lanvin. The metallic made her look super fancy and the color was great for her complexion. My favorite look on her in a while.

Octavia Spencer looked amazing. The dress was so flattering and so glamorous and I love that she sticks with designer Tadashi Shoji.

Tina Fey has always loved a peplum and that's SO the look right now. I loved her in her Carolina Herrera dress with her hair all up. She obviously feels so comfortable on the red carpet after doing hundreds of these awards shows.

I love that Glenn Close had a jacket with this Zac Posen dress. She looked super sexy but without the jacket it would have been too much! Pretty hair and makeup. Good for Glenn.

Shailene Woodley looked fabulous in Valentino. She proves that covered-up is the new sexy and the look isn't fussy but still super put-together. This is how young actresses should look.

I don't get why every actress loves strapless, but I thought Ellie Kemper wore her strapless Armani Prive best. And those bangs are so cute! Rose Byrne, in Vivienne Westwood, also looked super adorable with her sparkles and bangs.

There's nothing like a simple, sequined long-sleeved shell to make you look amazing. Although black is tough at an awards show, Anna Faris really pulled off this Diane Von Fursternberg dress.

WORST DRESSED:

I didn't like the cut-outs on Jennifer Lopez's Zuhair Murad dress, but it was glamorous despite them. Still, she seems like such a phony bitch to me.

I worship Melissa McCarthy, but I think everything about her look was a mistake. So much was going on with the Marina Rinaldi dress that it wasn't flattering at all.

Sandra Bullock seemed really depressed to me. It made me sad. (Dress by Marchesa.)

Sherri Shepherd and I went to the same high school and that's the only nice thing I can think of to say about this. The bra peeking out is the worst. Still, it's fun to see someone working a bananas look.

Penelope Cruz is one of the most gorgeous movie stars alive but this Giorgio Armani dress was not my favorite look on her. (Although she looked much better on stage than she did on the red carpet.)

I'm not sure who Missi Pyle is [Ed note: She's in The Artist]. She's very pretty in a Miss Alabama way. The Valentina Delfina dress is festive but has about three too many drapes, ruches and ruffles for my taste.

Louise Roe, who did red carpet interviews for ABC, was the worst. Everything she wore distracted from the people she was talking to! This look was a mess and she was horribly annoying. She made Giuliana Rancic look like Christiane Amanpour.

I'M CONFLICTED:

Cameron Diaz in Gucci Premiere. She seems fun and the dress was cute but her hair was a disaster. What happened?

I loved Kristen Wiig in J. Mendel and I think she's so pretty, but nude colored dresses are pretty tough on a red carpet. Everything just kind of gets washed out.

Michelle Williams looked good in Louis Vuitton, but I'm bored with the pixie haircut. I'd love to see her in something super sexy! Versace! Dolce! Alaia!

I like that Melissa Leo's Reem Acra dress was covered up but her hair was a little too casual daytime for me. Her general vibe is pretty crazy, but she could pass for a normal person in this outfit.

Natalie Portman looked amazing from a beauty perspective -- great hair and makeup. The vintage Dior dress was nice, and Portman in a spokesperson for the brand, but it felt a bit safe. I would have loved her more in a wild Rodarte moment.

Parker Posey On Late Night Snacks and What Gets Her Dancing

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:15:42 -0500

Mr. Mickey recently caught up with actress Parker Posey at the Calvin Klein celebration for Darren Criss's run on Broadway. They chatted about all things nightlife in NYC and, of course, snacks.

Most memorable night out in New York?
Years ago, at Beige, Eartha Kitt and I were posing for a photo and she reached under my chin to put her hand on my cheek. Her finger accidentally went up my nose very quickly and scratched it to the point that I was bleeding. I ran away so she wouldn't see what happened. I walked around with a dinner napkin up my nose for a while.

Do you have a favorite late-night snack?

I don't really go out much late night anymore so if I want a late night snack, I like Trader Joe's at home, from my fridge or freezer. But if I was stuck out late night and starving I'd go to Veselka. It's always good

What song will always get you out on the dance floor?
"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" by the Smiths.

If you could bring back one now-shuttered New York nightspot, what would it be?
Florent. The food was good, the owners were nice and the crowd was mixed and fun. And it was low-key and festive. And cheap.

Photo by Patrick McMullan

Prabal Gurung Gets Dark (Plus Video of His Finale!)

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:45:35 -0500

Prabal Gurung is perhaps one of the most beloved of New York-based designers, and expectations ran high at his show yesterday from otherwise cynical and "over it" editors. Fans seemed to know stakes were high as well, one Prabal-ite from the designer's native Nepal tweeting "know the prayers and good wishes of an entire nation are behind you" to the designer.

Expectations were high because, well, there was a lot to be expected from this young designer. Last season, Gurung, who had earlier been named a runner-up in the prestigious CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, took a huge step forward showing the best collection of his career to date. This season the pressure was on to prove last season wasn't a fluke. The good news? Gurung delivered.

The clothes were sharp, expensive looking and chic. Models emerged clad head-to-toe in black, but slowly the looks transformed from into an almost Givenchy-esque moment with royal blues and golds to a parade of gorgeous, sparkly and feathered gowns. Gurung has become a red-carpet favorite for the likes of Demi Moore, Zoe Saldana and First Lady Michelle Obama. His ladies will have plenty to choose from with the collection, with a particular stunner being the sheer, black heavily beaded show-stopper worn by Joan Smalls. Gurung's legion of editor and stylist fans breathed a collective sigh of relief at a strong and beautiful showing.

Thumbnail image by Ed Kavishe/FashionWirePress.com for BFAnyc.com

RELATED:
Prabal Gurung on His New Collection and His Mom
Purple Power: Prabal Gurung's Show Draws NIcki Minaj + Fashion Stars
Beautiful People 2010: Prabal Gurung

PLUS:
All of our New York Fashion Week coverage, in one spot!

Our Supermarket Sweeps Moment at the New JC Penney

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:44:05 -0500

As a kid, the end of August always meant one thing for the Boardman family. We'd climb into Ole Yeller, my mom's 1969 canary yellow Buick Wildcat and cruise on over to the Woodfield Mall to shop for a new school wardrobe at JC Penney. My mom was only 20 when she had me (her second and last child) so she was pretty much the hippest mother in the neighborhood. My look the first day of elementary school was a pink button up shirt featuring a monkey-head pattern, and a pair of maroon pants covered in red fish. Pretty fashion forward for Hanover Park, Illinois!

I had the same feeling of excitement I used to get in Ole Yeller when Paper editor Alexis Swerdloff and I sauntered the block and half between Paper's office and the JC Penney at Manhattan Mall. Penney's had recently announced their big new makeover featuring its everyday low-prices, and the folks were kind enough to invite us over for a little shopping spree.

Changes were immediately obvious -- from the new JCP logo to the frame motif used throughout the store to showcase special merchandise. The prices were bananas -- 40% less than the previous ones. No more crazy sales and such. It seems like someone who loves jewel tones has taken over because everywhere you turned there were hot pinks, canary yellows and royal blues. The look feels fresh, although it will be a while before the entire store is fully made-over and turned into a giant mall of little in-store boutiques. I already loved the in-store Sephora boutique and Alexis flipped her wig in the I Heart Ronson boutique. Charlotte Ronson is a favorite among the cuties in our office so Alexis scooped up a handful of Ronson looks for the girls in the editorial department. We found a sexy sleeveless dress for editorial assistant Abby in the MNG Mango department, and some very heritage-esque, fishermen sweaters in the Liz Claiborne section. I personally got my trouser party on in the Levi's department. Yes my first pair of skinny jeans at 45!!!! I must be having a midlife fashion crisis.

Despite my embrace of the trendy dungaree, Mr. Mickey is all about the basics so we made a detour to men's undies section, before we ended up in the house wares department. Who doesn't need a high-quality sensibly-priced sauce pan? Sadly for Alexis, there was only one high-quality sensibly-priced sauce pan left so she got a charming and delightful frying pan.
Loaded down with dresses, pans, Mickey Mouse T-shirts, underpants and skinny dungarees we gleefully skipped to the check-out stand! It was like Supermarket Sweeps, and we felt a bit giddy and out of breath. Take a peek at the photo gallery to get an idea of what the new JC Penney looks like and see the Editorial team modeling our purchases -- frying pan and all!

Christian Louboutin On Making His Rapping Debut and Why He'll Never Get Sick of Heels

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:15:44 -0500

When it comes to making women swoon, shoe designer Christian Louboutin has it in the bag. He's the king of the high-heel and, 20 years into his career, his signature red sole is unmistakable worldwide. Bergdorf Goodman hosted a party last night celebrating the Parisian designer's 20th anniversary and, here, Mr. Mickey chats with Louboutin about making his rapping debut at classic Paris cabaret Crazy Horse (yes, you read that correctly) and listened to him give the most poetic description of high heels we've possibly ever heard.

Mickey Boardman: Do you change your fashion looks when you travel or do you just have a consistent "Louboutin look" that goes with you around the world?

Christian Louboutin: Climate, heat and light affects what I wear. I have the "heat look" and the sort of "wave look" or whatever.

MB: Do you ever get tired of heels and think, "I only want to do flats now" or vice versa?

CL: In the fashion world, you shouldn't say that something is never going to happen, but I know that I will never be bored with high heels. Ever. I never get bored of looking at heels or hearing heels. It's not just the look -- it's the sound, it's the system, it's the body language. It's not like you need to even look at the shoe. It's the pleasure on a woman's face.

MB: It's like that Almodóvar movie High Heels.

CL: Yes, exactly. But it's also Flamenco music. It's a woman walking in the streets. It's a Jack Turner movie. I will never get bored of that.

MB: Well that's a relief for women everywhere. Is it possible for a heel to be too high?

CL: You know what? There was a time with high heels when it was impossible to envision them being any higher. Since then, they've become much higher and no one [is] complaining.

MB: Is there anything you're going to be doing in New York while you're here? Is there a restaurant you always go to or anything?

CL: I'm recording a song tonight after the party with Loa [a cabaret dancer from the Crazy Horse].

MB: Is it a duet?

CL: I am adding some voice on the song. And she's singing.

MB: Is this going to be your musical debut or no?

CL: Yes. I'm going to be rapping and doing these numbers at the Crazy Horse. Three Beats is doing part of the music and Loa is singing on it.

MB: I love it. When are the shows going to be at Crazy Horse?

CL: March.

MB: I can't wait.

Mr. Mickey Talks Serious Men's Eyewear With Deja Vu Refinery's Jason Pollak

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:00:21 -0500

I first came across Jason Pollak the founder of Deja Vu Refinery, a custom eyewear company, where I meet most of the interesting people I come across these days: Twitter. He acts like quite the smart ass as @dejavurefinery, but makes such gorgeous eyewear that I decided to get to know him a little better via email. Below are the results.

Why the name Deja Vu Refinery?

"Deja Vu" means that you've seen it before. A "refinery" is a place that refines things. So the name was perfect for a vintage reproduction atelier.

You live in Asheville -- does it complicate things not being in a fashion capital?

Yes it's really a hardship. The stress of being the only cool person in an entire city really takes its toll on a man. The crosses I bear in the name of low-overhead -- people just don't know.

How did you get into the eyewear business?

I was tired of being forced to buy ugly glasses. I waited -- for a long, long, long time -- but nobody was doing anything properly. It was all cheap and unflattering. Eyewear right now, and for the last bunch of years, is very unsightly indeed. Comical really, but in a surreal and not-funny way. But still a little funny. Like white plastic frames for example: WTF? Funny, but still not-funny. Have you seen Justin Bieber wear that Bar Mitzvah Clown Matte Black frame that is bigger than his head....with this pouty-tough gaze/glaze in his eyes? Funny, yet ... not. Eyewear sellers and buyers are more lost than they have ever been. We're taking it back to sophistication, luxury and manliness. Join us, it gets you laid a lot easier my way.

What is your most popular style?

DEBONAIR is offered in 31 choices of custom colored frames and lenses, or offered prescription lens-ready too; all designed exclusively for and by us. I would say the most popular colors right now are a tie between the two on the punky end of our "Preppy to Punky" color spectrum of looks. Those two are "Tosh" and "River," which are an antifreeze-green frame and cobalt-blue frame respectively.

Where can people buy your glasses?

The finest mens shops around the globe or online at DEJAVUREFINERY.COM

St. Etienne Is Back and Still Fabulous: Take a Listen!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:48 -0500

I'm not really a "music person," I'm a fashion boy. Still, everybody needs a soundtrack for his or life life and British dance-pop vets St. Etienne has always been in heavy rotation on mine. That's why I was tickled pink to hear today they'll be releasing their first record in seven years. "Tonight," the first single, is classic St. Etienne with lead singer/fashion goddess Sarah Cracknell cooing plaintively about clothes and love, making it seem so cool to be blasé and fabulous. It makes me feel like I'm back in the early '90s, skinny and fabulous! Take a listen below.

Via Pitchfork

Charlotte Casiraghi's New Boyfriend?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:00:13 -0500

It's been a while since Mr. Mickey filled you in on the love lives of the young and royal, so here you go: Hola magazine is reporting that Charlotte Casiraghi, the gorgeous daughter of Caroline of Monaco, is dating foxy French-Moroccan actor/ comedian Gad Elmaleh. You might recognize Elmaleh, pictured below, as the private detective hired to track Owen Wilson in Woody's Allen's Midnight in Paris or from Steven Spielberg's Adventures of Tintin. Fun fact: Elmaleh is Jewish, which adds him to the pantheon of the VIP Moroccan Jews including Lanvin's Alber Elbaz, adult film star Avi Dar and author Stella Ellis. You really know how to pick 'em, Charlotte!

Charlotte Casiraghi photo from Hola.com

Peaches Geldof's Baby Bump

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:45:22 -0500

One of the joys of being a middle-aged celebrity-watcher is that you get to see the kids of the rich and famous go from adorable spoiled toddlers to drug-addicted teen models and eventually settle down to start families of their own. This week, one of our favorite rock 'n' roll progeny, Peaches Geldof, is on the cover of Hello! Magazine in the first "official" shot of her showing a bump. She told the mag that her son is expected to be born on April 24th, the birthday of Peaches' late mother, TV presenter Paula Yates. Of course, Peaches' father is rocker Sir Bob Geldof of the band Boomtown Rats. He's most famous for organizing Band-Aid, the supergroup whose "Do They Know It's Christmas?" song raised money to fight famine in Ethiopia in 1984. We're happy for Peaches and her fiancé, indie rocker Thomas Cohen. In other news, doesn't she look a little bit like Lady Gaga these days? And Meanwhile, what's Peaches' half-sister Tigerlily Hutchence Geldof up to? A brief Internet search led us to these fun fun pics of Peaches, Tom and Tiger at an aquarium!

Sophie Theallet's Hot Look For the Gramercy Hotel

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:30:52 -0500

Designer Sophie Theallet has branched out from the runway to design her signature, sexy draped dresses for the servers at Gramercy Park hotel, including Rose Bar. Theallet said she wanted to make sure the ladies not only looked great but felt comfortable and happy in her creation. I have to say, the results are pretty gorgeous!