Benny Drama Crashes Valentino's Casa Magazines Takeover

Casa Magazines, a New York institution tucked away in the West Village, has long served as a haven for media folks and print-lovers alike. Its endless selection of magazines from around the world, from indie titles to big fashion glossies, make it one of the few remaining gems devoted to the print industry.

Like many small businesses, however, Casa has been heavily impacted this year by the pandemic, the latest setback it's had to endure on top of NYC rent increases and ongoing shifts in the print world. But thanks to the help of loyal customers and the fashion community at large (it's raised almost $30,000 so far through a GoFundMe page), the store is powering through amidst the changing landscape.

The latest to lend their support is Valentino, who staged a takeover of its windows and newsstands with images from its new Vlogo Signature artbook. The tome, curated by the brand's creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, chronicles the way 16 different niche magazines interpreted the archival logo: a ring with the letter "V" inside.

Sketches and illustrations from Piccioli himself are incorporated throughout, and the brand will donate a portion of proceeds from books sold to Casa Magazines. "This is an artbook to showcase and drive the boundaries of the role of Vlogo Signature, the iconic Valentino logo, a compendium of clean lines, '70s-inspired modernist essentiality and a tribute to the purity of shapes and volumes," the brand said in a statement.

To celebrate the book launch and Casa Magazines store takeover, PAPER teamed up with Internet legend Benito Skinner (AKA Benny Drama) to film a chaotic-yet-glam video with his three alter egos — the club kid, the southern belle transplant and Gen-Z intern — checking out Valentino's new book, which you can purchase at Valentino boutiques and ideabooks.nl.

Direction: Olivier Lessard
Production: Peter Schwab
Styling: Rachel Pincus
Styling assistant: Karina Salerno
Hair: Erika Abe
Makeup: Christina Lee Adams
Nails: Riley Walden