Originally published in WSJ Speakeasy blog
Filed under: Television
Forget about waiting for the latest episode of "Saturday Night Live" to show up on the internet. For devoted fans of "The Hangover" star Zach Galifianakis, nothing short of seeing the burly and bearded comedian host the sketch comedy show in person would do.
On Friday evening, as Midtown offices emptied out for the weekend, around 30 young fans lay strewn across 49th Street, bundled up in layers, clutching iPhones, blankets and sleeping bags.
Originally published in WSJ Speakeasy blog
Filed under: Television
Bravo's 'Real Housewives of New York' returns to the air tonight, and if the trailer is to be believed, the drama starts out at 10 p.m. ET and screeches its way to 11.
Rumors circulated that the New York ladies were asking to do press alone due to internal tension, a charge Luann de Lesseps denies. She does acknowledge that "alliances have changed" this season, an understated referral to the now nuclear fight between former besties Jill Zarin and Bethenny Frankel. (Which, frankly, makes us sad as fans. Past Bethenny-Jill segments were endearing and kooky.)
Originally published in WSJ Speakeasy blog
Filed under: Culture / Music
Tuesday night's sold-out Jay-Z concert at Madison Square Garden catered to recently-converted fans ("Empire State of Mind" was played in the middle of the set) and longtime diehards (the closing encore was packed with bounce-inducing early hits like 1999's "Big Pimpin" and 1998's "Hard Knock Life" and "Can I Get A...").
A surprise guest nearly stole the spotlight from Hova, though. Jay-Z took an unexpected break in the middle of the set, ceding the stage to Young Jeezy, who asked the crowd to pray for prison-bound Lil Wayne. As Nicki Minaj and Jeezy performed Young Money's "Bedrock," Lil Wayne bounced into view unannounced, ricocheting off the stage like a teenage cat. The crowd squealed a collective "OMG!" like tweens at a Justin Bieber concert. Rapper Drake completed the entourage as they segued into the now-apropos mixtape jam "I'm Going In." Each of Lil Wayne's going innnn's was savored by the crowd, as it was likely to be the last performance before the rapper starts a one-year sentence for gun possession.
Originally published in WSJ Speakeasy blog
Filed under: Fashion / Red Carpet
Many designers big and small would do just about anything for a chance to dress an actress at the Academy Awards. But gown designer Gilles Mendel, the designer behind glamorous line J. Mendel, is more sanguine about it.
At a talk at Manhattan's French Institute Alliance Francaise, the designer discussed growing up in a family of furriers, moving to Manhattan and how he grew the family company into luxury brand. He told anecdotes of sleeping on sables when he was child, and said that he started making women's clothes in the 1980s because he thought anti-fur protesters wouldn't smash his Madison Avenue windows at night if he showcased dresses over minks.
Originally published in Wall Street Journal
Filed under: Fashion / Technology
Vogue magazine's new iPhone app is primarily a shopping application, enabling users to scroll through every Vogue ad, click to buy and getting styling advice on the season's trends, Elva Ramirez reports.
Originally published in WSJ Speakeasy blog
Filed under: Fashion / Parties
Zac Posen's new exclusive collection for Saks Fifth Avenue, Z Spoke, was feted last night with the usual fashion party trappings: champagne, finger food, models and music. Posen, who's recently been dogged by questions of his company's financial health, was in good spirits, charming his models, gathering socialites into embraces for photos, even indulging a few fans with polite chatter.
Originally published in WSJ Speakeasy blog
Filed under: Culture / Fashion / Film & TV / Movies
With the release of R.J. Cutler's "The September Issue" on DVD, someone made the genius decision to pack in over 90 minutes worth of never-before-seen footage. The bonus footage actually exceeds the original film's length. Often, deleted scenes and bonus footage play like indulgent filler, but The September Issues's extras are as compelling and quirky as anything that made the film.
Originally published in WSJ Heard on the Runway
Filed under: Fashion / New York Fashion Week
"The fashion show, the walking up-and-down, the turn-turn-turn -- it's really become cliched, a thing of the past," designer Marc Bouwer said Thursday evening at a viewing party for the premiere of his Fall 2010 runway film.
His film stars fellow South African expat and Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel modeling his Fall 2010 collection against a celestial background. Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf employed a similar technique with Shalom Harlow for their Spring 2009 show.
Originally published in WSJ Heard on the Runway
Filed under: Fashion / New York Fashion Week
The crowd waiting for the doors to open at the Chelsea Art Museum for Marchesa's Fall 2010 presentation yesterday snaked around the block, like a very well-dressed pack of music fans staking out concert tickets.
Just inside the door, waiters stood at attention with trays of freshly-uncorked Dom Perignon. Amiable, chattering guests found themselves staring at models on pedestals, set against black curtains and under bright lights. Whether it was from the heat of the lights or the tightly-packed space, a few models looked like they might wilt and take their pretty frocks with them. A girl in an ethereal red dress visibly teetered, then caught herself.
Originally published in WSJ Heard on the Runway
Filed under: Fashion / New York Fashion Week
Guests at William Rast's Wednesday evening show at Cedar Lake in Chelsea found staggered sets of tiered benches set around the event space, forming an H-pattern. There wasn't a bad seat in the house. As soon as the lights went out, a band in the corner, Freesol, kicked into some rock 'n' roll and a giant LED screen dramatically lit up. As models took their walks towards the photographers' pit, cameras caught them at different angles and projected them live onto a large screen in the back.
The cameras were focused on the front row, too. Singers Estelle and Matt Morris, French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld, Vogue's Anna Wintour and actress Jessica Biel, girlfriend of Justin Timberlake were all in attendance. Mr. Timberlake and his childhood friend Trace Ayala are William Rast's creative directors.
Originally published in WSJ Heard on the Runway
Filed under: Fashion / New York Fashion Week
Two large all-white floral arrangements dominated the rooms at the Hosfelt Gallery, where Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen held their first runway show for their luxury line, The Row. Seating was limited to just 100 of fashion's top names; a coterie of A-list guests, including Anna Wintour, Nina Garcia, Chloe Sevigny and Carey Mulligan, were in the front row.
Models wore monochrome, layered ensembles, such as camisoles and dresses paired with corsets, with no accessories, minimal makeup, loose hair and flat sandals. The collection was strictly edited: There were only 20 looks, which meant there weren't deviations into other themes.
Originally published in WSJ Heard on the Runway
Filed under: Fashion / New York Fashion Week
Every emerging designer remembers the first time that Vogue's Anna Wintour attends his or her fashion week show. Christian Cota got his inaugural visit Tuesday evening at the Metropolitan Pavilion as he presented his Fall 2010 collection.
The designer walked the editor through his looks, which were presented on a platform stage where models in ombre wigs stood (or tried to stand) perfectly still. Professional and amateur photographers created a little circle around the pair as they moved across one set of clothes to the next.
'Real Housewives of New York' Full of Songs, Feuds
Jay-Z Welcomes Lil Wayne to Stage, But No "Hello Brooklyn" Duet
Designer Gilles Mendel Won't Enter Oscar Red Carpet Roulette
Test-Driving Vogue's iPhone App
Zac Posen on His Chances For Dressing an Oscars Attendee: "Fingers Crossed"
"The September Issue": Highlights from the DVD Bonus Footage
Marc Bouwer's Fall 2010 Show, Now Playing on YouTube
Marchesa's Courtesan Collection
William Rast Draws on Native American Influences
