"Family values and love." That's what Riccardo Tisci wants you to know about his new women's and men's fall campaign for Givenchy, lensed by Mert & Marcus, laid out by M/M, and starring Carine Roitfeld (who also styled) with her daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, as well as Amanda Seyfried, among others.
"These people are my family," said the designer. "They have always believed in me. They are very faithful to me. Faithfulness and love are the most amazing things in what I want to do. I think it is a moment of history for me in fashion for my own gang." Agreed. But wait, where's Frank Ocean in this family affair?
If the Chinese authorities thought their 2011 detention of Ai Weiwei would muzzle the outspoken artist-dissident-activist, they would be very wrong. Probably not timed with the Met's Punk show, the would-be punk has nonetheless recorded and, today, released a highly scathing and subversive—perhaps criminally so in the eyes of the Communist party—"heavy metal" track.
Called Dumbass, hilariously, the "single" is the first from his forthcoming album, The Divine Comedy, due out June 22. We use quotation marks liberally because nothing about the song or its video can be compared to a Western-style commercial venture. Which is to say, it's rather excruciating stuff, but cut him some slack — he's not Psy and this isn't K-pop.
The music is composed by Ai Weiwei's friend, the guitarist Zuoxiao Zuzhou, while the cinematographer and Wong Kar-wai collaborator Christopher Doyle filmed the video in Ai Weiwei's studio. The idea was to recreate, to a high level of accuracy, the prison cell where he was held, down to the uncomfortable shower scenes. Later scenes are, reportedly, artistic interpretations; namely, an inflatable sex doll, lingerie-clad strippers and crabs in his toilet.
The song and video can also be found on Ai Weiwei's website.
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.
