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He's Baaaack
Is it wrong of us to be skeptical of Pete Doherty's "comeback" at the Paris shows? Last night, Pete—known for his omnipresent scabs, pasty pallor and English cabby-sized pupils—crawled out from his cave to play the opening of the new Joseph store on Avenue Montaigne. Garbed in a three-piece bespoke suit and Chanel shirt, tie, hat and handkerchief, the musician presumably made the appearance to get in good with the Joseph folks, slated to sell his new jewelry collab with fellow Brit Hannah Martin. Yet Doherty's most conspicuous accessory was a bandage on his right hand—we'll assume he just burned himself making dinner.
(We'll still sourcing an image. In the meantime, enjoy this old chestnut.)
Headline Trip
Hotelier extraordinaire Andre Balazs is said to be developing a new TV drama based on the unseemly activities in his hotels. We’re picturing a mix between The Shining and Are You Being Served? (Page Six)
Never lacking in decorative hardware, Karl Lagerfeld can now add “Commander of the French Legion of Honor” to his list of accolades and medals. (Vogue UK)
Model Abbey Lee sets the record straight: she touches herself because she wants to, not because Terry Richardson tells her to. (Times UK)
In a gilded Paris salon, the house of McQueen presented Lee's final collection, 15 ethereal looks of otherworldly beauty and a fitting swan song for his epic talent. (NY Times)
If you wanna curl up with a good book, opt for Henrik Vibskov's The Panda People and Other Works. It's as cute as it sounds. (slamxhype)
We're J'Loving...
these incredible 10” platform heels. Can you guess what the straw-like secret ingredient is? Dirt and hay? No, guess again. Granola bars smooshed together? Nope. A shellacked mix of pubes and dreadlocks? Ew, no. The answer: elephant dung. Shoe designer and former graffiti artist INSA was asked by Tate Britain to create an homage to Chris Ofili, the Turner Prize-winning, Nigerian-born, British artist with a retrospective currently on display at the venerable London art institution. Taking the task more seriously than you might think, INSA retraced the steps Ofili made 15 years ago and found pachyderm patties from the same family of elephants that produced the, um, material that the artist infamously varnished and added to his paintings in the nineties. With these works of art on your feet, you won't have to wonder what you stepped in. On display March 14.
Kilty by Association
It's nice to know Jean Paul Gaultier doesn't bring a publicist along to interviews—apparently. Prior to showing his fall collection yesterday, he sat down for a tête-à-tête with the Times of London, in which he compared the whiff of pudding to "the fart of a nun." That's our kind of humor! He also said Martin Margiela was not only his "best assistant," but handsome to boot, while Guy Ritchie, whom the designer kilt-ed for his 2000 nuptials to Madonna, went commando for the ceremony, going so far as to lift his skirt beforehand and show him the goods. When asked for a verdict, Gaultier giggled, saying he "understood Madonna," which must mean the tough-guy director was packing some serious heat. Or not.
The Quickie
André Leon Talley on The Martha Stewart Show tomorrow: "Well let me just say to you this. I called ahead and I said please tell me it’s a first class seat, please. They said, 'Yes, it’s a first class seat.' But it was like a little Victorian coffin. It was a seat that went aslant like I was a sardine and I couldn’t move... I needed a whole cabin."
Annual Statement
It’s already time to look forward to another dose of artful T&A. That's right, the next Pirelli calendar will soon be lensed. For 2011, the venerable institution has enlisted Karl Lagerfeld to shoot all the top bods in the business, marking a departure from Terry Richardson's smiling smut for 2010. The Kaiser, it seems, has something more refined brewing, opting for his Paris studio over the usual rolling-around-on-a–sandy-beach backdrop. We’re hoping he has a few provocative tricks up his starched sleeve, perhaps a guest—and nude—appearance from Baptiste Giabiconi? Would that be D&A?
The Quickie
Contrary to rumors, a reliable source tells us Gareth Pugh is NOT in talks with Gucci Group about taking the Creative Director role at Alexander McQueen.
Label of Love
Earlier this week on Oprah, Tom Ford revealed that he'll be designing womenswear again, even if he hastily added "possibly" as a PR-induced afterthought. According to sources in-the-know, however, the deal is indeed a go, with Ford reportedly recruiting designers for the label's imminent launch. Dates and details are scarce, but we do know (courtesy of Ms. O) that Ford is also currently working on his next hush-hush cinematic projet, citing a renewed desire to pursue two creative disciplines. Though Ford wasn't nominated for any Oscars this year, he'll still be outfitting hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, the latter in two of his suits. No word yet if the full Ford treatment will include shaving, plucking, waxing or otherwise grooming Baldwin's famously hairy body.
We're J'Loving...
jewelry designer Delfina Delettrez's new collection, currently showing at Paris Fashion Week. Based on talismanic symbolism, it's all about the number five—as in her fifth collection, the fifth solar cycle in the Mayan calendar (which predicts 2012 will be catastrophic for the world), her five-star logo and the number of shoes in the Giuseppe Zanotti pour Delfina Delettrez collection. It's surreal-meets-occult-meets-Fendi (her family). Love.
Hint Tip: Mother Teresa at ASS
Here's more proof there's nothing sacred left in the world. Starting today at Terence Koh's Asia Song Society, Mother Teresa—aka Shanghai artist Bao Xei, not the beatified Albanian nun whose tireless work for the poor in Calcutta, India, earned her a Nobel Peace Prize—will use the namesake's image in the context of illicit drugs. Specifically, he'll "employ a wrapped sculpture of the nun on top of a white piano and ask two friends of the gallery to play on the piano...and Ectasy will help." It seems Xei, who takes X in Shanghai nightclubs, "wants to show that in playing music we can all acheive Ectastic Holiness of Mother Teresa."
The Ectasy of Bao Xei is open to the public 24/7 for one week, March 5 - 12 (with special performances at 8:00 pm on those two days), Asia Song Society, 45 Canal Street.
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