Diane Sawyer Forgets to Ask Katie Holmes About the HubbaspermDiane Sawyer interviewed Katie Holmes on Good Morning America yet neglected to ask her about the rumor that she was impregnated with L. Ron Hubbard’s sperm. New York Giants Plaxico Burress, Antonio Pierce, and Ruben Droughns went to Home nightclub in Manhattan after flying back from Dallas and ordered $1,000 of Bacardi, vodka, and Champagne, but forgot to tip their waitress. Waiters at Brasserie 44 in the Royalton Hotel thought they discovered Frank Bruni’s notebook, but it turned out to belong to someone else (and they slipped in some Bruni ass-kissing to boot!). Jil Scott picked up a male model at an Allure fashion shoot and took him to Nobu. Keith Olbermann’s quote to Playboy that “Fox News is worse than Al-Qaeda” did not go over well with many of the magazine’s readers.
video look book
Napa Mom Shows New Yorkers How to LiveMaryann Thatcher, a stay-at-home mom and vinter from Napa, visits New York to stock up on hats. She also gets her hair colored the right way, takes long baths, and shops at Bergdorf. This sounds so fun, Thatcher makes us want to take a vacation in New York. To learn more secrets of luxury tourism, watch the video.
Video Look Book: Maryann Thatcher
company town
Stephen Colbert Backlash: The Fall’s Hottest TrendMEDIA
• The American version of the Guardian hits our shores! [Guardian via Gawker]
• Stephen Colbert is leading Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel in national polls; the media backlash has already begun. [WP, HuffPo, Gawker]
• ASME announced the finalists for the 2007 best magazine cover. They must have missed the backlash memo: Colbert is featured three times, more than any other star. [ASME]
intel
Blair Waldorf Had Breakfast at Bendel, Not Tiffany’s
Earlier today we posted an item that suggested that in Blair’s dream sequence during Gossip Girl last night, she was paying a visit to Tiffany & Company. She was, after all, dressed as Holly Golightly. But readers were quick to correct us, pointing out that it was Henri Bendel where the opening scene was shot. Or was it Bergdorf? We were très confused. All the mixed Fifth Avenue metaphors! But now the verdict is in: As you can see from the above photo, the store in question was Bendel. It’s “the same place they went in the 1st episode, where Dan and Serena met the first time,” explained reader Emily, patiently. “Bendel’s is Serena’s favorite store she says!” Well, then, it’s settled. Until next week, here’s to caviar wishes and DVR dreams!
Earlier: Daily Intel’s treasure trove of Gossip Girl episode recaps, interviews, and dish!
gossipmonger
Diddy DissedDiddy’s longtime girlfriend Kim Porter has finally moved out (and on). Henry Kissinger is bummed he isn’t portrayed in Frost/Nixon. Chris Tucker impersonates Bill Clinton, and the former president can’t get enough. At Bergdorf Goodman last week, Beyoncé was barefoot and Katherine Heigl was hot. André Balasz has taken over the Chelsea Hotel and is setting his sights on the Pacific. White House in Hampton Bays paid Diddy $200,000 to host his Independence Day Party there. Ashlee Simpson might be at the Blackbook party in the Hamptons tomorrow. Gwyneth Paltrow, who’s on crutches, blames running into furniture for her injury; Helen Hunt, also on crutches, won’t say why.
show and talk
The Ladies, and Bergdorf, Love Posen
Zac Posen, clad in a white tuxedo, gabbed with the ladies at Bergdorf Goodman today. After a luncheon to celebrate his new beauty product, the Front Row Facial, Posen dropped down to the third floor to show off his new and hugely celebrated fall collection. His latest designs have a newfound touch of sophistication from joyful outbursts of color, like neon-green cocktail dresses, to architecturally inspired pieces, like Gwyneth Paltrow’s Oscar gown (pictured), Posen has made an aesthetic advance. We aren’t the only ones taking notice. Actress Lucy Liu, Posen’s date to last week’s Met Gala, “really loves” the collection, Posen admits. So how did the two meet up? “We dressed her for Vanity Fair, you know. And I sort of met her through that and really liked her.” “She’s a powerful, intelligent woman,” he adds. Considering the crowd at the trunk show today, Liu isn’t the only smart girl placing orders. Kendall Herbst
show and talk
Stella McCartney Has Something Up Her Ecofriendly Sleeve
Stella McCartney popped by Bergdorf Goodman yesterday afternoon, peddling her new fall line to the adoring, middle-aged crowd mobbing the third floor. The collection, in typical Stella form, gave a nod to the environment: Polar-bear sweaters and oversize knit coats are her alternative to glamorous fur toppers. “I think it’s important to stress that you don’t have to be 100 percent perfect,” McCartney said of the fashion industry’s recent moves toward greenness. “Every little bit helps. We try to do what we can.” One way: She’s offering a new vegan cosmetics line, which she coyly whispered is now available now at Barneys and Sephora.
show and talk
The Rodarte Designers Don’t Mind Bad ReviewsThe Rodarte designers, sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, had their turn for a Bergdorf Goodman trunk show this afternoon, and they brought along both their acclaimed spring collection and the less-well-reviewed fall line. There’s “controlled volume, draping, curiosity, playfulness” to these new designs, Kate said, but some critics haven’t been too impressed. Robin Givhan of the Washington Post, for example, argued that the work “needs maturity and better technique.” How did the designers handle that reaction? “We have a vision, and it’s going to take a lot of time to develop it,” Kate told us. “You’re not always going to get everything perfect.” She said that she was pleased to have critics talking, even if they didn’t love what they were saying. The worst thing is when it’s more of a lukewarm reply, she said. “If you do a collection, it should be that a lot of strong opinions come out.” At least the Rodarte collaboration with the Gap has been critically praised. But don’t hold your breath for a full low-priced collection. “We’re still experimenting with our own label and growing it,” Kate said. “All of our efforts are going towards that.” —Kendall Herbst
show and talk
Thakoon Panichgul Goes to Bergdorf’s, Talks GapDiminutive designer Thakoon Panichgul had his Bergdorf Goodman trunk show this afternoon, providing a first look at his fall garments, a markedly more somber palette than his rose-hued summer wears. Bergdorf bigs were helping privileged clients find their perfect pieces, but what we were curious about was the couturier’s new collaboration with the Gap. How does a high-end designer make clothes for the khaki-clad masses? “What it boils down to in this day and age is about the ability to design for all sorts of people,” he told us. “They’re two different worlds, but what links them together is the design sensibility. I think that as a young designer you can never take for granted anyone’s business. It broadens the interest by doing things like the Gap.” He would consider doing more low-price projects, he told us, if the right opportunity came along. “For me, it’s never about low-end,” he said. “It’s a lower price point, but it doesn’t suffer in design.” For now, though, he’s considering a menswear collection. “It’ll be interesting to see what I might think up for it,” he said, “because I’m so small.” —Kendall Herbst
Earlier:
Proenza Schouler Comes to Bergdorf Goodman, Finally
At Marchesa Show, Harvey’s Girl Wishes Halston Well
show and talk
Proenza Schouler Comes to Bergdorf Goodman, Finally
You can find lots of high-end labels at Bergdorf Goodman, but you couldn’t find Proenza Schouler there — until today. The Proenza boys — Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez — brought their latest designs to a trunk show at the Fifth Avenue department store to celebrate their line’s new home in the store. Mannequins displayed the fall collection, as did a few real, live, wandering models, and the boys mingled with Bergdorf execs and other invited celebs. McCullough explained that their design process starts with sketches focused on silhouettes and colors, rather than with larger themes, and Hernandez added that they usually start with the details and move on to larger shapes. These days, he said, “we’re really into designing coats and jackets,” which explains why so many showed up on their runway last month. And what’s coming for the September shows? They wouldn’t say. For now, they said, they’re focused on Proenza’s first-ever resort collection, to be followed by a sunglass line — “classics like aviators, but with a twist” — and, after that, bags. All of which you’ll now be able to find at Bergdorf. —Kendall Herbst
cultural capital
Holiday Windows Take Turn Toward the Trippy
The consolidation of department stores a trend cooling only because there’s nothing left to merge leaves Manhattan as the last hospitable environment for that Norman Rockwell tradition, the holiday window display. The city’s flagships Barneys, Bendel, Bergdorf, Bloomingdale’s, Saks, and Macy’s began unveiling their windows over the weekend, and, as usual, they’re secular spectacles. Out: Santa, model trains, gingerbread men. In: Scary, post-modern vignettes.
So which ones are worth wistful gazing? We’ve rated them according to five categories: holiday cheer, narrative, a sense of childlike wonder, and set design. Check back daily for three installments, culminating on Wednesday when the winner is revealed. Today, get creeped out by Saks and Bergdorf’s.
