Fashion Diary: ‘Bruno’ and ‘Cheri,’ boy toys on film

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Gossip, first impressions, trends in the making, celebrities and style setters. A regular feature by fashion critic Booth Moore.

I couldn’t wait to see ‘Bruno’ after the hubbub Sacha Baron Cohen created at fashion week last September trying to sneak into runway shows. And though the film, which opens July 10, wasn’t the all-out ‘Zoolander’ or ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ sort of fashion industry spoof I was expecting, it was a lot of fun -- with a definite dark side.

With his frosted highlights, hairless bod and orange tan, Bruno (Baron Cohen), an Austrian fashion TV reporter, is a caricature of a designer-obsessed gay man. (Now I know where all of those men’s runway looks have been going: The peekaboo plastic trench, the skin-tight T-shirts and short-shorts, the Dolce & Gabbana fatigues -- they are all here, courtesy of costume designer Jason Alper.)

The stereotype might be offensive to some, except that the film’s prevailing message is about tolerance. Plus, Baron Cohen is equal opportunity. He lampoons homophobes in Arkansas, fundamentalists in Alabama, members of Mossad in the Middle East, stage moms in Sherman Oaks and celebrities, including Paula Abdul, in Hollywood.

He also pokes fun at fashionistas, crashing an Agatha Ruiz de la Prada show during Milan Fashion Week and wandering down the runway in a Velcro suit before being removed. According to the production notes, earlier attempts to get into shows had failed after Baron Cohen was recognized, and the Italian fashion chamber even issued a warning to designers about what he was up to. So to gain entrance to de la Prada’s backstage area, Baron Cohen disguised himself as an Italian photographer, then found a hiding place to change into his Bruno outfit. After lumbering onto the runway, he was arrested, questioned by police officers and strip searched! Jeez, all that for the best publicity the quirky Spanish designer de la Prada (not to be confused with Miuccia Prada) could hope for in a lifetime.

Finished with fashion, Bruno heads to Hollywood and beyond to become a celebrity. And it’s a great ride. I’m curious how difficult it was for Baron Cohen to keep up his act after the success of ‘Borat,’ and fascinated that people (including Ron Paul) fell for it.

What turned out to be a wonderfully escapist fashion film is ‘Cheri,’ which opened Friday, is set in Belle Epoque Paris, and based on the writings of Colette. It stars Michelle Pfeiffer as the aging courtesan Lea, and Rupert Friend as her boy toy Cheri.

The interiors are incredibly lush (think palms, animal skins and Chinoiserie). Production designer Alan MacDonald shopped Paris’ treasure-filled antique shops and markets for the goods, including stuffed birds, velvet drapes and gilded candelabras. In addition to several chateaux outside of Paris, locations included Maxim’s restaurant and the Hotel du Palais in Biarritz.

Costume designer Consolata Boyle (‘The Queen’) did a wonderful job capturing the new, freer silhouette of the turn of the century. By then, corsets and bustles were disappearing. The long, sumptuous dresses looked as if the couturier Paul Poiret could have designed them himself.

bottom, Bruno Calvo / Miramax Films.

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