A name-dropping night
THERE was more avant garb Nov. 18 at the MOCA opening gala for “Skin + Bones” -- an exhibit about fashion and architecture parallels -- than you could shake a hanger at. And not just on display. Savvy style-setters were on a designer last-name basis, as in “I’m wearing Miyake, Yamamoto, Watanabe, McQueen and/or Westwood.” After viewing the provocative exhibit, guests -- including Wallis Annenberg, artists John Baldessari and Ed Ruscha, designers Ruben and Isabel Toledo, and interior designer Kelly Wearstler -- were shuttled to a lavish dinner in a huge tent near Disney Hall. 1. Eva Mendes said she wished designers would loan her some of the MOCA gowns. 2. Actresses Debi Mazur and Rachel Griffiths compared shoulder structures. 3. Guests relaxed on ottomans of bundled-up colorful T-shirts and marveled at the huge net of knotted Ts suspended from the ceiling.
-- Elizabeth Snead
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A scent in the lap of luxury
4. Tom Ford was in town Nov. 16 to hawk his new fragrance Black Orchid at Neiman Marcus. At his VIP dinner at Cut: Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston, Topher Grace, Camilla Belle, Arianna Huffington, Dylan McDermott, Shiva Rose, Darren Star and stylist Rachel Zoe. Imagine Ford’s pique when he realized Zoe’s coveted seat at the table went unused. Word is she returned for dessert. Maybe it was something in the air. Ford has told media he wanted his scent to smell like a man’s crotch. Now there’s an appetite killer. Eau de Zipper?
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No real party is complete without . . .
... a Stone or two. 5-6. Art-loving actress Emily Procter snagged a cool painting by Ronnie Wood at Les Deux Cafe lastSunday. What is it? A rhino, silly. “All of his work is so complex and diverse, but this one looks like mental music. And it’s the only one I could afford,” Procter said. Also at the show: Mick Jagger and galpal L’Wren Scott; Ron’s wife, Jo Wood; Slash; and Procter’s “CSI: Miami” costar Adam Rodriguez.
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Secrets are revealed
7. “Sexy” was on, as shown by Jessica Stam, at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (airing Dec. 5 on CBS) at the Kodak Theatre on Nov. 16. 8. Justin Timberlake performed admirably on the runway, singing and dancing so close to Gisele Bundchen that the supermodel admitted she was nervous. The troop of taut VS models wowed the audience, including Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Quincy Jones, Robert Evans, Kyle MacLachlan, with naughty stewardess, schoolgirl and cheerleader male fantasies. 9. But models such as Ajuma Nasanyama got the royal treatment with Balmoral-inspired tweeds, Tudor tartans and Scotch plaid bras and thongs accessorized with huge pheasant feathers and wild turkey wings. After the flesh fest, the Roosevelt after-bash was a letdown. VS supermodel Karolina Karkova showed up in a baggy T-shirt with wet, scraggly hair. The highlight? Hilton and old beau Stavros Niacharos having a fight by the pool. Nuff said.
Elizabeth Snead writes the Styles & Scenes blog at TheEnvelope.com.
