Elyse Glickman

Sue Wong not only has it all, but can certainly share her good fortune with great gusto. She usually opens the Cedars, her 1920s-era Hollywood mansion, to serve as a backdrop for informal fashion shows. However, on this auspicious New Year’s Eve, her home (which itself had many lives, from the home of early film director Marcel Tourneur and wife Norma Talmadge, to a set for the movie Sunset Boulevard, to rock-and-roll haven for Jimi Hendrix, Dennis Hopper and other ’60s figures) was a stage for her to channel Coco Chanel and Auntie Mame (the 1958 version with Rosalind Russell), put out a fine banquet (because life is, after all, a banquet), serve cocktails and put on a show featuring traditional Chinese performances, pop music, opera and folk music.
   Sue Wong was the consummate master of ceremonies, and her guests were a colourful assortment of artists, actors, writers, socialites and musicians. It was a collection of people Mame Dennis herself would be proud of.
   While LA Fashion Week is a few weeks off, and we’re sure fashion and lifestyle empress Sue Wong has another great collection ahead of her for fall–winter 2014–15, a few hours in her stunning, jewel-toned home is one of the best representations of Old and New Hollywood coming together visually.
   Celebrities on hand included Jane Seymour, Miss Hong Kong 2014 Erin Tjoe, Carly Craig, K. D. Aubert, Kimberly Kates, legendary LA publicist Ed Lozzi, Joyce Giraud and Michael Ohoven.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Elyse Glickman

Thibault Grabherr and Anouchka de Williencourt/SND

Top Pierre Niney as Yves Saint Laurent and Guillaume Gallienne as Pierre Bergé in YSL. Above Pierre Niney as Yves Saint Laurent and Charlotte Le Bon as Victoire Doutreleau.

The first of two bio-pics on fashion design legend Yves Saint Laurent opens today in France.
   YSL, directed by Jalil Lespert, stars Pierre Niney, whose make-up is so convincing that Saint Laurent’s last surviving dog reportedly mistook him for his master. Saint Laurent’s former partner and business manager, Pierre Bergé, has also called Niney’s performance convincing.
   Women’s Wear Daily noted that Niney studied footage of Saint Laurent and took sewing and drawing classes to prepare for his role.
   Bergé has endorsed Lespert’s film, which covers the period between 1957 and 1976, and provided the producers with access to the Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent foundation archive.
   Even from the trailer, there is a sense of visual verisimilitude, and the film has already received acclaim from Paris Match and Elle.
   Bergé has said, ‘The film does not take sides, but tells the truth. All men have a dark and a light side. My life with Yves Saint Laurent was not a fairy tale, but I would not change anything.’
   However, critics of Lespert’s film claim that it glosses over Saint Laurent’s genius. Thomas Bidegain, scriptwriter for the rival bio-pic, told The Daily Telegraph that YSL was ‘simply recounted by Bergé, like Mozart recounted by Salieri.’
   One can see the origins of Bidegain’s claim. In a positive review in L’Express, Mathilde Laurelli notes that YSL recounts a ‘pygmalion du couturier,’ and that it could be more objective.
   However, she and other reviewers tended to praise the film for exploring Saint Laurent’s inner demons, and the clothes from the archive.
   The rival film, which also claims “official” status, has the blessing of François Pinault, the owner of the Yves Saint Laurent brand. Saint Laurent, to be released in May, is directed by Bertrand Bonello, and stars Gaspard Ulliel as the designer. Léa Seydoux plays Loulou de la Falaise and Jérémie Renier portrays Bergé.
   Yves Saint Laurent started at Dior in the mid-1950s and succeeded the designer on his death in 1957. He was drafted in 1960 to fight in the Algerian War of Independence. On his return, Bergé, an art dealer who had met Saint Laurent while he was in a military hospital, tried to have Saint Laurent reinstated at Dior, but the house refused. They successfully sued for breach of contract. They went on to start the Yves Saint Laurent label along with some of the Dior staff. Saint Laurent was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in 1985. The following year, the company took control of its fragrance business and floated on the stock exchange. In December 2007, President Nicolas Sarkozy appointed Saint Laurent Officier of the Légion d’honneur. Saint Laurent died in 2008.

Thibault Grabherr and Anouchka de Williencourt/SND

Top Charlotte Le Bon plays Victoire, Dior’s muse, later at Saint Laurent. Above Yves Saint Laurent and Victoire Doutreleau in 1962.

Thibault Grabherr and Anouchka de Williencourt/SND

Above Lots 173 and 174: an original Karl Lagerfeld sketch, and the corresponding Tiziani coral gown with feathered cape.

Fashion sketchbooks and drawings by Karl Lagerfeld will be auctioned on January 11 by Palm Beach Modern Auctions in West Palm Beach, Fla.
   The drawings were done for Tiziani, which was set up by American designer Evan ‘Buddy’ Richards in Roma in 1963, catering to celebrities and royalty. Lagerfeld freelanced for the house and the drawings illustrate how haute couture made the leap to designer ready-to-wear.
   Rico Baca, auctioneer at Palm Beach Modern Auctions, notes that the collection is unique. Even though Lagerfeld was in the habit of throwing out old work, Richards meticulously held on to the sketches produced for him by the young designer. The collection was maintained in full by subsequent estates.
   He also says that the drawings showed the shift from haute couture to prêt-à-porter: ‘Evan Richards and his brilliant designer Karl Lagerfeld were right at the forefront. Richards had grown weary of his couture designs being purchased, taken apart and copied line for line by New York department stores. Eventually he thought, “Why shouldn’t we be the ones selling our designs as ready-to-wear?” That was the beginning of it all.’
   Baca says, ‘It contains Lagerfeld sketchbooks—some showing entire ready-to-wear lines for a season—hundreds of individual sketches by Lagerfeld and other Tiziani designers, hundreds of photos of couture shows, and several signed photos and personal notes from Elizabeth Taylor to Tiziani.’
   Tiziani designed for Princess Marcella Borghese, Doris Duke and Gina Lollobrigida, and was a favourite of Elizabeth Taylor. Tiziani designed for Taylor for several films, and some of the drawings are marked for ‘Elizabeth Taylor Burton’.
   The auction includes a Tiziani coral gown with feathered cape, matched to Lagerfeld’s original pre-production sketch. There are also four other pieces of Tiziani couture—three dresses and a beaded top—plus four Mary McFadden couture garments and a mod-style Kiki Hart pantsuit, according to the auction house.
   The 400-lot archive will be auctioned on January 11 at 12 p.m. EST, at 417 Bunker Road, West Palm Beach, Fla. 33405. Internet bids will be taken via LiveAuctioneers.com. The online catalogue can be viewed at LiveAuctioneers.com. A cocktail party preview benefiting the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens will be held at Palm Beach Modern Auctions on January 9 at 5 p.m.

Above Lots 95 and 3: original sketches by Karl Lagerfeld for Tiziani. The one on the right bears a note that it is for ‘Elizabeth Taylor Burton’.

Former Lucire stylist Illya Knight’s accessory brand, G.O.N.T. (God of Nocturnal Thunder) is something new and exciting to get behind. G.O.N.T. aims to enhance personal style and individuality through their edgy jewellery, menswear, womenswear, footwear and bags. Inspired by nature, power and strength, this new label delves into the concepts of glamour and power. Their eclectic pieces each make an original statement.
   Based in New York, G.O.N.T. is a start-up company which is constantly growing, where new pieces are being added online daily. Knight aims to create garments able to be flaunted in the day-to-day wardrobe where functionality meets quality and style.
   In looking through G.O.N.T.’s promotional imagery, what really stood out for me are the artistic photography and the luxurious-looking leather. The most distinctive piece is the ski-boot-style men’s leather boots. Opening at the sides, I have never seen anything like them. Their originality, incorporating ski-sporty with grungy, is something to be valued as mixing elements is not an easy task. Here at Lucire we also highly rate his rugged denim with its vibrant colours and creased exterior. Last but not least the G.O.N.T. leather mailbox bag is both luxe and grungy, I wouldn’t mind one if this myself! Check out G.O.N.T. for yourself at thegont.tumblr.com.—Anna Deans

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Cartier: le style et l’histoire opens on December 4, showcasing the renowned brand in a retrospective organized by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux–Grand Palais.
   The Cartier Collection has been shown in 25 exhibitions worldwide since 1983, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the British Museum, Lisboa’s Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, and Beijing’s Palace Museum.
   The VIP private opening on Monday at le Grand Palais was attended by many of the names that Cartier has touched. Guests included HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and her daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joely Richardson, Monica Bellucci, Tomo Kurata, Lea Weller, Ora Ito and Emilie Marant, Patricia d’Arenberg, John and Laviana Elkan, Hubert de Givenchy, V. V. Brown, Adelaide de Clermont Tonnerre, Guillaume Cerutti and his wife Marjorie, Henri de la Croix de Castries, and Maharaja Tikka de Kapurthala.
   The exhibition runs till February 16 at the Grand Palais, Paris, and features 600 creations, including high jewellery pieces, mystery clocks, watches and precious objects. Some will be shown alongside private loans, displayed for the first time. Archive material and documentation accompany the exhibition.

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Pascal le Segretain

Above President of Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Jean-Paul Cluzel, and president of Cartier, Stanislas de Quercize. Kristin Scott Thomas and Joely Richardson. L’Archiduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg. Monica Bellucci and HSH Prince Albert II. Tomo Kurata and Lea Weller. Ora Ito and Emilie Marant. Patricia d’Arenberg. Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg, Princess Francesca von Habsburg and John and Laviana Elkan. HSH Prince Albert II de Monaco, Archduchess Eleonore von Habsburg and her daughter Princess Francesca von Habsburg. Hubert de Givenchy. V. V. Brown. Adelaide de Clermont Tonnerre. Guillaume Cerutti, CEO of Sotheby’s France and his wife Marjorie. Henri de La Croix de Castries, 5th Comte de Castries, and his wife. Maharaja Tikka de Kapurthala and guest.

Rindoff Petroff/Castel

Dominic O’Neill

Mini knows it’s on to a good thing, especially when it has 2½ million customers worldwide for the fashion-led 21st-century models released under BMW.
   With the launch of the fourth-generation Mini, BMW has stuck with the fashion image, with Poppy Delevingne, fashion designers Henry Holland and Amy Molyneaux, Peaches Geldof, Ellie Goulding, Pips Taylor, Zara Martin, Laura Bailey, Made in Chelsea’s Kimberley Garner and Diego Bivero-Volpe, Nik Thakkar, Kelly Eastwood and Jaime Winstone, Lianne La Havas, Ella Catliff, and Sugababe Jade Ewen at the after-party, giving it some style cred.
   The earlier unveiling had taken place in Oxford at the BMW plant, where the original 1959 Mini was built when the factory was owned by the British Motor Corporation.
   The Monday night after-party at the Sorting Office in London saw 500 guests at the event, where Goulding even worked the DJ decks before Fenech Soler performed an hour-long set. Little Dragon DJ then took over through to Tuesday midnight.
   The party continues today in Los Angeles at the Kim Sing Theater, with 175 guests invited, and Passion Pit performing live.
   The finalé will take place in Shanghai, with 200 guests on Thursday at the Waterhouse in South Bund. Gossip and Beth Ditto will perform live.
   The global launch of the new F56 Mini will take place in the first quarter of 2014.

Dominic O’Neill

While some designers strive to create an ideal vision of the perfect female customer, others choose to let their customer use fashion to define their own definition of perfection. Annah Stretton, now easing her way into to the US and other countries’ markets via her jaunty online boutiques, fits the second category and does it with the flair of one of her famously fitted jackets. I discovered this on my 2010 visit to Wellington when in town to cover the Cocktail World Cup (of 42 Below vodka notoriety).
   Soon after I purchased my first Annah-designed investment-piece jacket (which still turns fashionista heads here in LA three years on), Lucire publisher Jack Yan filled me in on her other accomplishments in publishing and public speaking. In 2013, she succeeded in getting my attention again, and not just because of all of the curve flattering frocks and expanded number of shops. Shortly after I arrived in Wellington, on the heels of covering the Food and Wine Classic (FAWK) in Hawke’s Bay, a cartoon incarnation of Annah peeked up at me from one of the stacks at the Lucire offices.
   Rock the Boat (her third effort), content-wise, is focused on a core readership of success-driven New Zealand women. The business leaders and movers-and-shakers, therefore, will be more recognizable to that group. However, from the perspective of an outsider (an American woman) looking in, this book is still a fun read with a lot of very positive messages and life lessons. Although it is obvious why she’s billed as the New Zealand answer to Oprah, one has to appreciate that she’s made sure her own larger-than-life persona does not overshadow the input and impact made by her “guest stars” (including the equally vibrant Cuisine publisher Ray McVinnie, who MCed several FAWK events, as well as World of Wearable Art founder Dame Suzie Moncrieff, and Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kevin Roberts). This, in turn, turns readers not familiar with New Zealand personality, culture and industry to read on, learn and be genuinely inspired.
   From a design standpoint, Rock the Boat, like her spring–summer 2013–14 collection of frocks, tempts a reader to pick it up and try some things on for size. Though æsthetically some of this year’s dresses and this year’s book chapters may be a little too busy visually, other visually appealing chapters will fit and feel just right for an individual reader. Then again, that’s the beauty of the new generation of eclectic, self-help and motivational books aiming for a wide readership. Not every idea or message will be a fit, but chances are if you shop around—especially on this Stretton-led cruise—you will get some divine inspiration when charting your own course.—Elyse Glickman, US West Coast Editor

Although publicized at a ceremony in Auckland last night, DHL has lifted the embargo tonight to announce that Commoners has won its Fashion Export Scholarship.
   In a release, Jae Mills, Commoners’ designer, said, ‘The DHL export scholarship is very important to us as we see it as an opportunity to connect internationally. We are currently focused on growing our brand in the Australian market. This will be our focus for the next one to two years.
   ‘We have chosen this market as our main export market as we feel a strong connect with the culture and our brand has been received really well over the past six months. Also from a logistical perspective we share the same seasons so in these early stages, production and distribution can be easily managed. Once we have the right structure within our business we can look at northern hemisphere business in the future.’
   Fay Nwokobia, Head of Asia-Pacific at www.my-wardrobe.com, said, ‘The DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship assists us in identifying new talent out of New Zealand, and we felt that the calibre of entries was outstanding. As a result, we’re interested in starting a conversation with not only Commoners, who were the worthy scholarship recipient, but also the other two finalists Blak and Meadowlark.’
   The competition was judged by Margi Robertson (Nom D), John Kelly (Max Fashions), Megan Wildermoth (DHL) and Paul Blomfield (FINZ).
   Robertson noted that Commoners was ‘brave. They’ve stuck to their guns in terms of their design æsthetic, which takes a lot of guts. They also have a strong, strategic marketing campaign which is very specific and reflects the clothes well.’
   Commoners receives NZ$10,000 worth of international freight and a meeting with buyers from www.my-wardrobe.com. The prize also includes coaching in freight and logistics, a tailored export mentoring package, and a year’s FINZ membership.