Vanity Fair's red carpet is actually striped.
Vanity Fair’s Oscar parties are the stuff of Hollywood legend, so NM’s CMO Wanda Gierhart and I happily took the assignment, not quite anticipating what a whirlwind weekend it would be. The VF-mobile whisked us from LAX to the Peninsula Hotel, where our colleagues from NM Beverly Hills had sweetly placed welcome kits in our rooms, complete with NM chocolate chip cookies. Friday night we met the VF team for a night of bowling at the Spare Room in the Roosevelt Hotel. Publisher Ed Menicheschi is an excellent bowler and schooled us all. Who knew?
Bowling at The Spare Room with Vanity Fair.
Saturday morning we caught up with fashion veteran Hal Rubenstein over breakfast at the Four Seasons. He gave us some pointers for the red carpet:
-The “evening” starts at 3 pm and ends at midnight or 3am, so you have to feel good about what you are wearing for at least nine hours. If you are not comfortable walking out the door, you may want to rethink what you are wearing.
-There is nothing less sexy than a woman adjusting her strapless dress.
-Dress for the people who love you the most.
Hal loves NM ladies. Expect to see more of him at NM stores in the near future.
The witty and charming Hal Rubenstein.
No trip to LA is complete without a visit to NM Beverly Hills, where we checked in on Catherine Bloom, the extraordinary personal shopper. She was incredibly busy with her clients, as you can imagine, and she had plenty of advice to give.
-Always be comfortable in your skin and how you present yourself.
-Wear something that represents your fantasy and that takes you where you want to be.
-Beautiful things are beautiful things. If they hold your eye it doesn’t matter if they match.
-I am seeing women gravitate toward jumpsuits. It’s a sexy look that makes you turn around and it’s beautiful, not vulgar.
Spring 2013 runway pieces inside Catherine Bloom's boutique.
A Roger Vivier clutch inside Catherine Bloom's boutique.
Next, a visit with our friends from Forevermark, who were providing diamond jewelry to VIPs in a suite at the Sunset Marquis. The array of diamonds was a dazzling sight, and we had fun speculating about who was wearing what. Forevermark said big diamond jewelry was back in favor, along with halo settings for added sparkle. Oxidized looks are trending too.
Diamonds, diamonds and more diamonds inside the Forevermark Oscars suite.
Nominee Jackie Weaver wore these Stephen Webster for Forevermark earrings to the ceremony.
Saturday evening we soaked up the Los Angeles Philharmonic with conductor Gustavo Dudamel and violinist Gil Shaham at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program was German Romanticism — Wagner, Brahms and Schumann. Just sublime.
By 8 am Sunday morning, limos were already lining up at the hotel. Sightings: Hugh Jackman, Harvey Weinstein and Rob Lowe. (We love the jewelry line by Rob’s wife Sheryl Lowe.)
While artist Kendra Richards did our hair and makeup, we pumped her for tips too.
1) Remember that the red carpet is lit. New lighting techniques mean that the old rules of piling on makeup so you don’t look washed out don’t hold true any more. Now you should use a lighter hand in doing make up.
2) To look ideal in photos stand at a slight angle and twist slightly at the waist, one hand on the hip.
3) Make sure to use a very lightweight powder to control shine but dont overdo it either. With high definition, heavy powder shows up too much and slightly dewy skin looks best.
4) Blue-red lipsticks help teeth look whiter while orange-red will look more yellow.
Hollywood views from my hotel room window at the Peninsula.
Ready for make-up magic!
Primped and Spanxed up, we departed for Spago. Wanda wore a draped Jason Wu and I wore an Emilio Pucci with sheer inserts. I was grateful for the sleeves. It was chilly out. At Spago, publishing partners of Vanity Fair gathered to watch the ceremony together before caravanning to the star-studded bash at the Sunset Tower Hotel. It must be the biggest assembly of celebrities on the planet, truly. Wanda managed to hold an Oscar (it’s heavy!) get a kiss on the cheek from Steven Tyler before it was over. Not a bad way to spend a weekend. Check out all the photos on VanityFair.com!
Wanda GIerhart in Jason Wu, Gabrielle de Papp in Emilio Pucci.
The Grand Hotel in Paris has been a nexus of opulence from Napoleonic times right through the circus of the Balmain Fall 2011 show, held here and attended by Kanye West, just hours prior. Yet it’s where we encountered Georgia May Jagger—at ease and barefoot in jeans and a vintage T-shirt she has owned since age 12—to discuss her new role as the face and design collaborator of Hudson Jeans. There are a half-dozen hip Paris hotels you’d sooner expect a Chanel model/rock royal/denim designer to crash, but classic luxury is Jagger’s element.
Belgian Myriam Ullens, founder of MUS, is a philanthropist and contemporary arts patron who logs a serious amount of air miles while tending to her projects. No surprise, then, that the line is designed for comfort, versatility and traveling well. Currently it’s produced in Italy and sold in European boutiques.