Vogue World: Hollywood was a flex for the magazine and a long-overdue recognition of the influence film has on fashion. Also, Swarovski’s must-see “Masters of Light: Hollywood” exhibition of fashion and costume is on display and open to the public until Nov. 3.
Vogue World: Hollywood Is a Rah-Rah for the Fashion and Film Industries
With Paramount Studios serving as a runway stage, Baz Luhrmann directing, a Chanel-clad Nicole Kidman starring, and a stacked celebrity cast and front row, Vogue World: Hollywood was a joyous mashup of fashion and film, featuring iconic Hollywood costumes, characters, fresh-off-the-runway fashion and archival looks.
Say what you will about it being a pointless marketing exercise, and many online have said exactly that, but it was a rah-rah for both struggling industries, and a flex for Vogue, which is the only brand on the planet that could have pulled in all that star power. It also raised $4.5 million for the Entertainment Community Fund, providing a safety net for arts workers hit particularly hard this year.
Sunday’s event brought 400-plus guests to the Paramount lot, including what were surely the most famous extras in history. “Picture’s up, places please, picture’s up!” a stage manager called over the bullhorn as they arrived on set.
“They’re stressing everybody out because we all actually do this and when you say picture’s up it’s serious!” Miley Cyrus said, walking in incognito wearing a Saint Laurent leather trench, newsboy cap and sunglasses.
“I’m looking for the next motion picture star!” stylist Brad Goreski joked, looking every bit the studio boss in a dapper suit, sunglasses and slicked-back hair, arriving with Ashley Park in a corseted Wiederhoeft dress that carried a sense of costume.
Stars from music (Rita Ora, V, Machine Gun Kelly, Lizzo), film (Dakota Johnson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cynthia Erivo, Taika Waititi), costume (Sandy Powell, Ruth E. Carter, Colleen Atwood), fashion (Anthony Vaccarello, Zac Posen, Jerry Lorenzo) and other power players in Anna Wintour’s orbit (Gov. Gavin Newsom, Bryan Lourd, Tyler Perry, Casey Wasserman) strolled past props, costume rails and spotlights on their way to director’s chair seats.
The runway was high-energy and fast — people were having fun! — which is something we need more of in fashion and worked well for the 35-minute livestream of the show. While it was confusing to figure out what was designer-made and what was costume, that may have been the point.
The art forms have blurred. Costume designers have dipped their toes into fashion design and collaborated with luxury brands on films, not to mention continually influencing runway and street style decade after decade. Meanwhile, fashion designers are casting Hollywood faces as brand ambassadors, bringing even more showmanship to their runway shows and clothing to reach digital audiences, and even stepping into producing and costuming Hollywood films.
All of it was on display on the runway.
L.A.-based designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy were working in both worlds long before Anthony Vaccarello and Saint Laurent Films began producing awards-contending movies. They designed costumes for the 2010 film “Black Swan,” have cited the influence of films including “Suspiria” and “Star Wars” on many of their runway collections over the years, and made their own 2017 feature film, “Woodshock.” So it was fitting that several of their looks appeared on the Vogue World runway.
There used to be more of an impervious line between Hollywood costume and fashion; costume was for character building and serving a script, fashion was purely commercial. But all that’s gone out the window, as the relationship between Hollywood and fashion has become symbiotic.
“In this era, people are able to step out of the boxes more and interact in the two fields simultaneously, and it’s accepted and celebrated,” Laura Mulleavy told me, noting that it was another polymath, Shirley Kurata, their longtime runway stylist and the costume designer for the 2022 film “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” who curated the evening’s contemporary character costumes.
This recognition of costume designers’ contributions to visual culture — and to fashion, including countless collection mood boards — was long overdue. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve previewed a collection with a fashion designer who talks about being inspired by a particular film without naming, or even knowing, the costume designer. Hopefully, that mindset will start to change.
The photo below says it all about the flow of creativity and reference from one world to the other — Wintour poses with costume designer Mona May and her iconic yellow plaid suit, as worn by Alicia Silverstone in the 1995 film “Clueless,” alongside a checked suit in the same spirit by fashion designer Thom Browne.
There was a lot to look at on the runway. Some of the highlights: Kendall Jenner as a “Moulin Rouge!” showgirl in a leggy look from costume designer Catherine Martin, and “Great Gatsby” flappers — including Elizabeth Debicki — wearing beaded gowns Martin created for the 2013 film in collaboration with Prada.
The tribute to the late, great style icon Diane Keaton and her influential “Annie Hall” look was not only touching but telling of how costume and fashion can intersect. It was originally developed by Keaton in 1977 with costume designer Ruth Morley, using some pieces from her personal wardrobe and some from Ralph Lauren, who recreated the look for the runway here, and has referenced it many times in his fashion collections over the years. There were also homages to the unforgettable costumes of “The Royal Tenenbaums” (Karen Patch), “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (Arianne Phillips) and “Edward Scissorhands” (Colleen Atwood).
Angela Bassett closed the Afrofuturism section looking regal in her Ruth E. Carter gown on the heels of dancing “Black Panther” Wakandan warriors. Greta Lee worked a theatrical look and tricorne hat from fashion/costume designer Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior collection shown just weeks ago. Jeff Goldblum owned his Gucci sequin jacket and his runway walk, and Julia Garner skipped down the runway as the picture of baroque frivolity in a Milena Canonero for “Marie Antoinette” costume.
Gracie Abrams played the part of Chanel ambassador, performing in a fresh-off-the-runway look by Matthieu Blazy, while Doja Cat shook her hips in a chainmail dress inspired by Tina Turner in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” but executed by L.A.’s Michael Schmidt, a too-often unsung hero of costume design and fabrication. It was a blast and nobody wanted it to end.
On the way out, I ran into “Frankenstein” costume designer Kate Hawley, whose ravishing work, including curating Tiffany & Co. archival jewels and custom pieces for the film, is proof that the love affair between costume and fashion isn’t ending anytime soon.
Fashion’s FYC Season
Brands have descended on L.A. in what I’m calling fashion’s FYC (For Your Consideration) period in the lead-up to awards season.
Everything from Boucheron jewels and hot-off-the-runway Versace to designer Camilla Franks’ fun, rock ’n’ roll resortwear and Le Monde Beryl’s red-carpet-ready silk pumps is being showcased for celebrities and stylists at spectacular events, rented hotel rooms and showrooms across the city. The goal? To create media moments, build relationships and make deals as opportunities to dress up, ramp up over the next few months.
Swarovski joined the chorus Tuesday, asserting its role as chief embellisher of fashion and film. Global creative director Giovanna Engelbert and CEO Alexis Nasard hosted the opening of the Swarovski “Masters of Light” immersive exhibition — following stops in Vienna, Milan, Shanghai and Seoul — curated by Alexander Fury with a Hollywood focus for this edition.
Unlike most fashion happenings, this is open to the public, through Nov. 3 in the former Amoeba Music space.
Cher, Viola Davis, Kylie Jenner, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeff Goldblum and many more turned out for the sparkly opening, exploring galleries showcasing Swarovski’s 130 year history of bedazzling fashion, jewelry, home decor and more.
The brand has a century-long history in Hollywood, from lighting up Dorothy’s ruby red slippers in “The Wizard of Oz” (there’s a pair in the exhibition), to creating the jewels worn by Marilyn Monroe in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (also here), to partnering with the Academy Awards, and on many a costume and red carpet dress.
Like Vogue World, the exhibition is a conversation between fashion and costume — and full of eye candy — including the Jean-Louis and Bob Mackie-designed nude illusion dress worn by Monroe when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy, and by Kim Kardashian to the Met Gala, which had its own velvet-roped vestibule.
Demonstrating how costumes have inspired fashion, Travis Banton’s gold silk, glass bead, bullion, crystal and mink “Fabergé” dress — said to be one of the most expensive ever produced by Paramount and worn by Marlene Dietrich in the 1937 film “Angel” — is displayed next to a 2024 Marc Jacobs gown inspired by it.
“Masters of Light” offers a window into the brand’s craft and design process in vivid color, and many more show stopping looks, including Josephine Baker’s incredible metal and crystal bra and feather costume from “La Revue Nègre,” Katy Perry’s iconic Jeremy Scott chandelier dress, a crystallized Harry Styles jumpsuit and more worn by Cher, Madonna, Grace Jones, Beyoncé, Tina Turner, Carey Mulligan and more. Tickets can be purchased here.
Sparkling from Coast to Coast
Meanwhile in New York, Messika jewelry celebrated its 20th anniversary, and the opening of a new Madison Avenue flagship, with a glittering dinner at The Frick Collection bringing together a cross-section of celebrities, fashion insiders and friends of the brand.
More than 120 guests, including Julianne Moore, Charlotte Lawrence, Nina Dobrev, Kiko Mizuhara, Orlando Bloom, and Gunna, gathered in the museum’s galleries for an evening that blended haute joaillerie and haute cuisine.
In a clever twist, models dressed as servers and glided through the dining room in a trompe-l’œil performance, revealing Messika’s high jewelry pieces as they moved.
The centerpiece was the So Move Rainbow High Jewelry set, with 24 sapphire shades and rubies created exclusively for the new boutique. Rainbow hues ran throughout the event — from the photo call backdrop to the table settings to the anniversary cake.
Produced by We Are Ona, known for its immersive culinary events, the dinner featured a custom menu by Chef Alexia Duchêne, and culminated in a soulful performance by Toni Braxton.
“This opening is more than a milestone,” Valérie Messika, who founded the modern jewelry brand in Paris in 2005, said. “It’s a bridge between Paris and New York, between savoir-faire and emotion, and the beginning of a luminous new chapter for Messika in the United States.”
All The Cool Girls…
Former magazine editors Laura Brown and Kristina O’Neill have been crisscrossing the country with their new book, “All The Cool Girls Get Fired,” which I had the pleasure of interviewing them about onstage at Reese Witherspoon’s Shine Away event a couple weekends back.
It’s a timely read for people who, ahem, have been laid off, with personal anecdotes from Oprah, Katie Couric, Jamie Lee Curtis and others, as well as practical advice about COBRA and mental health — all the fun stuff.
The authors were back in L.A. last week for a party at the Tory Burch store where Kiernan Shipka, Lake Bell, Jurnee Smollett and others took turns reading excerpts from the book. Monica Lewinsky stole the show, however, with her introduction: “I don’t mean to show anyone up, but I was fired from the White House!”
I asked guests for their getting-fired stories. Burch has never been fired (of course she hasn’t). Cindy Crawford was asked to leave a Bruce Weber shoot once, but models don’t get fired so much as they don’t get booked, she said.
Stylist/manager/producer Jeanne Yang was fired from her job as a salesperson in the Bullocks Wilshire lingerie department way back when, which led her to Details magazine and eventually to styling—a good thing in retrospect.
A setback that was really a setup, as they say. Cheers to that.
Forwarded this newsletter?
Subscribe here to get WrapStyle directly every week!
Have a news story for our readers? Please email booth.moore@thewrap.com
Interested in partnership opportunities? Please email Alex.vonBargen@thewrap.com