Gone--Like Magic
Like model Ines de la Fressange before her, Claudia Schiffer has fallen out of favor with designer Karl Lagerfeld. It seems la Schiffer had the gall to appear in a Fanta soft drink ad. This, Lagerfeld told W magazine, was “stooping too low.”
Immediately after the designer’s shows Monday in Paris, Schiffer disappeared without so much as a congratulations, according to Reuters. (De la Fressange’s crime? The former Chanel model posed for a bust of Marianne, France’s national symbol.)
C’est la vie. Who needs a temperamental German designer anyway when you’ve got a rich American magician? Yes, it’s true. David Copperfield proposed to Schiffer recently while the pair vacationed in the Caribbean. “Her answer was yes,” said Copperfield in April’s Esquire. Schiffer says that in her native Germany, “not knowing about David Copperfield is like not knowing about Michael Jackson.” Hmmm. Perhaps another superstar might be better, Claudia. Like Siegfried or Roy?
Captain’s Log: Our copy of Victoria’s Secret Swimwear Edition arrived this week and we were struck by how patriotic the “Premier (sic) Issue” is. Cover model Elle Macpherson dangles from a sailboat wearing a bikini that looks like an American flag--minus about 40 states.
“Drawing from over a decade of expertise designing beautiful, superb fitting lingerie,” reads the catalogue’s introductory page, “we’ve created this extraordinary collection with the same meticulous eye to quality, design and fit.” (But not, apparently, to typos.)
Spotting an attractive suit, we pulled out our Citibank Visa and noted that we’re a “Premier Member.” “Oooh,” squealed the Victoria’s Secret operator: “You’re the first one to order from that catalogue!” Guess that makes us the premier customer. Oh, stop.
Shopping Sagas: We heard everybody brought their kids to the Barneys opening Saturday, but, frankly, our kids aren’t Barneys material. They eat Crunch ‘N’ Munch in the aisles and whine over who deserves hideous pink vinyl dress-up shoes. Not only that, fashion irony is completely over their heads. Why, they’d take one look at, say, a baby-doll dress and pronounce it babyish.
So we piled in the station wagon and headed for Target, where--surprise--it was Dollar Days. Will the owner of a yellow Mercedes please move their car? alternated with It’s not fair! till we fled the place, exhausted. But not before carting away several hundreds of dollars’ worth of bargains. It was a good day.
The Thin Gold Line: Just like they teach you in film school, the camera does fiddle with reality--or what passes for it. Designers Sonya Rykiel, Gianfranco Ferre and Christian Lacroix have alternately juiced up or scaled down their collections this week in Paris, apparently for the benefit of filmmaker Robert Altman, there to shoot his look at ready to wear, “Pret-a-Porter.” And if all went as planned last night 400 guests converged for a party staged by Altman and Paolo Bulgari.
The jewelry scion used the fictional party sequence as a glamorous backdrop for the introduction of a new line of Bulgari jewels. Endorsement-happy Claudia Schiffer and Brandi--the latest teen-age head turner--presented the line. And the entire affair was immortalized by Helmut Newton.
Why Is This Night Different?: Just in time for Passover later this month is the arrival in our synagogue gift shop of kosher lipstick. Colors include Milk ‘N’ Honey Mocha, Promised Land Pink, Dead Sea Red and Galilee Garnet. For $8, you get “purity, cleanliness and quality.” But, oy, the colors. Our Sheyn Ponim pink turned Pepto-Bismol on our lips faster than you could say pass the gefilte fish.
The Semiotics of Smelling: When you talk about Calvin Klein’s new fragrance--and we know that you will--don’t call it unisex. “That’s not the word I use,” insisted Klein in an interview with Women’s Wear Daily. “But I am working on those kinds of ideas. It’s about sharing a common thing.” And in the cautious ‘90s, sex isn’t necessarily it.
Around Town: It’s official. Singer k.d. lang will perform during the May 5 California Fashion Industry Friends of AIDS Project L.A. benefit honoring Isaac Mizrahi . . . O.J. Simpson will appear Saturday at I. Magnin in Beverly Hills from 2 to 4 p.m. to promote DKNY menswear and his favorite charity, Camp Ronald McDonald. The store is making a contribution to the camp for children with cancer and will match donations made by the public.
Inside Out is published Fridays.
