Just got off the phone with the charming Hutton Wilkinson, the keeper of the flame of the most fabulous Tony Duquette estate, busy as ever it seems and these days because of the collaboration between Tony Duquette Inc. and accessories uber brand Coach.
Hutton called to connect before the big kick-off celebration Wednesday night for the sparkling capsule collection at the Rodeo Drive outpost of Coach. I, too, have been busy on the fest, working behind the scenes and, finally, standing with Hutton front and left-of-center as co-host, along with my charismatic pals Nina Clemente and Tracee Ellis Ross.
It's going to be hoot. And to capacity given numbers who've rsvp'd! In prep for the evening, I hightailed it to Coach (yesterday morning before my shoot with Dita Von Teese...what a morning!) to select a few pieces from the collection, which is based on classic Duquette motifs of sunbursts, exotic koi, spikes and, of course, the brightest colors in nature. It was not an easy decision.
Each piece makes a resounding statement. Mr. Duquette, who passed in 1999 after five decades of influential creativity, believed in "more is more," and I took that credo with great reverence and chose a twinkling necklace, cocktail ring and hot pink clutch. (None of which are pictured here...a gal has to keep some surprises until it's time!) Most might figure on wearing one of those individually, but I intend on piling it on with my party look.
And Hutton agreed I should also do the hot pink velveteen Dior turban I got on eBay last month. "Don't even think about leaving that at home!" he exhorted.
The collab arrives at Coach stores February 1. But the party also marks the debut of ordering the collection online.
Next up: the party coverage...of course!
In spite of a career as journalist-curator-retailer based on endlessly ferreting the Next Big Thing, I've had an equally consuming passion for the past. What people wore and surrounded themselves in served as a intuitive mnemonic system for me to recall my school history lessons, thanks in large part to growing up with a mother who frequented dusty antique shops and garage sales and filled our family suburban home with stuff a century-plus years old.
As a budding clotheshorse, I used my allowance to buy my very first piece of vintage fashion, a pair of kitten-heeled black pumps with a severely pointed toe. I was 10. They reminded me of the pair that Debbie Harry wore along with a striped jersey dress when Blondie performed on TV. I had my mom quickly make me a dress like it, of course. Into high school, I wore vintage clothes, lingerie, jewelry, stilettos and even dead-stock silk stockings almost exclusively, and what I couldn't find, my mom continued to whip up in time for me to hit the clubs each night.
Three decades later, I continue to mix my vintage with modern, like so much of the world does now. I love that the very thing that the Heathers of the world used to mock me for in grade school is now the chic girl's badge of style. My friends who live in London, Paris, Barcelona and New York tell me that Los Angeles remains, bar none, the best place on earth for vintage.
With resources such as this weekend's vintage marketplace A Current Affair, who am I to argue?
More than 30 vendors of vintage fashion, jewelry and accessories will come together at downtown's Cooper Design Space for the two‐day pop‐up , the brainchild of Joey Grana of Scout, one of the city's best retail resources for new and vintage fashion, and Richard Wainwright of NEW/FOUND, the innovative appointment-only vintage concept studio.
This weekend's installation is especially exciting for me because Joey and Richard have invited me to participate as host, as well as sign copies of my latest book, Fred Hayman—The Extraordinary Difference: The Story of Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Glamour and the Showman Who Sold It All.
Part of my hostessing duties involve curating a selection vintage holiday frocks and frippery from the many vendors that will be showcased and available for purchase. What a fun opportunity!
The showcase, along with the booksigning and yours truly will be there for the opening festivities Saturday night, from 6 to 10 p.m. It's a great party, with music, bevvies and a turn out of some of the city's most fashionably turned-out vintage enthusiasts.
Stay tuned...I'll be giving away free tickets on my Twitter digs.
See you there!
A Current Affair: Pop -Up Vintage Marketplace takes place this Saturday, Dec. 4 from 6 to 10 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cooper Design Space, 860 South Los Angeles Street Los Angeles 90014-3311.
One of the perks of being a writer is the opportunity to spend time talking about something of genuine interest with a subject I respect. Today that somebody was Danilo Dixon, hair guru in the worlds of fashion, music and film. Due to the many mutual friends and collaborators in our respective lives, our paths have crossed before. It just took the excuse of my current book project to finally stop and chat one-on-one.
The impetus for our coast-to-coast conversation (he in N.Y.C.; me in L.A.) was his contribution to the beauty book I'm writing with Dita Von Teese. Over a full 90 minutes this afternoon we talked shop—hair, beauty, general aesthetics, big 'dos in the early 1980s...and by this I mean the teased bouffants like the ones he as a fledgling stylist in SoHo would conjure for the B-52s, or that I would do as a high schooler on my self every morning.
Discussions of beehives invariably lead to the Coke can method, where by the broads of the late 1950s and early 1960s who wanted theirs bigger and bolder purportedly used soda pop cans to roll their dyed locks (because, of course, the hair was treated to the hilt!).
Danilo famously showed this in an editorial with Naomi Campbell, one of the band of Supermodels (with a capital "S," no doubt) whom he cemented his career on. In those years, he recalled today, he was doing upwards of 17 shows a season—and that was just in Europe.
Decades later when Danilo collaborated on an editorial look for Lady Gaga, the pop superstar took a page out of his legendary book and had him roll her hair in Diet Coke cans. It's a contemporary tweak that is as hilarious as it is clever.
But as Mr. Dixon has shown so often throughout his rich and inspired career, genius is in the details.
A great plug for my second book and upcoming party in this week's The Hollywood Reporter. "Where the Young Turks Go To Drink," is a two-page feature by Alexis Johnson and Degen Penner spotlighting the new wave of hangouts caterting to the entertainment industry's rising power players.
From the story:
Another hotel is getting a hip reboot. The Thompson Beverly Hills (9360 Wilshire Blvd.), which shut down its BondSt restaurant last year, is reopening the space as a 125-seat bistro called CAULFIELD’S. The first event is a private book party Nov. 9 for fashion writer Rose Apodaca’s biography Fred Hayman: The Extraordinary Difference, hosted by Oscar-nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips (Walk the Line) and fashion designer Jeremy Scott. We hear that the management, which poached a VIP ambassador from the Standard Hotels, is consciously going after Soho House’s young creatives crowd and planning to open a second-floor lounge as well.
I'm absolutely honored that Caulfield's owners Ron Marino and Laurie Mulstay are rolling out the carpet in celebration of my book (Fred Hayman - The Extraordinary Difference) with next Wednesday's party. The pair are also behind bar Chloe in Santa Monica and Magnolia in Hollywood.
The name of this latest place is a nod to the protagonist in Catcher in the Rye, and the gem in the space is a mural with the faces of the blacklisted writers. Such amazing company.
