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The fashion designer pop stars love: Zaldy

The fashion and music industries have always had a symbiotic relationship, but every now and then a talent comes along who makes the worlds collide. Even if you haven't heard of fashion designer Zaldy Goco, you likely know his clothes -- whether a slinky dress designed with Gwen Stefani for L.A.M.B or a day-glo bodysuit worn by a Scissor Sister. The Parsons and FIT-trained designer (who goes only by his first name) actually started his career as a model, walking for Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood. (He also starred in a controversial Levi's commercial, posing as a both a man and a woman.) He's since styled the likes of Britney and Jennifer Lopez and has recently designed gowns for Gabby Sidibe, star of Precious. Perhaps most intriguingly, Zaldy designed what would have been the "This is It" tour costumes for Michael Jackson. Those costumes are now in London as part of the late star's memorabilia tour.

WWD has called you called music's fashion it boy --
It's funny because I had never really thought of myself that way. But I have done so many music projects that I guess it is true. I did Mary J Blige's outfit for her album cover of Breakthrough, I've worked with Britney, J. Lo, Keith Richards, Rufus Wainwright, Mick Jagger and Anthony and the Johnsons.

Who were some of your favorite collaborators?
I worked with Gwen Stefani on her line L.A.M.B for seven seasons. I love her style so much and it ended up being a great experience. The Scissor Sisters are incredible and so fun to dress. They were like, the more sparkles and day-glo the better!

We have to ask about Michael Jackson -- you designed the costumes for his tour?
He is magnificent. He's so sharp; he could talk about anything from Baroque art to contemporary fashion. We only had eight weeks to make it all; we had shoes being made in Italy, glasses in France, electronics in the Netherlands. I have a half-hour segment introducing all the outfits on the "This is It" DVD.

What are some of the outfits you designed for him?
My first idea was for [an updated] "Billy Jean" -- in the video the sidewalk lit up but I thought he should light up. The engineers at Phillips let me work with stuff that won't be released until 2010. It is the most technologically advanced outfit ever made. The "Thriller" jacket is still black and red but it's patent leather and the quilting became embroidered blood that drips over his shoulders. There are twists to the outfits but each still remains true to the original. The last thing I made for him was the casket overlay, which is a beautiful blanket of Swarovski crystals.

What's your next big project?
I can't say who it is but I'm designing the tour outfits for a new artist. After I did Michael I got depressed because I thought, who can I work with now that will inspire me like that? And then this artist came along and I thought "She's the one." You'll find out shortly but I can't quite yet.

By Coco Mellors

November 4, 2009

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Where the fashion pack partied Halloween night

On Saturday night the downtown fashion and party crowd ventured into the NYC no-man's land that's currently being rebranded as the Madison Square North Historic District. The hipster restauranteur-impresario trio of Carlos Quirarte, Matt Kliegman and Taavo Somer were hosting a Halloween party in the future home of the NoMad Hotel.

Surprisingly popular were costumes in the religious vein, with Vanessa Traina as Mary Magdalene, Rogan Gregory as a bloodied Christ figure, and Narciso Rodriguez as a man of the cloth. (I myself went as the scariest thing I could think of—the Death of Print Media.) Lazaro Hernandez, Humberto Leon, Julie Gilhart, Philip Crangi and Charlotte Ronson were also in attendance. Hornitos Tequila was consumed with abandon while everyone partied to the beat of it-band The Drums. (The retro-cute Brooklyn-based group, who also played the closing party of the cult Japanese fashion line Number (N)ine's New York store, is increasingly becoming the fashion world's favorite band.)

Vanessa Traina

Invisible Man

Narciso Rodriguez

Rogan Gregory

Julie Gilhart

Alexei Hay

The Drums

The Death of Print Media

By Stephen Watson

November 2, 2009

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Anne Hathaway's political education

The mash up between Hollywood and politics has long intrigued director Barry Levinson, a broadcast journalism student back in his college days. Though he's directed marquee actors in films from Rain Man to Wag the Dog, for his new documentary, he decided to observe them working way outside their comfort zone, without benefit of a script. For Poliwood, airing Nov. 2 on Showtime, he followed Anne Hathaway, Susan Sarandon and other politically-active members of the Creative Coalition as they navigated the 2008 political conventions -- sometimes with cringe-inducing discomfort.

What was interesting to you about following these actors and writers in particular?
I have to hand it to any actor who goes out there. It's very hard -- you are always in this situation where you're going to be criticized and at the same time there will be those who are excited to see you. I was fascinated at the level of criticism for those celebrities who have some genuine interest in the political process. You try to navigate through this media circus and hopefully don't end up the clown.

Who do you think benefits more from the relationship -- the politician or the celebrity?
Well, there is literally no upside for any actor, writer, director. You're not going to get any more movies made because you happen to be public.

What struck you about watching these celebrities function out of their comfort zone?
We tried to show that in the example of Anne Hathaway, who's a young actress now gaining a high profile. And suddenly she's beginning to wonder, 'How do I handle this? What do I do when I make a comment and that becomes a lead story?' Suddenly you're out there being asked questions. And you don't want to be the expert -- you're trying to make sense of it, but if you comment on it, it sounds like you think you're the expert.

You certainly seem to be disheartened by the way TV blurs the lines between truth, reality and mythology. Don't you think celebrities contribute to that blurring?
I think they get caught in it. A very small percentage of actors are politically active and the few of those who do get caught up in the maelstrom of it all. Where is it best to be? You don't want to be a negative, but some people just have a genuine interest in politics without necessarily wanting to be a spokesperson. Some just wanted to experience it and go there as a tourist.

Are there any particular celebrities you think could transition to elected office? George Clooney?
He probably could if he desired. That would be one. I hear Ben Affleck sometimes thinks about that. I don't know him but I've seen him on television and he seems bright and informed.

You say in the film that because of television, storytelling has become the story. The issues aren't the story. So you're saying that the images are the story?
Yes, images are the story. And if you can't have an image, you can't have a story. That's the terrible aspect. If you talk about infrastructure, nobody cares. But when the bridge falls down, then we watch it 50 times and it's shown with music. Catastrophe!

What are you doing next?
I just finished an HBO movie with Al Pacino about Dr. Kevorkian. Pacino is extraordinary.

That should generate a lot of discussion.
That's why I was intrigued. That whole issue of euthanasia is something we're going to be debating for a long time.

Poliwood airs Nov. 2 on Showtime

By Diane Solway

October 30, 2009

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Christopher Walken is watching you

Not your typical art show: Last week at Diane von Furstenberg's gallery all the portraits on the walls were of one man: Christopher Walken. The show, "Sundays With Chris," by painter/financier John W. Codling drew a motley mix of artists, power brokers and Wall St. types, among them Damon Dash, Dustin Yellin, Alexander-Dexter Jones and Mick Rock. Codling (who has never met actually Walken) has been telling everyone that he adopted Walken as his muse when the financial crisis hit. (Some of the names of his canvases: Walken This Way, Baby Walken, I Can't Stop Walken.) Guests bid on the paintings; the sales benefited the cancer charity Team Continuum.

John W. Codling

Jamison Ernest

Damon Dash

Photos by Christos Katsiaouni

By W Magazine

October 29, 2009

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Les Deux Cafes, redux

Leave it to Michele Lamy and her partner, designer Rick Owens, to draw one of Paris' motliest—and wildest—party crowds to Paris' straitlaced 7th arrondissement. Designers, tattoo artists, drag queens, socialites, goth kids and even a pro rugby player or two packed Chez Francoise on Friday for Lamy's one-night revival of Les Deux Cafes, the famed L.A. nightclub she launched in the Nineties (click HERE for last week's interview with Lamy). As Greek artist Konstantin Kakanias watched Lamy take the stage to croon a few moody cabaret numbers, backed by Bobby Woods' band, he enthused, "This is just like the old Les Deux. Only better."

Michelle Lamy and Rick Owens

Art installation by Scarlett Rouge

Bobby Woods

Bobby Woods, left, and Konstantin Kakanias

Christopher and Jessica Wonder

DJ Benjamin Moreau and friends

Jane Mosley and Lisa Ticknor

Louis-Marie de Castelbajac, left, and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Maxime Buchi

Moco, left, Dianne Pernet and Armand Hadida

Terence Koh

Photos: Francois Goize

By Christopher Bagley

October 27, 2009

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Five minutes with Marisa Berenson

Io sono amore, or "I am Love" is the title of one of Marisa Berenson's new movies. It also could be the actress' motto. At least that's the impression left by her new memoir, Moments Intimes (just published in France). Berenson, a granddaughter of Elsa Schiaparelli, started modeling at age 17 and later became an actress, with roles in Death in Venice, Cabaret and Barry Lyndon. In the book she recounts her glamorous escapades in Rome during the Seventies, her acting debut with Luchino Visconti, her friendships with the likes of Andy Warhol and Truman Capote and an encounter with Jean-Paul II. Throughout the book Berenson, who is now 62 and divides her time between Paris and New York, evokes her deep faith and her strong belief that her guardian angels looked over her shoulder all that time.

Why did you write this book?
It was the right time for me to write about the people I loved and who counted in my life. It's a book about love--things I wanted to tell that are important to me both on a personal and spiritual level.

Judging by the book, it seems you existed in a world where everyone was always nice and pretty. Weren't you ever angry at things and people?
I have been betrayed and hurt, but I choose not to be in the negative or hate. I only like loving and being in harmony. I forgive. Prayer and meditation helps.

How do you compare today's fashion world to the one you knew when you were a model?
There was a lot of creativity, a lot of freedom--everyone knew each other. A lot of people are fascinated by those years and wish they could have known that era. Today, it's a much smaller world, yet everything is global.

Marisa Berenson, Queen (1966) by Norman Parkinson; photo via artnet.com

What did you do with all that freedom in the sex, drugs and rock & roll era?
I had romances but I wasn't into wild sex. I am more of a romantic. But I was into rock & roll. I was going out every night dancing, and I was having a lot of fun.

Did you do drugs?
No. And it's a miracle. On the contrary, I was clean and I wanted a spiritual and mystical life.

You still seem to enjoy the fashion world: You were at the Kenzo show in Paris this month. Did you make it to any others?
No, and I'm sorry I missed Dior, I always go to Dior. But I was filming The Disciples in Spain. I play Mary, and Joel West, who once was a model for Calvin Klein, plays Jesus.

Berenson with groom James Randall on their wedding day in 1976

What other film projects do you have?
I'm getting into a new adventure. I'm co-writing the new Rachid Benhadj film and I will co-produce it too. And I will play in Laure Charpentier's new movie Gigola, also starring Lou Doillon and Marisa Paredes.

How do you like to dress on an ordinary day, when you're not going out?
I wear mostly pants and flat shoes, so my feet don't hurt. I wear high heels only for events in the evening. I like to look pretty.

Top photo, Stephane Feugere; wedding photo, Fairchild Archives.

By Chantal Goupil

October 16, 2009

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Linda Evangelista's secret poultry past

We've been told by our readers that they want more Linda Evangelista. Well, we're more than happy to oblige. The iconic model stars in Maurizio Cattelan's commissioned portfolio for our annual Art Issue. We caught up with her on the phone, post-shoot.

What was it like working with Maurizio Cattelan?
It was a hell of a lot of fun. I have to say, he wasn't what I was expecting. He's just so, I don't know, like a boy—so fun and enthusiastic and jolly.

He described you as "a still actress, with a range of expressions that is endless."
Oh wow, he said that? I don't know, I just really wanted it to work... I never got a clear answer about what he wanted, and it's sort of like his art. It's up for you to interpret.

Like the photo where you're coming through the wall?
That's maybe the one that I was directed the most on. And you know, I'm still not quite sure, myself. There's many many messages.

We've had a lot of questions already about the photo with the chickens.
Well, I grew up in Canada, in an area where everyone had chickens. I mean, we weren't supposed to have chickens—it was a residential area, but we did. Also, when I went back to Italy with my parents where they grew up, there were chickens. So you can say I know a lot about chickens.

You probably never imagined doing a fashion shoot with chickens, though.
Yeah, we were working around the chickens, not me. The chickens go to sleep at dusk—so they said, 'If you don't hurry up, we're going to lose them!' There are moments in your life when you say, How did I get here? And it happened to me in that moment.

Click HERE to see Maurizio Cattelan's portfolio starring Linda Evangelista.

Evangelista and her son, Augie, three.

Photos: Cover and Cattelan images, PierPaolo Ferrari; beach, Steven Meisel.

By Haven Thompson

October 14, 2009

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Five minutes with opera it-girl Isabel Leonard

One of the brightest young stars at the Metropolitan Opera this season is mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, a Manhattan native who is singing the part of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro this season. Leonard, 27, has been steadily on the rise since she made her Met debut two years ago in Romeo et Juliette. One of those lucky souls who seem to have talent down to their fingertips, Leonard danced ballet at the Joffrey Ballet School until she was about 12, and at one point almost chose to pursue visual arts instead of music. Her voice is pure and agile, she's totally gorgeous, and she's married to Teddy Tahu Rhodes, a hunky baritone who's known as the Brad Pitt of the opera world.

Do you ever get stage fright?
You know, I've never been nervous to an inhibiting point, even when I was a kid dancing The Nutcracker. For me, it's not nerves as much as adrenaline. If I'm prepared, I shouldn't be nervous.

Leonard, left, as Cherubino, with Emma Bell as the Countess

Even at your Met debut?
Well, I think I was prepared for it, so I wasn't really nervous. Those horrible dreams singers have are usually about being unprepared -- like you're being thrust onstage and you don't even know what opera you're singing. I've had those dreams!

What are some of the other common opera singer nightmares?
Oh, there are several. There's also the one where you're handed a score and for some reason you can't read it and the conductor is looking at you, like, "Sing!"

Being married to an opera singer and being one yourself, do you guys listen to a lot of opera at home?
Oh god, no. After singing it all day that's usually the last thing I want to hear. It drives me crazy when I go visit my mom and she's playing opera -- I have to say, "Mom, please!" I listen to a lot of jazz. I still prefer listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Etta James and Sarah Vaughn than anything else.

Tell us about Teddy.
We met the summer before last in Santa Fe and just got married last December. I think cupid had it out for us. He was singing Billy Budd and I was singing Cherubino. We were sort of avoiding each other, like high school kids with a crush. Finally, his director who must have seen me lurking around at rehearsals told him, "You have a fan -- she's been here every day." In any case, we met and sort of fell into each other immediately.

Are you going to sing together sometime?
Well, we'd be happy just being on the same continent, or the same state, maybe. This summer I was in Salzburg and he was in Australia, it was wretched!

It sounds like you had a really bohemian, artistic upbringing.
Yeah, well, I grew up in Chelsea in a walkup apartment. My dad was an artist and my mom, who's from Buenos Aires, is an intellectual with a huge artistic passion. I've always been very happy painting, singing, dancing. I'm thinking of finding a pottery class now because I'm dying to do something with my hands.

Leonard's next performance in Figaro is Friday, October 9. The production runs through December 12.

Previously on the blog: A W staffer goes gaga for maestro Gustavo Dudamel

Production shot: courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera; Tahu: Gaye Gerard/Getty Images

By Catherine Hong

October 8, 2009

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When hip-hop meets Motown: 5 minutes with Mayer Hawthorne

Despite being a self-proclaimed vinyl junkie and technology geek, musician Mayer Hawthorne is far from your average nerd. Signed to top hip-hop record label Stones Throw Records, with a critically acclaimed album and a sold out international tour under his belt, Hawthorne, 30, is well on his way to becoming a veritable soul sensation. In his recent debut album A Strange Arrangement, Hawthorne channels the plaintive croons of Motown legends like Smokey Robinson, while his experience as a hip-hop producer brings a modern edge to his nostalgic tunes. We caught up with him in Williamsburg before he performed at the Knitting Factory last Thursday.

Your music is so clearly influenced by your hometown of Detroit. Did you listen to Motown a lot as a kid?
My father owned an auto parts store called Great Lakes Harbor and Auto. I used to go to work with him and we'd listen to Motown and oldies on the radio; I would ask him questions about every song. My father played bass guitar and he taught me to play when I was six years old. My mother played the piano and sang and danced tap and ballet. We were always listening to music.

You live in LA now. How does it compare?
I love living in Los Angeles but no city in the whole world has more soul than Detroit. You can feel it just walking through the streets. But LA is a world of opportunity that Detroit is not.

How did you decide to print your first single, "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" on a heart-shaped vinyl?
It was my idea to press the red heart record. I wanted to make something for all the vinyl nerds like me.

Some critics have described you as simply a good genre songwriter. What do you say to that?
Anyone who listens to my music can tell that it's not really retro. It's heavily influenced by Motown and classic soul but I wasn't even alive in the heyday of Motown. I used to be a metalhead; I grew up listening to Megadeth, Public Enemy and the Smashing Pumpkins. I think those modern influences come through.

Have you had any mishaps on your tour so far?
Last night our DJ mixer broke so I just took it apart myself, fixed it and put it back together. I went to University of Michigan for computer science so I'm sort of a mechanical nerd.

Tell us about your album cover. What's with the unusual texture?
Jeremy Deputat—one of my favorite photographers—shot it in this old cafe in downtown Detroit that's basically been untouched since the 1960s. As a finishing touch we added an alligator skin texture to the cover. Alligator shoes are a huge part of Detroit fashion so that was my little hat tip to them.

Photo: Doug Coombe

By Coco Mellors

October 7, 2009

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Bravo, Gustavo

The One finally arrived in Los Angeles. After a months-long build-up, 28-year-old Venezuelan conducting sensation Gustavo Dudamel gave his first performance as the new musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Saturday night. I haven't enjoyed anything so much in years.

Since Dudamel exploded on the classical scene a few years back, he has been hailed in the music press as the next Leonard Bernstein. When I attended a press conference at Disney Hall earlier this year to officially introduce Gustavo -- everyone calls him by his first name -- I thought of another comparison. With his youth, unexpected heritage, commitment to community-based music education and irresistible public charisma, Dudamel is something like the Barack Obama of the performing arts world. And just as Obama had his rallying cries of Hope and Change, Gustavo swept into town amidst a well-calibrated marketing campaign with tag-line like Pasión Gustavo! and Eléctrico Gustavo! On Saturday, 18,000 rapturous fans attended the L.A. Phil's free performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl. Seemingly every color, class and culture from across the city was there.

It was the first time I've seen Gustavo conduct -- and now I understand what all the fuss is about. Classical music critics have attested to Gustavo's extraordinary musical acumen. What I'd add is that Gustavo is also a brilliant actor in the podium. He doesn't just manage the orchestra; he uses his entire body to articulate an astonishing range of musical moods as ably as a silent-screen star. It's no wonder fans love Gustavo: he is a performance in and of himself.

For example, during the booming cataclysms of Beethoven's first movement, Gustavo's used his expressive left hand to define the orchestra's volume and scale as precisely as a mime might delineate the shape of a teacup -- or an elephant. In the third movement, the beautiful adagio, Gustavo's face was that an old roué reliving the memory of a long-ago seduction, and the music accordingly evoked the wistful lyricism of private happiness.

The encore, a repeat of the Ode to Joy accompanied by fireworks, showed Gustavo as relaxed and celebratory as an Olympic sprinter after taking the gold, and by then, 18,000 Angelenos were on their feet laughing joyously, weeping and cheering.

Gustavo is surely the only arts celebrity in Los Angeles with the star power and passion to bring together the entire city in such a public celebration. He more than lived up to the hype. On the way out, I could help but indulge a whimsical thought -- Presidente Gustavo!

By Kevin West

October 6, 2009