CARPET BAGGERS
Awards Season Clothes Encounters in the Semi-Naked City
BY MERLE GINSBERG
1-ROTUNDA RUNWAY
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CONTENT
-New York designer Adam Lippes, in case you’re curious – the man behind Melania Trump’s inauguration suited up(tight) look – founded ADAM, a line of basics, with the help of...
2-FASHION MUSICAL CHAIRS, BRAND EDITION
-Paul Price, Burberry’s Chief Merchandising O cer from 2007-2017, then went the consulting route back in Los Angeles. Now Price has left our shores to return to London’s Burberry, now headed by...
3-STRANGE SPOKEFELLOWS
-Charlize for Dior, Anne Hathaway in Versace, Zendaya in Valentino. Countless other stars (Emma Stone, Ana de Armas) appear in ads for Louis Vuitton, hawking wares for big bucks...
4-COSTUME PARTY:
- ree-time Oscar nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips (Walk the Line, W.E., Once Upon a Time In Hollywood) woke up to her fourth nom on Jan. 23; she'd already scored a BAFTA nom...
CARPET BAGGERS
5-STYLE ICONS FOR SALE
-Julien’s Auctions often auctions o clothes, bags, etc, from major stars: Michael Jackson’s white gloves, Kurt Cobain’s Levis. On February 2, in conjunction with the Grammy’s Musicares charity...
6-RETAIL REVERB
-An L.A. label in almost every major department and online store, worn by celebs – just had their spring 2025 ordered cancelled by none other than Neiman Marcus. is does not bode
7-THE FRANKIE (SHOP) COMES TO HOLLYWOOD:
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-Incomparable website e Frankie Shop’s looking for a permanent L.A. space. eir pop-up on Sunset Strip last March drew all kinds of eyes, including Selena Gomez, Kristen Bell, Rihanna...
8-POD PEOPLE:
- e most insider fashion podcast coming out of L.A. is “Under the Cover,” with famed fashion editor (and newly minted Angeleno) Paul Cavaco (on whom Stanley Tucci’s Devil Wears Prada...
9-MANNEQUIN MADNESS:
-One of the shorts that didn’t make the Oscars short list, About Mannequin from Kazakhstan really should have, in my opinion. Written by Ayanat Ksenbai and husband, composer Giorgi...
CARPET BAGGERS
BY MERLE GINSBERG
No sooner had e Globes, Hollywood’s rst major show out of the gate, ignite the red carpet fashion industrial complex –luxury brands’ promotional dream-cum-sales driver, ve days into 2025 - the full scale glam fantasy of Hollywood awards season literally went up in smoke. One of L.A.’s so-called “four seasons”: jacaranda, pumpkin spice, re and awards, almost laid waste to the more lucrative one. Hard to take red carpets too seriously – take them at all - in the midst of full-scale disastrous destruction. But the economy of awards season? at we can take seriously. All these social media calls for an all-out awards season cancellation inspired a full-scale, backlash – starting with my old friend, longtime Academy Awards scribe Bruce Villanch (1989 to 2014), on Instagram: “Cancelling the Oscars cancels the workers!” Luckily, AMPAS’ Bill Kramer get this – so does the Hollywood fashion industry, WME’s e Wall Group of stylists, glam teams – who’d lose their most lucrative gigs of the year. Now, will stars unite wear somber black gowns, as they did for the #MEtoo GG’s of 2018 ? I doubt it – what you wear doesn’t show your commitment to rebuilding L.A. But what you say and do does. “ e looks might get toned down a tad for the rest of the shows,” one Wall Group super stylist told me. “Demi Moore’s Globes’ Armani Prive’ was universal choice for best dressed – it simple shape with a gorgeous
fabric combo. Expect more of that – less jewelry, less fuss, less makeup.”
Will Colman Domingo won’t heed that message? He’s made dandy his brand (TK MET BALL) Same for Timothee Chalamet, who’s coolest new accessory is his recently acquired facial hair, doing what Harry Styles did for pearls and boas. He and stylist Ryan Hastings get brownies for being the only Globes team to delve into fashion’s new artistic director world (Chanel’s Matthieu Blazy, Dior’s new Jonathan Anderson, are months before a red carpet – but look out, Cannes)).
Chalamet donned the rst look from the all-new Tom Ford collection by Belgian Haider Ackerman – a fashion-forward choice, for sure. Domingo did don Valentino by ex-Gucci designer Allesandro Michele, but Michele is no carpet virgin.
-Speaking of Ackermann, he and Chalamet go way back. Brian Swardstrom, who’s repped Tilda Swinton and Timothee forever, introduced them both to his favorite Belgian designer a number of years ago (Ackermann’s menswear being better known than his women’s). Both stars wore Haider to Cannes and other high pro le events. So has Janet Jackson. Now Swardstrom is helping his with celeb representation. OG Tom Ford sta still there (in LA) are so relieved to work for a genuine talent and good human. Ford’s
initial handpicked Creative Director Peter Hawking didn’t last long, didn’t garner good reviews, and was not, by all accounts, anything like the a able Ford they all worshipped. ey’re still yacking about how awful Hawkings treated sta .
-Fittings for Critics Choice (Feb 7) and SAG award shows (Feb 26) are mostly taking place on zoom. Stars, and friends of stars, who lost homes are not travelling – though we’ll see what happens when New York Fashion Week fall 2025 kicks o Feb 6, and London, Milan and Paris in the weeks leading up to the Oscars. Paris couture’s next week – January 26 to the 30th: will stars and star stylists show up as usual? Everyone’s curious about Maria Grazia Chuiri’s last Dior couture show, making room for new hire Jonathan Anderson, who’s rst show likely be Dior couture in July. While it’s just breaking, I knew JA was getting Dior – as did all of Europe - since one high-ranking Euro PR seated next to me at Loro Piano’s fall dinner (Andrew Gar eld, John Mulaney, Sarah Paulson, Jeremy Strong, Ewan McGregor) whispered: “It’s a done deal –Jonathan Anderson is DIOR, my dear! Not John Galliano”). Don’t worry, Galliano hasn’t packed it in – not with Anna Wintour as mentor #uno, and a fan club that includes Zendaya. His eponymous soon-to-launch label is backed by his old LVMH posse. Now, will Luca Guadagino now use Dior costumes for his lm projects? Loewe’s Anderson designed the looks for both Challengers and Queer.
-Speaking of designers-do- lm: Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello, a Hollywood fave (Zoe Kravitz, Hailey Bieber) has a new feather in his
CARPET BAGGERS
BY MERLE GINSBERG
chapeau: co-producer of Golden Globe best picture Emilia Perez. e lm’s hands-on costume designers combed Vaccarello’s SL archives, some of which wound up on Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana (you can purchase some on Saint Laurent’s site.) Next up: Vaccarello is credited with costumes and producing for Paolo Sorrentino’s upcoming Parthenope (with a killer Gary Oldman cameo). Sure, Chanel, Tom Ford, Givenchy, Loewe and Dior all have new designers on the forefront – but Vaccarello’s way ahead of the bunch, setting top trends for 2025 (women in YSL like suits and ties); both mens’ and womens’ Saint Laurent stores (owned by Kering, of Salma Hayek husband fame) on Rodeo bustling, while a lot of Rodeo’s, sad to day, gone ghost town.
-Where will execs, agents, etc, now shop, since some of the Palisades and Malibu’s most popular stores like Elyse Walker are no more? Former WSJ fashion journo JJ Martin’s founded her color/print laden label LaDoubleJ in 2015 – since then it’s gone gangbusters, as has her psychedelichome wear. What a shame, then, that her rst U.S. store, about to open in the Palisades, burned to the ground after a full year’s prep work. She, celeb friends Diane Lane and Calista Flockhart, now all heartbroken.
ree-time Oscar nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips (Walk the Line, W.E., Once Upon a Time In Hollywood) woke up to her fourth nom on Jan. 23; she'd already scored a BAFTA nom for her work in the Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. But weeks before this, ASU’s FIDM fashion school then honored her with costume exhibit down at their downtown HQ, with many of Timothee Chalamet, Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning’s looks right there to touch and feel. “I grew up in the West Village,” Philips, an old pal (and former Madonna stylist), told me. “I grew up know is that he actually was a style icon.
is that he actually was a style icon. He never wore shoes – only boots – now true of many guys. After he met e Beatles in 1964, he amped up his game with more mod swagger. I think he in uenced Bob generation of male dressing. Timothee had sixty-seven costume changes!” If you want to read more about Bob Dylan as style icon, check out this free WWD story: https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashio n-features/gallery/bob-dylan-2016-nob el-prize-literature-best-looks-style-pho tos-10674492/. Chalamet, of course, is one as well.
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(SHOP) COMES TO HOLLYWOOD:
-Incomparable website e Frankie Shop’s looking for a permanent L.A. space. eir pop-up on Sunset Strip last March drew all kinds of eyes, including Selena Gomez, Kristen Bell, Rihanna, Hailey Bieber. Lady Gaga and Travis Kelce are also fans-. French/New Yorker founder Gaelle Drevet concept for the decade old brand is “What cool girls and guys want to wear in their daily lives.” It worked. OWNER/FOUNDER
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