All of us working stiffs who have to report to the office on this slowest week of the year hate those people who are on vacation this week, right? And who could we hate more than celebrities, who are on vacation every damn day of the year? Well, here they are rubbing our noses in their beach vacations and lives of luxury. What assholes. Let's make fun of them, shall we?
Ralph Lauren's son and George W. Bush's niece get married. Jane Fonda regrets not sleeping with Che Guevara. Beyonce and Charlie Sheen celebrate their birthdays. Monday gossip found a $20,000 watch—maybe it'll get to meet Chris Brown?
Lindsay Lohan propositions Chris Brown. Kim Kardashian "wants babies." Timberlake romances Jessica Biel again. Lauren Bush's wedding will feature a rodeo and a saloon. Tuesday gossip gets back on the horse.
Today we learned that Lauren Bush, daughter of Neil, will take the last name of her new husband David Lauren, son of Ralph. So she's Lauren Bush Lauren! Amazing. Just think of the weird possibilities with a name like that. Actually, some of you did think of them.
Lady Gaga's "retarded" gaffe was "furiously unintentional." Jerry Seinfeld gets in a pissing match with Donald Trump. Lauren Bush wants to take fiance David Lauren's last name. Thursday gossip has regrets.
• Vanity Fair's rather dubious "International Best-Dressed List" is now online. Take a few minutes to browse through the slideshow to see the obvious picks, close personal friends of Graydon Carter, Condé Nast employees, precious Vanity Fair advertisers, as well as a few exciting new entrants such as Michael Bloomberg, who, as you can see above, always dresses to impress. [VF]
Chef, restaurateur, author, and cable fixture Anthony Bourdain turns 53 today. Judge (soon-to-be Justice) Sonia Sotomayor is turning 55. Burlap bag promoter and social fixture Lauren Bush is 25. Director Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) turns 85. Carly Simon is turning 64. Publicist Desiree Gruber is 42. Ricky Gervais of the UK version of The Office is 48. Angela Kinsey of the American version is turning 38. Gay rights activist Larry Kramer turns 74. Architect Alex Gorlin is 54. And George Michael celebrates his 46th birthday today.
• Coco Rocha may not be interning at Vogue this summer, but Tallulah Belle Willis, the 15-year-old daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, is spending the next couple of months "shadowing" at Harper's Bazaar. [FWD, WWD]
• Goodwill stores are experiencing a boom, as you may have heard. Sales were up 7 percent in the first three months of 2009 compared to the same time period last year. [NYT]
• The fragrance industry introduces an average of 250 scents ever year. And you know what? That's probably a few too many. [NYT]
Exciting news, Lauren Bush fans: The most popular member of the Bush clan unveiled her new clothing line at Barneys today, and there was nary a scrap of burlap in sight! A step in the right direction? Possibly! Bush says the "mission" of the line, which is named Lauren Pierce after her first and middle names, "is about the fabrics and the cause." "I didn't want it to be about my personality," she explained. We're hardly fashion branding experts, but if you'd prefer your line to be more closely identified with your "mission" as opposed to your "personality," is it really the best idea to name it after yourself? At least she was thoughtful enough to do away with any association to her not-so-popular uncle, which should count for something. [VF, previously]
• Ralph Lauren closed out Fashion Week with a predictably opulent show. Anna Wintour turned up with Morley Safer in tow since 60 Minutes is filming a segment on the Vogue editrix. Blake Lively, however, did not appear all that interested in the conversation. [NYT, WWD, FWD, Racked]
• David Lauren appeared at Ralph's show with his leg in a cast. "He just sort of stepped off an uneven sidewalk wrong," explained Lauren Bush. [NYM]
• In the end, good design won out this week, says Cathy Horyn. [NYT]
• Hamish Bowles says Marc Jacobs' and Alexander Wang's shows were "two bright spots in his week." Also: He could really use a nap. [NYO]
• Did you feel the depression this week? "Serotonin levels are down." [NYT]
• A bit of advice from Barneys' Julie Gilhart: "Bet on leggings." [NYM]
• Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland will handle the hosting duties on the new Bravo series, The Fashion Show. Fern Mallis will serve as judge. Yay. [Variety]
• Karl Lagerfeld knows what people want: Behold the Chanel Segway. [Pipeline]
• London Fashion Week started today. Enjoy! [Vogue UK]
Fashion Week is finally coming to a close. Click through for a final recap of the shows, parties, and gossip from the past day or two.
Remember late last year when Mayor Bloomberg announced plans to charge a 6-cent tax on plastic bags at grocery stores? The mayor downgraded the fee to 5 cents last week. The bad news is that it will now apply to all plastic bags, not just the ones from grocery stores. More bad news: This probably means more people are going to start carrying those FEED bags that Lauren Bush has been pushing for so long. [NYT]
Jane Rosenthal, Beth Ostrosky, and Julia Szabo hosted a canine-friendly screening of Marley & Me on Wednesday night as part of the Tribeca Cinemas Series. Accompanied by her bulldog, Bianca Romijn-Stamos, Ostrosky was joined by guests like Rosenthal's husband Craig Hatkoff and daughter Isabella (with their dog Buddy), Cece Cord (with her pooch Tiger), Kiera Chaplin (with Jezabelle), Douglas Hannant (with Ava), Abigail Breslin, Cindy Adams, Ellen Ward and Chuck Scarborough, Rachel Roy, Denis and Ann Leary, Hoda Kotb, Pat Duff, Jill and Allie Zarin, Richard Kind, Alison Becker, Jennifer Missoni, and Wendy Diamond. [PMc, Wireimage, VF]
Last week we wondered if First Niece Lauren Bush might want to think about doing something new and exciting with those burlap FEED bags she's carrying around to every party she's attended for more than a year now. We're thrilled to see she seems to have taken our advice to heart: A FEED-branded Baby Bjorn strikes us as the perfect way to demonstrate her concern for both world hunger and little kids. Nicely done! [GoaG, previously]
• Andrew Saffir's Cinema Society hosted a screening of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at the Tribeca Grand last night. Attendees at the Pamella Roland and Svedka-sponsored screening and after-party at the Soho Grand included Kanye West, Spike Jonze, Olivia Palermo, Richard Meier, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Lauren Bush and David Lauren, Moby, Amy Sacco, Sandy Brant and Ingrid Sischy, Stefano Tonchi, Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo, Bettina Zilkha, Charlotte Ronson, Cynthia Rowley and Bill Powers, Chace Crawford, Debbie Harry, Heather Matarazzo and Caroline Murphy, Judith Light, Kelly Bensimon, Karen Duffy, Liya Kebede, Rachel Roy, Liam McMullan, Ciara, and Danny Masterson. [PMc, Wireimage, The Daily]
We should start off by saying that Lauren Bush is our favorite member of the Bush family. In fact, sometimes we forget that her uncle is the President, and what could be a greater compliment than that? She even deserves credit for dating David Lauren. Hooking up with a billionaire heir is rarely a commendable act, but since her relationship with Ralph's son is clearly a source of angst for the rest of the Bush clan—possibly because he's a decade older, Jewish, leans Democratic, or all three—it works in her favor. So it's with love and respect that we share the one thing about Lauren that we're decidedly less impressed with: Those burlap FEED bags she's been shlepping to every event she's attended for more than a year now.
UNICEF's 5th annual Snowflake Gala took place on Wednesday night at Cipriani 42nd Street. Bryant Gumbel entertained the crowd of 500 and Lucy Liu was honored with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian award. Attendees included Michael Bloomberg, Jenna and Barbara Bush, Maggie Betts, Roland Betts, Lauren Bush and David Lauren (left), Marcus Samuelsson, Charlie Trotter, Charlotte Moss, Pamela Fiori, Gillian Miniter, Douglas Hannant and Frederick Anderson, Elyse Newhouse, Donny Deutsch, Alexandra Lebenthal, Jessica Joffe, Tea Leoni, Matt Lauer, Meredith Melling Burke, Cynthia Lufkin, and CNN's Sanjay Gupta. [PMc, Wireimage, Style.com, The Daily]
If you hear someone announcing that their teenage daughter is "coming out" at the end of the month, you might want to look impressed rather than inquire if it might be just a phase. At the annual Crillon Ball in Paris, 24 girls from all over the world will be trussed up in haute couture and "presented" to society on the arm of a dashing escort chosen for them by the event's organizer Ophélie Renouard. Strictly invitation only, the ball has in past years included lucky debutantes like Amanda Hearst, Lauren Bush, Victoria and Vanessa Traina, and Bee Shaffer—whose mom, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Renouard remembers fondly.
