Martha Stewart Wedding Issue Fall 2003

Martha Stewart Wedding Issue Fall 2003

After a Fashion

BY STEPHEN MACMILLAN MOSER

April 13, 2001:

AUSTIN GLAMOUR IN HOLLYWOOD

Nobody knows Hollywood like Vanity Fair knows Hollywood. Their special issues dedicated to Hollywood are always riveting and beautiful, and their continual coverage of Hollywood glamour -- then and now -- is top-notch. Their story a few months back called "Gowns by Adrian" was a lavishly illustrated tribute to a master of glamour. When they put out their book Hollywood last fall, it was with great promotion and fanfare. Vanity Fair sponsored a contest among booksellers for best in-store display. Jinn Nagaoka, BookPeople marketing director, put together a suitably glamorous display drawing from VF's venerable Hollywood past. Nagaoka set a grand party table, conspicuously showcasing the book. Borrowing exquisite vintage formalwear from Gail Chovan at Blackmail, she surrounded the table with mannequins and created a chic tableau circa 1929. It encapsulated the drama and glamour of Hollywood, not only as we'd like to remember it, but also, perhaps, as we'd like it to be again. So evocative was the display, that, of all the booksellers across the country, Nagaoka won the prize for Best Display. And the prize was … two tickets to the ultra-glam, drop-dead chic Vanity Fair party for the Oscars at Morton's in L.A.!

Distressingly, the prize did not include two tickets to the Oscars themselves, but if you can't be at the Oscars, the Morton's party afterward is the next best place to be. And if you're going to the Morton's party, you might as well be going to the Oscars, for all the work it will take to get ready. Jinn faced a formidable challenge; just about any woman would be in a tizzy of decision. Knowing you'll be entering the very pit of fashion critique, where every eye is appraising you, can unleash a torrent of insecurity and despair. After extensive looking, Jinn, with her petite figure, and exotic Asian influences, knew that no ordinary off-the-rack gown was going to do. She again put herself in the hands of Gail at Blackmail -- this time not for a vintage gown, but for one of Gail's couture creations.

DIARY OF A DRESS "I've made dresses for cocktails in Tokyo, dinner in St. Moritz, New Year's Eve in Paris … but never an event in Hollywood," says Gail. "So, when Jinn told me she was going to the Vanity Fair party at Morton's for the Academy Awards 2001, I knew that she should be wearing my creation. A dress in four days, I've done it in less than that before! I had the vision, it would be a part of my newest collection: raw edges, exposed seams, an elegant deconstructed evening gown à la Rei Kawakubo meets Madeleine Vionnet. I had chosen the fabric: a juxtaposition of ecru-colored utility muslin treated through several machine washings and sheer black silk chiffon. No simple beaded sheath would ever emerge from my atelier!

ON THE BOARDS Gail's creation is from her Spring 2001 collection, to be showcased, along with works from other members of the Designers' Guild, at Beguiled: A Spring Fashion Salon, April 22, 4pm, at the new Design Center of Austin. Tickets are $10 and $20, available in advance only at Pink, Therapy, and Blackmail. Also, look forward to the UT Fashion Show, April 26, 8pm, at the Erwin Center. Admission is free.