Born On This Day- August 1st... Designer Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Lauren was born in Algeria & raised in France. He was bullied at school, but found solace at home in his drawing & painting & designing of dresses for his mother & sisters.

When he was 17 & studying in Paris, Saint Lauren won 1st prize in a dress design competition sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat.

When Christian Dior saw Saint Laurent's designs, he was so impressed that he offered the young man a job as an assistant & & referred to Saint Laurent as the 'dauphin'. When Dior died in 1957, Saint Laurent took over the house of Dior. His first collection for Dior in 1958 was greeted enthusiastically & his 1960 collection for Dior appropriated the Left Bank style, with black leather jackets, knitted turtlenecks, & crocodile jackets. The fashion world watched with fascination as street fashion was redesigned at the hands of a couturier.

In the same year Saint Laurent was called up to fight in the Algerian war. When he was discharged several months later, he discovered that he had been replaced as head designer at Dior. He then simply created his own company.

Under his own name, Saint Laurent continued to produce elegant wearable clothes that drew on a huge range of influences & he successfully tapped into the vogue for androgynous dressing that spread throughout Europe & the USA in the mid-1960s.

In 1993, Yves Saint Laurent , which was by now also a major perfume house, was sold to a major company & has changed hands a number of times since, becoming part of Gucci in 1999 with Tom Ford as designer & creative director.

In 1958, Saint Laurent met Pierre Bergé, who was at the time the manager & lover of the Parisian painter Bernard Buffet. In a scene out of A Little Night Music, at a weekend party Buffet met his future wife, & Saint Laurent & Bergé roused a romance that lasted until 1976. After their breakup Bergé continued to serve as Saint Laurent's business manager & remained living in their home until 1986.

Although his sexuality was hardly a secret in the fashion world, Saint Laurent did not publicly acknowledge his homosexuality until 1991, in an interview in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro.

As his depression deepened Saint Laurent was joyful only twice a year, on the days a new collection was shown, usually to wild acclaim & within 24 hours that joy would evaporated. Saint Laurent was so attached to his favorite designs, that to part with even one of them would leave a black hole in his life, according to Bergé.

Almost any other leading designer will cite him as their idol. Marc Jacobs refers to him as god. Tom Ford & Jean-Paul Gaultier name him as their mentor.

In 2002, with years of poor health, drug abuse, depression, alcoholism, criticisms of YSL designs, Saint Laurent was forced to face the indignity of having Gucci close the illustrious couture house of YSL.

After his retirement, Saint Laurent became increasingly reclusive & spent the last years of his life at his house in Marrakech, Morocco. He died in June 2008 after a long illness. He was 71 years old.

Pears & Blass... A Pair Of Birthdays On June 22nd

"Style is primarily a matter of instinct.”

William Ralph Blass was a very handsome man, who happened to be gay. He produced clothes for many renowned women including Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Pat Buckley, Brooke Astor, Nancy Kissinger, Happy Rockefeller, Gloria Vanderbilt, Jessye Norman, Barbra Streisand, & Barbara Walters.

Bill Blass's life epitomised the Gatsby-esque American dream. Along with Oscar de la Renta, Blass was the American designer who most successfully brought together the roles of couturier & social butterfly.

At one point in my life I thought that escorting society dames to parties, lunches & events might just be the ticket for me. I had my eye on Diana Vreeland in the mid-1970s. Blass was one of the most successful 'walkers' ever. He was an indefatigable partygoer, showing up with some of the richest women in Manhattan at every party, gallery opening & hip restaurant. He not only loved the world of glamour, big money, high profile & style, but understood how to dress it, which is why his company was so successful for more than 30 years.

He was one of the founder members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). He was the first to receive the CFDA Perignon Award for Humanitarian leadership beyond fashion. He donated the $25,000 prize to the AIDS care centre of New York Hospital. He was also a major donor to Gay Men's Health Crisis at a time when well known people were silent about AIDS. Bill Blass died of cancer aged 79.

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Pears on the left & Britten on the right.

For 40 years, Peter Pears was the lover/partner of composer Benjamin Britten, who wrote the leading roles in many of his operas & song for Pears.Their partnership is important for the vast body of music & recordings it produced, & because many homosexual subjects figured in their work. Because Opera is just not gay enough.

Pears became a leading lyric tenor of the Sadler's Wells Opera, where he developed an extensive repertoire, but Pears's greatest triumph in this company, was his creation of the title role of the tortured & homosexual outcast in Britten's Peter Grimes (1945).

For the next 30+ years, Pears created many operatic roles that Britten wrote for him, including the title role in Albert Herring (1947), Captain Vere in Billy Budd (1951), Essex in Gloriana (1953), Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw (1954), Flute in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960), the Madwoman in Curlew River (1964), Nebuchadnezzar in The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966), the Tempter in The Prodigal Son (1968), Sir Philip Wingrave in Owen Wingrave (1971), & Aschenbach in Death in Venice (1973).

In 1974, Pears made, at last, his debut at the Metropolitan Opera Company, New York, in the 1st American performance of Death in Venice. I wonder if my friend Will, the esteemed theatre & opera designer was in the house?

Even after Britten's death in 1976, Pears continued his singing career until nearly the age of 70. He spent the remainder of his life teaching & administering the Britten-Pears School. Pears was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, & died on April 3, 1986. He is buried next to Britten.

Born On This Day- May 11th... Fashion Icon- Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani

I have had a hard time getting around the notion of why it would be difficult to come out if you were a successful fashion designer. It is similar to being a closeted chorus boy or proffesional figure skater. Really?

It's no surprise that of all the great gay fashion designers to have chosen to be open about their gayness in recent years: Versace, Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Valentino should be the last to come out, because being out on the leading edge has never been the style of the designer who burst on to the fashion scene in 1959 & quickly established himself as the favorite of the ladies who lunch.


The "secret that is not a secret", is what Valentino's partner in business & in life for 50 years- Giancarlo Giammetti called it, in an feature on the designer in an issue of Vanity Fair in 2004.


Giammetti has run the business side of Valentino's fashion house until their retirment in 2008. Giammetti: "Ours was not a story of money or fashion. It was a story of love. There has never been an article about us in this sense. I think the world has changed a lot, and that once it would have been embarrassing to read but it's not any more."

Valentino: "Giancarlo & I understand each other, but his character is the opposite of mine. There are only 3 things that I know how to do: make a dress, decorate a house & receive guests ..."


Giammetti: “We were lovers for 22 years. Now it's a fraternal love, a relationship with nothing sexual in it. Yet a great love remains, ancient, surviving."


Their affectionate but testy relationship began when the pair met at a cafe in Rome in 1960. Giammetti claims if you added up the days they have spent apart since meeting, it amounts to only 2 months.


Altough they are open about being gay, Valentino & Giammetti are prudish in their perceptions. Bruce Hoeksema, Valentino's assistant for the past 15 years: "When Giancarlo sees male couple kissing in a restaurant he says, 'Disgusting!'. If he sees 2 men holding hands on the street, 'Queers!'."


The Husband & I caught the documentary- Valentino: The Last Emperor on Logo one Saturday morning. Watching the diminutive, majestically coiffed, hidden-eyed, orange-tinted, ill-tempered, impatient absolute monarch- Valentino was like enjoying chocolate & Champagne until that queasy moment arrives when you realize you’ve consumed far too much.


He travels exclusively on his own jets & yachts with a full entourage.

One of the very few things we have in common,Valentino adores dogs. He named a second line of clothing after his late pug Oliver. Today Valentino has pugs: the mother, Molly; her sons, Milton & Monty; & her daughters, Margot, Maude & Maggie. When traveling on his 14-seat jet, 3 cars are needed to move Valentino & his group to the airport: one to move Valentino & Giammetti, another for the luggage & the staff, & one to transport 5 pugs, Maude, the 6th canine, always travels with Valentino.

Epperson & Gaultier

John Epperson: “Tolerance isn't enough. Acceptance isn't enough. Understanding may be enough. But I don't know if you can understand unless you're inside a person's skin. What could be enough is just to somehow shed the fear & loathing, but the only way that can be done is if all the people who hate homosexuals realize there's a potential homosexual lurking in them. Sexuality is a transitory thing that could shift at any moment. It's bigger than all of us”.

After leaving his native Mississippi, young John Epperson moved to NYC & landed a job as the rehearsal pianist for the American Ballet Theater. He also began doing drag performances at nightspots Club 57 & the Pyramid Club. Epperson quit his job with the American Ballet Theater in 1991 in order to perform full-time as Lypsinka. He has since returned to his position at American Ballet Theater. Last year he had a non-drag role as the rehearsal pianist in the Film- Black Swan. What a stretch. It would have been more thrilling if Lypsinka had played the role, not to disparage Epperson's estimable talents.

Fueled by the early 1980s avant-garde, pop culture art scene in NYC, Epperson let flow his creative pluck into one of the more distinctive personas to emerge in contemporary performing arts: Lypsinka.


For the past 2 decades, Epperson's performances as Lypsinka have met with international acclaim for elevating drag & lip-synching to a beguiling world where Lypsinka speaks only through intricately interlaced bits of dialogue drawn from the considerable catalogue of American entertainment. Epperson turns 55 today.

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Starting out as Pierre Cardin’s assistant in 1970, Jean Paul Gaultier showed his first collection in 1976 at the urging of his boyfriend- Francis Menuge, who was his partner in business & life, until he died of AIDS complications in 1990. Gaultier’s collections have always been influenced by street culture & the media & he’s known for twisting gender roles in his designs, often overshadowing the elaborate design & construction of his work. Gaultier has literally made a career for himself out of nothing but sheer determination & dedication. With no formal training, he has managed to create a self-made empire with no indication of slowing down. He is a magical master of the theatrical in his runway shows, displays & advertising.

An unconventional designer, Gaultier claims to finds inspiration in everyday life, drawing from what he says, “is the truth of an object”. His shows are fabulous events, & he uses every shape & size of model. Fearless & passionate in any endeavor he takes on, whether it is the biggest pop star of all time & her sold out world tour, or blockbuster sci-fi thriller movies, Gaultier is one the best. The bad boy of fashion turns 59 today.

Born On This Day- April 24th... Halston

Roy Halston Frowick, or Halston was an iconic clothing designer of the 1970s & 1980s & a friend to Jackie O, Bianca Jagger, Liza Minnelli, Anjelica Huston, Lauren Bacall & Elizabeth Taylor, but he always ignored me at Studio 54.

Halston on far left... at Studio 54 with some of his friends

A Midwesterner, he began his career as a milliner, designing the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy to the1961 Presidential inauguration. Halston then moved to designing women's wear. Newsweek named Halston “the premier fashion designer of the USA”. Halston was the first international fashion superstar & possibly the best designer America has ever had.

He was the first American designer to perceive the potential of licensing himself. His influence went beyond style to reshape the business of fashion. Through his licensing agreement with USA retailer JC Penney, his designs were accessible to women at a variety of income levels. Although this practice is common today, it was a controversial move at the time & cost him couture customers.

Although he enjoyed enormous success, his drug use deepened, & a failure to meet deadline undermined his progress & profit. In 1984 he was fired from his own company & lost the right to design & sell clothes under his own name.

Halston was diagnosed with HIV in 1988. He died of AIDS-related lung cancer in San Francisco, California on March 26, 1990.

In the Sister Sledge disco hit- He's The Greatest Dancer, Halston is memorably mentioned in a description of a well-dressed man: “Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci - he looks like a still, the man is dressed to kill'. Halston has been mentioned in other songs, films & TV shows - usually as the criterion for a certain kind of cultured, cosmopolitan style.

"Red Riding Hood" European Premiere

Come undone.

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In or Out: Saoirse Ronan in Chanel

T Lo are mean.

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Fall 2011 Trends: Velvet

I got you, babe.

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"Pulp Fashion" by Isabelle de Borchgrave

Here is your Recommended Daily Allowance of stunning.

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Man on the Street: Mickey Rourke

National treasure.

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Renee Zellwegger X2

The many faces of Renee.

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Panda Shorts

Apparently, Panda shorts are the latest fad in China. Perhaps it’s because the Panda bear is so popular in China. Whatever the reason they are very stylish.

All On The Line: Kara Janx

"Kara Janx is a wild card."

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Dressed To Kilt Charity Fashion Show

Built to kilt.

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In or Out: Uma Thurman in Lanvin

A cry for help.

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"Arthur" World Premiere

Despite the smiles, this is one drab red carpet.

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January Jones for Marie Claire UK

Pouty face.

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Born On This Day- January 21st... Fashion Icon Christian Dior

What is with the tortured lives of the great fashion designers? Talent= personal torture?

Christian Dior was one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century. He was born in Normandy, France, heir to a fertilizer fortune. Dior attended a Catholic school, after which he established his main fashion house in 1946 with the backing of a textile magnate. Within 12 years he expanded his business to 15 countries & employed over 2,000 people. He had 3 children & was married 4 times.


Christian Dior is known mainly for the look which employed narrow shoulders, a constricted waist, an emphasized bust, & a long, wide skirt, all in striking contrast to the severity of wartime fashions. His designs represented consistent classic elegance. The New Look revolutionized women's dress & reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world after World War II. Dior spread his fashions around the world when he & his partner, Jacques Rouet, started franchises in the fashion industry. In 1953, Yves Saint-Laurent became Dior's assistant & was destined to be his successor but was reluctantly forced to leave when the time came for his military service.


Towards the end of his life Dior's life was a hectic round of injections to wake up in the morning, injections for his appetite, & further injections to sleep. His niece, who had once been his favorite relative, openly blamed Christian's Jewish manager who procured his medications, along with a collection of young men, of being part of a Jewish plot forcing him towards his death. Dior would eventulally disinherit all his family.

Dior's last companion was Jacques Benita, a young Algerian singer, who he met in 1956 & who, from that time, had to be included in all Christian's social activities. After the September collection in 1957, Dior was desperate for a rest & decided to take Benita to Montecatinia Italy, despite the warnings of his astrologer, who was against the trip. He was so infatuated with Benita that he decided to diet to try to make himself more attractive, even though Benita said this really was not necessary. Dior was a drug addict who probably died, at age 56, from a heart attack or overdose. It has never been certain. At the time of his death, Dior salons had been opened in 24 countries.The Dior firm, successively led by designers Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, continued to be a fashion leader & is now associated with a much wider range of merchandise: mens' wear, household linens, & fragrances.

He was a classic designer & a star. His life was filled of parties, exquisite things, pretty boys, & cool substances... all the things that only famous people eat, feel, & have.