WWD Fashion Scoops - September 20, 2006
WWD WEDNESDAY
FASHION SCOOPS
Doctor Armani: He may have dropped out of university long ago to jump-start his career in fashion, but Giorgio Armani is finally catching up on the academic front. The designer donned a cap and gown on Tuesday night to receive an honorary doctorate from University of the Arts London, the arts institution that brings together six colleges, including London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design.
The ceremony took place at London's Metropolitan Hotel. "Giorgio Armani is a towering figure in the world of fashion," said Sir Michael Bickard, university rector. "The university is proud to salute the achievements of this very remarkable man and thank him for playing a major part in the development of some of the U.K.'s most important fashion figures." Other designers to receive honorary degrees in the past include, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Jimmy Choo.
Armani is in London to stage a series of fashion shows -- and throw a big party at Earl's Court Thursday night, and he's certainly been keeping busy in the meantime. He sat in the front row at Todd Lynn's show on Monday night because he wanted to show his support, he said, for emerging London talent and also because Lynn has dressed band members from U2. Armani is a longtime friend of Bono, and the two are collaborating on the (Product) Red Line to raise money to fight AIDS and other diseases in Africa.
Just a few doors down, the Louis Vuitton store hosted a cocktail party in honor of Parisian personal shopper extraordinaire Susan Tabk and her new book "Chic in Paris." An eclectic crowd of Francophiles and socials, including Peter Martins, Michelle Gerber Klein and Patricia duff crowded the store, browsing the signed copies of books. Tabak's proud parents were on hand, too, though Mom claims she doesn't take advantage of her daughter's talents. "I can't afford her!" she laughed.
Veronica Webb, who made an apperance at both Greene Street parties, was just relieved to have been an observer at the Bryant Park festivities last week. "I'm so happy to not have fittings and people telling me to diet," remarked the still lithe model. "I'd much rather be in the front row with my credit card!"
Betty Boop: A private screening of Sofia Coppola's new film "Marie Antoninette" drew a crowd of the curious to the Tribeca Grand in New York on Monday night, including Genna Ward, Jessica Capshaw, David Lauren and Lauren Bush, Abe Duong, Christopher Brooks and Fran Lebowitz. "I hope you'll come to me for dinner after," said hostess Diane von Furstenberg, joking, "I'll be cooking." Following the movie, Barry Diller mingled with guests like Andre Balazs under Duong's massive portrait of his designer wife. Nancy Janecki took the opportunity to hawk the new beauty product that she's been secretly concocting for the past three years, betty, subheaded: Color for the hair down there (the rest is up to the imagination). She had brought a box of the different colored dyes -- Brown betty, Blonde betty, among others -- as a hostess gift, but it was immediately torn open and held up for public discussion (thankfully after the food had been cleared). "Andre, what do you think of my packaging?" Janecki asked her hotelier friend. "I think it's like L'eggs," he said, pointing out that's a good thing in this end of the beauty market. And someone took such a liking to Hot betty, a hot pink dye, that she (or he) stole it right out of the packaging. Here's hoping we'll never know.
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