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kansascityhappenings · 7 years ago

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Women accuse Morgan Freeman of inappropriate behavior, harassment

LOS ANGELES — A young production assistant thought she had landed the job of her dreams when, in the summer of 2015, she started work on “Going In Style,” a bank heist comedy starring Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin.

But the job quickly devolved into several months of harassment, she told CNN. She alleges that Freeman subjected her to unwanted touching and comments about her figure and clothing on a near-daily basis. Freeman would rest his hand on her lower back or rub her lower back, she said.

In one incident, she said, Freeman “kept trying to lift up my skirt and asking if I was wearing underwear.” He never successfully lifted her skirt, she said — he would touch it and try to lift it, she would move away, and then he’d try again. Eventually, she said, “Alan [Arkin] made a comment telling him to stop. Morgan got freaked out and didn’t know what to say.”

Freeman’s alleged inappropriate behavior was not limited to that one movie set, according to other sources who spoke to CNN. A woman who was a senior member of the production staff of the movie “Now You See Me” in 2012 told CNN that Freeman sexually harassed her and her female assistant on numerous occasions by making comments about their bodies.

“He did comment on our bodies… We knew that if he was coming by … not to wear any top that would show our breasts, not to wear anything that would show our bottoms, meaning not wearing clothes that [were] fitted,” she said.

At 80 years old, Freeman is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with a movie career that spans nearly five decades. His starring roles in movies like “Driving Miss Daisy” and “Shawshank Redemption” in the late 1980s and early 1990s made him a household name. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby,” and has earned four other Oscar nominations. His voiceover work has also become iconic, including his narration for the Academy Award-winning documentaries “The Long Way Home” and “March of the Penguins.”

In all, 16 people spoke to CNN about Freeman as part of this investigation, eight of whom said they were victims of what some called harassment and others called inappropriate behavior by Freeman. Eight said they witnessed Freeman’s alleged conduct. These 16 people together described a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Freeman on set, while promoting his movies and at his production company Revelations Entertainment.

Of those 16, seven people described an environment at Revelations Entertainment that included allegations of harassment or inappropriate behavior by Freeman there, with one incident allegedly witnessed by Lori McCreary, Freeman’s co-founder in the enterprise, and another in which she was the target of demeaning comments by Freeman in a public setting. One of those seven people alleged that McCreary made a discriminatory remark regarding a female candidate for a job at the Producers Guild of America, where McCreary is co-president.

Four people who worked in production capacities on movie sets with Freeman over the last ten years described him as repeatedly behaving in ways that made women feel uncomfortable at work. Two, including the production assistant on “Going in Style” whose skirt he allegedly attempted to lift, said Freeman subjected them to unwanted touching. Three said he made public comments about women’s clothing or bodies. But each of them said they didn’t report Freeman’s behavior, with most saying it was because they feared for their jobs. Instead, some of the women — both on movie sets and at Revelations — said, they came up with ways to combat the alleged harassment on their own, such as by changing the way they dressed when they knew he would be around.

CNN reached out to dozens more people who worked for or with Freeman. Some praised Freeman, saying they never witnessed any questionable behavior or that he was a consummate professional on set and in the office.

Several other times during this investigation, when a CNN reporter contacted a person who had worked with Freeman to try to ask them if they had seen or been subjected to inappropriate behavior by an actor they had worked with — not initially even naming the actor they were asking about — the person would immediately tell them they knew exactly who the reporter had in mind: Morgan Freeman. Some of those people were sources for this investigation while others declined to comment further or did not want what they said used in this story.

The pattern of behavior described by those who spoke with CNN shows another example of the systematic problems that exist in the entertainment industry. The allegations against Freeman are not about things that happened in private; they are about things that allegedly happened in public, in front of witnesses — even in front of cameras. Before #MeToo, many men in the industry could behave without fear of consequences, because many times when a powerful man did so, it was the victim who suffered repercussions.

CNN reached out to Freeman’s spokesperson for comment and then, at his request, emailed him a detailed list of the accusations against Freeman. The spokesperson did not respond to multiple follow-ups by email seeking comment on the accusations.

CNN also reached out to a spokesperson for McCreary, and then provided her with a detailed list of accusations regarding Freeman’s alleged behavior at Revelations and details of the accusation against her as well as a number of questions for her regarding Freeman’s alleged behavior at Revelations and the environment there. The spokesperson did not respond to multiple follow-ups by email seeking comment.

The allegations of inappropriate behavior by Freeman are not limited to the confines of his company or to movie sets. Three entertainment reporters who spoke to CNN said Freeman made inappropriate remarks to them during press junkets, which are publicity events for journalists who cover new films, typically attended by the movie’s biggest stars.

One of the three, CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas, the co-author of this article, says she was subjected to inappropriate behavior by Freeman more than a year ago, when she interviewed him at a press junket for “Going in Style.” According to Melas, who was six months pregnant at the time, Freeman, in a room full of people, including his co-stars Arkin and Caine, shook Melas’ hand, not letting go while repeatedly looking her up and down and saying more than once a variation of, “I wish I was there.” She says he also said to her, “You are ripe.” Cameras were on and recording during one of Freeman’s remarks to Melas — “Boy, do I wish I was there” — but not for the rest. As is common practice with such junkets, Melas was the only CNN employee there at the time.

Afterward, Melas reported what had happened to her supervisor, who instructed her to inform CNN human resources. According to Melas, she was told that CNN HR contacted their counterparts at human resources for Warner Bros., which produced and distributed the movie, and which like CNN is owned by Time Warner. Melas said she was also told that Warner Bros. HR could not corroborate the account because only one of Freeman’s remarks was on video and the Warner Bros. employees present did not notice anything. Melas and her supervisor agreed that she would not cover the movie.

Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. confirmed that what Melas was told was accurate, but declined to comment further. A representative for Caine declined to comment. A representative for Arkin said he was not available for comment.

After the encounter with Freeman, Melas started making calls to see if other women had experienced anything similar, or whether this was an isolated incident. She soon learned that other women had similar stories — and so she, and later her co-author, began this months-long reporting process.

Inside Revelations Entertainment

Freeman and Lori McCreary founded Revelations Entertainment in 1996. Variety reported last year that Freeman started the company with McCreary because he was frustrated by the lack of choice roles for black actors and because he wanted to reveal the truth about serious issues — a mission that inspired the name “Revelations.”

The company’s credits include a list of ambitious films about religion, apartheid, astronomy and stem cell research. Revelations also produced the film “Along Came a Spider” and the hit CBS show “Madam Secretary,” both of which feature strong female leads.

But former staffers who spoke with CNN say that behind the façade of a progressive and artistic agenda the company’s two founders created what one called a “toxic” work environment. Six former staffers said they witnessed Freeman’s questionable behavior around women, which they said included sexual comments and one said included an incident of unsolicited touching. One female former staffer said she was the target of sexual comments by Freeman.

The female former employee at Revelations told CNN that Freeman was flanked by a group of men on the set of “Through the Wormhole” when she met the actor for the first time. He “looked me up and down,” she said, and then asked her, “How do you feel about sexual harassment?”

“I was stunned,” she told CNN. “This is the person that I worked for, this is his company, I didn’t expect it at all … I said timidly, ‘I love it’ in a sarcastic way hoping to make light of the situation because I was so confused and then he turned to the guys on the crew … and said, ‘See guys, this is how you do it.’”

One woman who was a manager at Revelations told CNN that sometimes Freeman would “come over to my desk to say hi and he’d just stand there and stare at me. He would stare at my breasts.”

“If I ever passed him he would stare at me in an awkward way, would look me up and down sometimes stopping and just staring,” she said. “One time he stopped, looked me up and down as I walked into a room of people, and everyone burst out laughing. And I literally froze feeling very uncomfortable and one of the people in the office said, ‘Don’t worry, that’s just Morgan.’”

“That sort of interaction was when I stopped wearing a skirt around the office when he was there,” said the former manager. “I can’t say it was an accident that I’d be wearing a potato sack and a ponytail on certain days when he was there and do my best to avoid him when he was in the office.”

Freeman was not in the office on a daily basis, the former employees said. But when he did show up, he behaved like a “creepy uncle,” in the words of a male former employee. “One time I witnessed Morgan walk up to an intern and start massaging her” shoulder, he said. “The intern got visibly red and wiggled out of his grasp, it was awkward.” The incident stood out to him because Freeman was using only one hand to touch the intern, as his other was injured in a 2008 car accident that was widely covered by the press. Another former employee told CNN she was present when the male former employee told several people about this incident shortly after it occurred.

CNN spoke to two male witnesses who each saw a separate occasion in which Freeman asked women to twirl. One instance occurred at the office, while another happened at an off-site company event.

Another incident stood out to people who spoke with CNN who witnessed it. Two former staffers who were there, and a writer for the show “Madam Secretary” who also attended, each described the scene to CNN.

For his 79th birthday, Revelations threw Freeman a party in the office. According to the sources, roughly 30 people attended the party, some of whom were new to the company and had never met the actor. McCreary was among those in attendance, the sources said.

People at the party had to stand in a circle, a former executive at the company who attended the party told CNN, and tell Freeman who they were and what they did. Then, the former executive said, Freeman went up to women in the circle and would “stand maybe within an inch of their face and just look them up and down and not say anything, and then would move on to the next woman and he’d stand like within an inch of their face and look them up and down and not say anything, and it was really, really strange.” The former executive added, “It was really weird and he did it to every woman but of course he didn’t do it to any of the men. He didn’t speak to any of the men.”

The writer for “Madam Secretary” who was at the party said, “We saw Morgan go around to the girls in the circle and get really close to their faces, he didn’t do it to the men. I don’t know what he said but we all thought it was strange and couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. Absolutely there were sexual undertones to it.” After the #MeToo movement began, the same writer said, writers on the show joked — with that incident in mind — “that Morgan would be the next person to be called out.”

McCreary herself has also been the subject of demeaning comments by Freeman. In front of what was reportedly an audience of 400 people at 2016’s Produced By conference, Freeman described what she was wearing during their first meeting, saying, “She had on a dress cut to here.”

“She wants to be thought of as serious,” said Freeman of McCreary, who was on the same panel. “But you can’t get away from the short dresses.”

Freeman stood by his comments when he appeared a few days later on the “Today” show and host Savannah Guthrie said some people were “surprised” by the remarks he made on the panel.

“It was just something I said in jest about when I first met her, it was more than 20 years ago,” he said to Guthrie. “How is that news?”

The Hollywood Reporter reported at the time that McCreary “did not visibly react to the comment.” One of the former Revelations executives told CNN that McCreary was visibly upset when she returned to the office.

“I tried to console her and she was clearly upset and I think she was surprised and found it hurtful and embarrassing,” said the former executive. “She was devastated.”

Five sources told CNN that there was no formal human resources department at Revelations at the time. There was a rotation of executives who served as the point of contact for HR issues, but former staffers said they did not feel comfortable talking to senior personnel about their workplace grievances. This prompted some staffers to form a “survivors club” where they gathered to vent about their experiences at Revelations, according to five sources who have been to the gatherings, which take place outside of the office.

Publicly, McCreary champions the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Two days before January’s Screen Actors Guild awards, at which Freeman accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award, McCreary released a statement on behalf of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), to say that its board ratified new anti-sexual harassment guidelines for its members. “The PGA is indebted to Time’s Up as a resource in creating our protocols,” she said in a press release issued with her co-president Gary Lucchesi, referring to the initiative aimed at fighting harassment and discrimination against women.

Yet the former Revelations employee who said Freeman asked her how she felt about sexual harassment also alleged that on a phone call with a member of PGA, McCreary said of a candidate vying for a position at PGA East, “she’ll never be able to do a good job, she has a family.”

Two former senior level Revelations employees said McCreary would openly mock women who had to leave work early for family commitments and school functions. McCreary also allegedly said that some employees couldn’t handle big workloads because they had to “run home” to their families and therefore couldn’t stay late at work, according to one of the sources. She openly advocated for work-life balance, that source said, but she would make “snide” remarks to those who left work early.

A spokesperson for the PGA said in a statement, “The Producers Guild of America is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not question or consider marital or parental status in its hiring practices. As soon as CNN notified us about the allegation, we investigated the matter and have found that it has no merit. Lori McCreary is an outstanding PGA President. In all of her work with the Guild, she has been a consistent, vocal, and proactive advocate for women and all who are underrepresented in our community.”

A spokesperson for McCreary did not respond to repeated follow-up requests for comment regarding the allegations against McCreary.

On set

One of the former male Revelations employees recounted to CNN what he called the “shocking” remarks that Freeman made while he was on set for a number of Freeman’s movies. What he says he witnessed follows the pattern described by the women who said they were harassed by Freeman.

“[He’d say] things like ‘I’d like to have an hour with her’ or make vulgar and sexual comments about women,” the former employee said. “He would be verbally inappropriate and it was just shocking. You’re more shocked than anything because it’s hard to have the wherewithal to say to him ‘That’s inappropriate.’ You’re just like ‘whoa.’ It’s hard because on any set he is the most powerful person on it. It’s weird because you just don’t expect it from Morgan Freeman, someone who you respect.”

The female production assistant (PA) mentioned at the beginning of this story who worked on “Going In Style” said she was in her early 20s when Freeman, then 78 years old, harassed her. She said the experience led to her decision to leave the movie industry.

“It was constant comments about the way I looked,” she said, adding that Freeman often made the comments within earshot of others on the production staff. She said she frequently came home from work in tears.

The woman recalled a time when she went to the set wearing a dress with a t-shirt over it to cover her exposed back, but “Morgan said to me that I shouldn’t be wearing the shirt over my dress.”

Another female production assistant who witnessed this particular alleged incident told CNN that Freeman’s behavior towards the younger female production staff was an unchecked and persistent issue during filming. Both women said the t-shirt incident took place in front of a group of people and that they heard at least one other woman publicly chastise Freeman for that particular comment. The behavior was discussed among the women he targeted, the female production assistant said.

A third woman who worked on a recent movie of Freeman’s recalled an incident at the film’s wrap party. “He was looking at my breasts, and I told him, ‘My eyes are up here.’ Then we went to take a group photo and he pressed himself up against me. It was inappropriate.”

CNN spoke to one of the woman’s colleagues on the film, who said that as soon as the photo was taken, the woman walked over and told a group of people what Freeman had done to her.

Another production assistant, who worked with Freeman on “The Dark Knight,” told CNN that although she was never personally targeted by Freeman, she witnessed some inappropriate comments Freeman made to female members of the crew. She also said that female members of the crew would at times discuss how Freeman had made them feel uncomfortable.

“Morgan did things in a way that an older more established person can get away with because they have that power,” she told CNN. “They can’t be replaced, but you can be replaced very easily, that’s just kind of the dynamic on set. PA’s can be replaced, grips can be replaced, electricians can be replaced, but the actors — once they’re in, they’re in. Had it been somebody else on the crew… I would feel comfortable reporting them because I wouldn’t feel like my job would be in danger by reporting them, but if you report somebody like Morgan Freeman that the movie would lose a lot of money by replacing them or getting them in trouble, then you’re the trouble maker and you’ll get fired because you’re just a PA.”

With reporters

Freeman’s alleged fixation on how women dressed was apparent when he hit the road to promote his films, as was his alleged pattern of looking women up and down while making sexually suggestive comments to them.

As the entertainment producer at Chicago’s WGN-TV, Tyra Martin spent hours interviewing Freeman at various press junkets. Over the course of a decade, she said, she sat down with him at least nine times and grew accustomed to his comments about her appearance. But Martin made it clear in an interview with CNN that she was always “in on the joke.” WGN produced videos featuring some of Freeman’s remarks to Martin, describing it as him flirting with her. But Martin felt that one incident crossed a line.

“When I stood up, I pulled my skirt part of my dress down and he did say, ‘Oh, don’t pull it down now.’” Martin said. “That gave me pause but I never felt uncomfortable.”

It is unclear whether video of that incident exists.

An entertainment reporter who is a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association said Freeman made comments about her skirt and her legs during two different junkets. Much like many of the women in this report and those who declined to go on the record, the reporter said Freeman’s fame and power kept her from speaking out.

“I was just trying to do my job and I brushed it off,” said the reporter, who did not want to be identified for this story because she’s fearful of losing out on interviews with other celebrities.

“You don’t want to put him on the spot because one, he’s famous and two, it’s on camera and three, you just want to do your job.”

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2018/05/24/women-accuse-morgan-freeman-of-inappropriate-behavior-harassment/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/women-accuse-morgan-freeman-of-inappropriate-behavior-harassment/

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titoslondon-blog · 7 years ago

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New Post has been published on Titos London

#Blog New Post has been published on http://www.titoslondon.co.uk/this-is-how-the-met-gala-theme-is-decided-each-year/

This is how the Met Gala theme is decided each year

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual spring fashion show has become an institution in its own right, with the red carpet event and dinner that precedes it – the Met Gala – raising more than $12.5 million for the museum last year, while more than half a million visitors flocked to the exhibition itself. (In 2015, 815,992 people came to see China: Through the Looking Glass, making it the most popular show to date.) And it all starts with one decision: the theme. Behind the concept, curation and execution of it all is the self-confessed fashion nerd Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s chief curator.

How the theme is chosen

If the buzz around this year’s edition seems especially rapturous, there’s good reason. Titled Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, it explores the connection between fashion and Catholicism. Bolton is aware that the choice is controversial, juxtaposing as it does items of spiritual import with the world of more earthly, commerce-driven delights. Not that he minds. “I think every exhibition should generate debate,” he tells Vogue, days away from the grand opening. “I think it’s important to stimulate debate and to put ideas out there that are difficult to deal with or seen as problematic. That’s the role of any museum: to expand people’s ideas about a topic through objects.”

Choosing that topic is a complicated process. “What I try to do is work on a topic that seems timely, and that defines a cultural shift that’s happening or is about to happen,” explains Bolton . “We always try to have a menu of shows that are dynamic, that go back and forth on subjects from the past and the present, between thematic shows and monographic ones of a single designer. We try to mix it up.”

How the theme is approved

When Bolton and his team are happy with a theme, they present it to the museum’s director and president for approval, positions held by recent appointees Max Hollein and Daniel H. Weiss. Though this approval process takes place about a year in advance, the research Bolton and his team undertake happens years in advance. The hands-on curation of a show starts as soon as the spring show opens, giving the 32-person team 12 months to make the magic happen all over again.

After receiving the blessing from the top brass, then Anna Wintour, Condé Nast editorial director and editor-in-chief of American Vogue, gets her say. Wintour has become Bolton’s close ally and an integral player in the Met’s Gala and spring exhibition. “It would be difficult to do it without her support,” he says. “Anna works out what sponsors would be appropriate for the exhibition. Sometimes I have an idea, and it’s less of a big idea or popular idea, which is not terribly appealing to sponsors,” he says with a laugh. “Anna is extraordinary and supports us in so many ways, but in particular by going out for sponsorship.” (This year’s bankroll is provided by Versace, Condé Nast, and Christine and Stephen A. Schwarzman.)

Wintour’s involvement hardly ends there. She’s served as co-chair 19 times and has turned the Costume Institute and its yearly gala into the global media blitz referred to by many as “the Oscars of fashion.” The documentary, The First Monday in May, perhaps illustrates it best, but there is little that isn’t part of Wintour’s purview. She has final say on everything from decor and seating charts, to the all-important guest list. Her influence is such that the Costume Institute’s space was renamed The Anna Wintour Costume Center in 2014.

There is even a dress code, which tends to echo the broader scope of the show. And while Wintour encourages the celebrity guests to play along, there’s some flexibility. Take, for example, last year’s Comme des Garçons show: most attendees wore your typical socialite glamour gowns but the women who did don the designer — notably Rihanna and Tracee Ellis Ross — made waves for all the right reasons. Another example of this occured at the opening of 2014’s Charles James exhibit, when it was stipulated that male Gala attendees wear “white tie and decorations”, which sent men scrambling to find antiquated garments like tailcoats, waistcoats, wing-collared shirts and white bow ties. So while you may see plenty of celestial-leaning gowns come Monday night, most guests will opt for black tie, a perfectly acceptable — and agnostic — choice.

How this year’s theme was decided

Even after a theme has been signed off by all parties, changes can still happen. Heavenly Bodies was originally slated for 2017, but when Comme des Garçons’s Rei Kawakubo agreed to a career survey, Bolton couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Planning is important, he notes, but so is flexibility. “It’s a balancing act,” he says, choosing something that is at once relevant and exciting to the public, but that also plays to the Met’s curatorial strengths and displays variety.

This year’s exhibition is rather “close to my heart” says Bolton, and it had a significantly longer gestation period than most. It’s a theme he’s been mulling over since “the culture wars of the 1980s”, but that was first pitched five years ago. At the time he hoped to investigate five belief systems represented in The Met’s existing collection – Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Catholicism – but the wealth of material around Catholicism and its influence was so great that he reconsidered, focusing solely on the Catholic canon. “I thought I’d just play to the the strength of the material,” he says.

How this year’s theme was chosen – and why the Vatican got involved

The polemic exhibition will be the Costume Institute’s largest to date, staged not only at the medieval rooms in the museum’s legendary Central Park location, but also at the Anna Wintour Costume Center and its annex at The Cloisters, a rebuilt monastery in Upper Manhattan. Presentation is key, especially considering the delicate subject. “We do a lot of cultural outreach,” explains Bolton of the Vatican’s involvement, which was agreed over two years ago to ensure that the show remained respectful while being appropriately probative. “Obviously there is a sensitivity around fashion and religion – actually around art and religion in general – but that was interesting in terms of tension,” he says. “I don’t agree with censorship, but I do agree with working with the community and working in collaboration, supporting each other. I’ve found things that I think are banal or benign actually aren’t. I’ve learned so much – sometimes the Vatican and I have disagreed, but we’ve always resolved it and we’ve gained a better understanding of each other’s points of view in the process.”

As far as having a favourite of the show, Bolton references a Viktor & Rolf dress which will be shown alongside the two former processional statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus that inspired it. Another personal highlight: a Cristóbal Balenciaga design from 1967. “It’s one of my favorites because in fashion history it’s mythologised or sainted,” he explains, noting how it’s seemingly simple construction (crafted from one seam) belies its innovative and modern nature. “It’s complex but it seems minimalist in a very understated way. The technique and the craftsmanship is breathtaking.”

After all this time picking a theme and building a nuanced and complex argument around it, what does Bolton want his audiences to walk away with? “That beauty can be a bridge between the believer and the non-believer,” he says. He also wants viewers to leave feeling the depth of influence that religion can leave on a person’s life and how that belief system can inform so much of what they do. “The exhibition is about designers who engage with Catholic imagery, symbolism and iconography, but on a much deeper level it is about how much growing up Catholic has shaped a designer’s creative impulses.”

1/11 Andrew Bolton at the ‘Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between’ Costume Institute Gala

Image: Getty

Andrew Bolton and Anna Wintour at the ‘Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between’ Presentation

Image: Getty

Elettra Rossellini at ‘The Metropolitan Museum Of Art Presents: Charles James Exhibition Press Preview’

Image: Getty

‘China: Through The Looking Glass’ Costume Institute Benefit Gala – Press Preview

Image: Getty

‘Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology’ – Press Preview

Image: Getty

‘Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between’ Costume Institute Gala – Press Preview

Image: Getty

From the left: Anna Wintour, Donatella Versace, Pierpaolo Piccioli with Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi at the podium

Image: Rex Features

Donatella Versace next to one of the Tiara (1877) of Pope Pius IX in Rome

Image: Rex Features

The mitre (1929) of Pope Pius XI in Rome

Image: Rex Features

Left to right: Evening Dress, Gianni Versace for Versace, Fall 1997-98; Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana for Dolce and Gabbana , Fall 2013-14; Evening Ensemble, John Galliano for Dior, Autumn Winter 2000-2001

Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Left to right: Ensemble, Viktor & Rolf, Autumn Winter 1999-2000; Wedding Ensemble, Christian Lacroix, Autumn Winter 2009-2010; Lumiere Evening Ensemble, Jean Paul Gaultier, Spring Summer 2007

Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The post This is how the Met Gala theme is decided each year appeared first on VOGUE India.

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foliefashion-blog · 7 years ago

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Best outfits of the Oscars through the years

We will soon be rained with plenty of eye pleasing outfits and starlets waking the red carpet waiting and hoping to get their hand on that gold still man the call an award. The Oscars are one of the most prestigious awards of all time in Hollywood and its pretty clear that if you win one you are on Hollywood's A-list. There have been some interesting outfits through the years with lots of body revealing and intricate gowns from top designers. Here are some of the best dressed celebs of all time of the Oscars through the years.

Probably one of the most iconic actress ever to roam on earth. Audrey Hepburn stunned in the Givenchy gown for the Oscars in 1954.

Barbara Streisand is another iconic actresses from Hollywood and wowed us all with this sheer mod Arnold Scaasi dress which she wore to the 1969 Oscars and took home an Oscar of her own for Funny Girl.

It was the amazing 80's and Debbie Allen represented the best of the best of that time. With bold shoulders, all over embellishments and a thigh-high slit, she looked like a disco ball for the 1982 awards ceremony.

This Supermodel was the It-girl of the 90's and it was clearly shown at the 1993 awards ceremony as she wore a body-hugging Herve Leger dress that marked her figure perfectly.

It is pretty obviously that Kate Hudson is Hollywood royalty considering her mother is Goldie Hawn. She really looked stunning in the 2003 Oscars ceremony with this champagne Atelier gown by Versace.

Charlize Theron looked absolutely amazing in this Dior sparkling gown in 2004 and took home an Oscar that night for her movie Monster. Good job she didn't come in costume to the ceremony!

Nicole Kidman looks party ready with this Balenciaga gown with such an exquisite bow draping from her neck onto the red carpet for the 2007 Awards Ceremony.

This has to be one of the most famous photos of the 2012 Oscars Ceremony with everyone calling it the Angelina leg pose. She looked exquisite in this strapless Atelier Versace gown.

Jessica Chastain channels Old Hollywood in this luxurious embellished Armani Prive gown with soft waves and such elegance in the 2013 ceremony.

Zendaya made her Oscars debut in 2015 with this gorgeous Vivienne Westwood gown. This so much controversy over her look that year, the young actress was given the opportunity to stand up herself and show the world she is.

Jennifer Lawrence and Dior are a match made in heaven and everything she wears thats Dior just fits like a glove. This lace and tulle gown was worn for the 2016 Oscars whilst she was nominated for her movie Joy.

I think its clear to say there is some high competition to beat these starlets to best dressed of all time. We are very much looking forward to seeing what the women of these years Oscars have in stall for us. We expect memorable statements gowns and some sort of salute to the 'Time's up' fight for stopping harassment in the industry.

#oscars #hollywood #famous #celebs #Celebrities #redcarpet #losangeles

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hairterminator · 7 years ago

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http://blog.hair-terminator.com/charming-outlook/6-affordable-ways-to-wear-this-seasons-biggest-designer-trends/

6 Affordable Ways To Wear This Season’s Biggest Designer Trends

Style and fashion are two very different things. To paraphrase an Oscar de la Renta quote, fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable, but style, well, style is something altogether apart. It’s about dressing for you. It’s about sticking to what you like and what suits you. Which

Which is cool, but when’s the last time you saw a street style photographer trip over themselves trying to snap a bloke in an Oxford shirt and slate grey chinos? Yeah, thought so…

Style might be timeless, but unless you’re Steve McQueen, clinging to the enduring basics isn’t going to earn you your own “f*ckyeah” Tumblr anytime soon. Why? Because that’s what fashion is for. After all, if you’re not nailing tricky up-to-the-minute trends, how else can you prove that, when it comes to matters of menswear, you’re not a laggard, but a leader?

The catch is the cash. Catwalk-watching is a pursuit that can quickly burn holes in your pockets. Buy into one too many designer trends and your Armani could put you in arrears. So, to keep both your wardrobe and your wallet on point, we’ve pulled together a cut-price guide to copping six of the latest fashion trends. You’re welcome.

Roll Necks

The current trend for roll necks – aka Steve Jobs’ style legacy – has turned a relatively obscure knit once beloved of Bond villains and suave burglars into the jaw-skimming height of sophistication.

But how should you weave this trend – a current favourite from Milan to Paris – into your wardrobe when you’re not exactly, umm, rolling in it? “Stick with premium fabrications such as merino, cashmere and blends thereof,” says Kenny Ho, stylist and fashion director of Article magazine. “Brands such as Reiss, COS, Uniqlo and Marks & Spencer carry a wealth of high-grade options that let you channel that air of luxury for less.”

If you’re on a budget, go for chunkier knits, which should hold their shape and be less likely to unravel or bobble than more intricate patterns. Ho’s best tip? “Steer towards neutral colours such as navy, camel and light grey, which – even in less than top-tier fabrications – carry an air of luxury about them.” In other words, fake it until you make it.

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Shearling

Menswear’s current soft spot for shearling jackets dates back to 2015, when stateside label Coach unveiled a variety of fresh takes on the time-honoured aviator silhouette. Since then, designers have spawned a fleet of similar styles that, while unquestionably luxurious, are often – from an ethical standpoint at least – questionably produced. Plus, price tags in the thousands make it clear the sheep aren’t the only ones getting fleeced.

The fix? Channel the shearling trend with a collar, rather than a full look. “Try to avoid collars and/or linings made entirely from man-made fabrics,” says Sam Middleton, CEO and founder of men’s style concierge service The Chapar. “Blends are okay, but for guaranteed warmth and a pleasing handfeel, the higher the natural fabric content, the better.”

Faux shearling will also be kinder on both the livestock and your bottom line. Made from acrylic and often thicker than the real thing, a sign of good quality artificial shearling is that it feels as soft as the stuff that costs four figures. If in doubt, deploy Middleton’s litmus test: “If, when you run your hand over the fabric of the collar, the hairs on the back of your hand stand on end, then take it as a sign to keep looking.”

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Silk Shirts

Not just a modish way to pay tribute to the late, great Hugh Hefner, silk shirts are also cropping up in collections from opinion-leading names such as Prada and Louis Vuitton. The trouble is, you’d have to be heir to a Playboy Mansion to afford them. An Alexander McQueen silk shirt is currently going for £995 at Mr Porter. And that’s not including the bills from the dry-cleaners.

While you can find modestly priced silk shirts – albeit probably not cut from the best cloth – the most important thing to remember outside of fabric is fit and colour, says Topman buying director Rachel Morgans. “Go for a one-colour style in classic black, navy or cream, or a seasonal shade that’s still suited to the fabric, such as plum or dusty pink,” she says.

If you want to channel the resurgent seventies trend, boldly go for an intricate pattern but keep your colours muted and everything else pared back. Fit-wise, Morgans recommends something that’s loose and drapes nicely – err too snug and even the best silk shirt comes off a bit “bargain bin”.

If you want to go man-made, viscose is the material you’re looking for, and a silk-viscose blend should still have that subtle shimmer. Whatever your material, there are two things signs of quality to look for: it should be smooth and soft to the touch, not coarse, and it should reflect natural light well, without looking like a disco ball. The seventies are back, but let’s have some restraint.

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Slogan T-Shirts

It’s never been more stylish to make your threads talk. Thanks to Vetements, Gosha Rubchinskiy and a handful of similarly subversive brands, wearing your heart on your, er, chest is now de rigeur. But short of screen-printing a batch of Fruit of the Loom’s finest basics – and getting slapped with an IP lawsuit in the process – how can you tap the inherent cool of iconic slogan T-shirts without having to totally empty your coffers?

“You need to use your best judgement,” says the Chapar’s Middleton. “Obviously certain slogans are linked intrinsically to specific brands – Vetements’ ‘May The Bridges I Burn Light The Way’, for example – but just because you don’t want to/can’t shell out for them needn’t mean you resort to some of the dire options at the lower end of the spectrum – ‘Orgasm Donor’, anyone?”

Instead, Middleton recommends sticking to something that’s of personal significance or, failing that, a slightly more ambiguous slogan that’s intriguing, rather than outright offensive.

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Quilted Outerwear

While not exactly a novel idea for the colder months, quilting – that sometimes two-, usually three-layered material you might find lining a jacket – has in recent seasons moved beyond its traditional role of backstage warmth-retainer to star of the show. AW17 collections from Craig Green, Dries Van Noten and Ermenegildo Zegna all featured jackets or proper winter coats that shone the spotlight on quilting.

Now, if it’s purely aesthetics you’re interested in, you can check this high-end trend off your list – and save – by scouring the high street instead; M&S, River Island and Uniqlo all carry solid options. But, if you want quilting that looks the part and keeps you warm, then your best bet is to plump for something premium that promises value based on cost-per-wear.

“Now is the time to invest, because I don’t see this trend disappearing anytime soon,” says Morgans. “[A good-quality quilted jacket] will look good, keep you warm and can be easily styled with most of what’s hanging in your wardrobe.” To make sure it’s something you’ll wear and wear, pick a colour that goes well with the rest of your wardrobe. For most of us, that means grey, navy or black, but don’t discount something bolder in red or yellow hues, either.

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Gucci-inspired Embroidery

Three years ago, colorful embroidery was something only your nan got stoked about. Now, thanks in no small part to Alessandro Michele’s maximalist turn at Gucci, men the world over clamour for clothes more decorated than Christmas trees. Trouble is, unless you’re Liberace, many of these jackets aren’t exactly what you might call “all-occasion fare”. Which makes it difficult to justify spending several months’ rent to buy one.

“You can tap this look for a lot less by visiting haberdashery shops,” says Kenny Ho. “You’ll find great quality embroidered and decorative patches and trimmings that you can use to easily customise clothing you already own, or add to a piece bought from a high-street or vintage store.” For an extra touch of refinement, have your local tailor embroider a shirt or jacket with your initials for luxury monogramming sans the mountain of debt.

Embroidered patterns can also be found on the high street, particularly in shirts and souvenir jackets, but also in tees and sweatshirts with simple embroidered motifs (you don’t have to go full, Gosling-approved scorpion). Look out for frayed or loose stitching, which is the surest sign that the garment won’t last as long as the trend itself.

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