Don't Piss Off a Fashionista, Darlings.

Monday, June 02, 2008 by
Why? Because then they run to the New York Times to bitch about you.


RUH-ROH:

"This week for the New York premiere of “Sex and the City,” Sarah Jessica Parker wore a strapless Nina Ricci gown designed by Olivier Theyskens. It was one of 40 outfits that Parker planned for the movie’s premieres in London and Berlin, and the press junkets. She looked glamorous and happy in the dress and was asked several times by reporters on the red carpet if it was the sort of dress that Carrie Bradshaw would have worn. New Yorkers have no trouble seeing SJP as Carrie, and given the TV show’s name-dropping familiarity with the fashion world, what she wore to the opening was bound to get attention. It had to be stand-out.

Parker was surprised, then, to learn the morning after the premiere that the silver pleated Ricci dress had already been worn on a red-carpet—by Lauren (Davis) Santo Domingo at the Met ball, on May 5..."


Lauren Santo Domingo and Olivier Theyskens attend the Nina Ricci After Party For Met Ball on May 5, 2008.

"What bothered Parker was that she felt she had been deceived by both Grauso and Theyskens, who met her in the studio and assured her that the dress had never been worn except for magazine shoots.

"In the big picture, this is not important, but there is a relationship between the entertainment industry and fashion," Parker said on Thursday evening, adding. "We’ve watched sales dwindle and we’ve watched people be less inclined to spend money on clothes." To Parker, these are reasons for companies to take particular care with their relationships. "Look, my affection for the dress hasn’t changed," she said, "but what they did was so short-sighted. It’s just unethical and disappointing that they would allow the dress to be worn again."

Parker says she remarked to Theyskens during the fitting that she was surprised the dress hadn’t been worn before. He assured her it hadn’t.

"He didn’t say, ‘Well, actually I just escorted Lauren down the red carpet at the Met.’ " said Parker, adding, "I just wish it had been handled differently and they had been straight about it."

Ouch. Go read the fabulous Cathy Horyn's take on the whole thing.

Look, we get it. In a world where there are a million more important things than this, stuff like who wore what dress when seems pretty silly. On the other hand, there's something of a social and even a business contract involved in setups like these and SJP does have a right to be pissed. This is the movie of her career and Carrie is the role she'll be remembered for into her dotage. The NYC premiere was a BFD and all fashion eyes were on her. Starlets go into these arrangements on the strict understanding that they will be wearing something that hasn't been worn at an event before. It's up to the fashion houses and stylists to make sure of this. People let her down.

We turned to the fabulously glamorous Malan Breton, who has some experience dressing the famous for carpets red or otherwise. This is what he had to say:

"Darlings one thing I have learned is never lie to a client, even if you think it will lead to good publicity. I have dressed many girls and always asked if the piece has been worn before. No one wants to be in the same dress for a major event. Sarah looked so beautiful that night I was there and even in the dark lights of the Carlisle for the after-after party that dress shimmered so beautifully. Sadly she was misled. She is such a nice person, I cannot imagine she could believe anyone to be dishonest to her. Especially on a night that is one of the most important in her life.

One word of advice, always be honest with your clients!!! It will come back to bite you in the ass if you are not."


Yes, Meticulous Malan said "bite you in the ass." We think that demonstrates the gravity of the situation sufficiently.

[Photos: WireImage]

125 comments:

Lilithcat said...

True, it was wrong to lie to SJP. However, having seen the photos in the Times, I expect that what is really pissing her off is that Santo Domingo looked far better in the dress than she did!

Sewing Siren said...

I had never seen Theyskens before, he's kind of cute, no?
Anyway, Milan is 100% right you should never lie to your clients. But I think Sarah J, should have handled this differently. She should have pretended she knew some rich nobody had already worn the dress, but keeping with her fashion is for everybody, thrift, and all that, philosiphy just say it's okay, it's all good. Shouldn't designers get to be thrifty too? I mean it's not like she paid for the dress..

Anonymous said...

SJP really has to stop believing her own hype. She whines to the press more often than any other A-list star, about being called unattractive, about her clothing choices, and now because she wasn't the first to wear a dress?

For a less-than-spectacular-looking woman with a very small amount of acting talent, she's in the public eye a lot more than she has any right to be. Perhaps she should learn to shut up about how unfair life is, because if life were fair, her career would have been over after "Square Pegs."

yawningdog said...

With that headline and opening, I though she had gone to the New York Times to bitch about you two. That would really be the big time for your blog.

Beth said...

She has every right to be pissed. The man lied to her. Had he told her that someone else wore it, she might have gone with another designer. I would lay down a years salary in a bet that she'll never wear another Ricci.

Anonymous said...

She is certainly in the right, but it's tacky to go to the press with something like this.

Anonymous said...

In the grand scheme of things this is silly. And kind of shameful that SJP has made such issue of the whole matter. What happened to Ms. Grateful & Blessed?

sewing siren,
You are so-o-o-o-o right about how SJP chose to handle the situation. Someone truly grounded, real and unfake would have fobbed it off (and totally ruined what's-his-names career behind closed doors mind you) and not gone to the press about a bloody dress. Sure, it was certainly unethical, not to mention truly stupid(!) of the Nina Ricci people to think they could get away with it. But, I just have to wonder if the fashion gods are trying to send SJP a not-so-subtle message about her choices and what is and what is not important.

- edina -

Anonymous said...

In the grand scheme of things this is silly. And kind of shameful that SJP has made such issue of the whole matter. What happened to Ms. Grateful & Blessed?

sewing siren,
You are so-o-o-o-o right about how SJP chose to handle the situation. Someone truly grounded, real and unfake would have fobbed it off (and totally ruined what's-his-names career behind closed doors mind you) and not gone to the press about a bloody dress. Sure, it was certainly unethical, not to mention truly stupid(!) of the Nina Ricci people to think they could get away with it. But, I just have to wonder if the fashion gods are trying to send SJP a not-so-subtle message about her choices and what is and what is not important.

- edina -

Anonymous said...

In the grand scheme of things this is silly. And kind of shameful that SJP has made such issue of the whole matter. What happened to Ms. Grateful & Blessed?

sewing siren,
You are so-o-o-o-o right about how SJP chose to handle the situation. Someone truly grounded, real and unfake would have fobbed it off (and totally ruined what's-his-names career behind closed doors mind you) and not gone to the press about a bloody dress. Sure, it was certainly unethical, not to mention truly stupid(!) of the Nina Ricci people to think they could get away with it. But, I just have to wonder if the fashion gods are trying to send SJP a not-so-subtle message about her choices and what is and what is not important.

- edina -

Anonymous said...

She has every right to be pissed off. Bottom line: they lied to her.

GothamTomato said...

They should settle this the same way Lucy & Ethel did.

--GothamTomato

mjude said...

i'm with sjp on this. why in the hell would he lie to her? stupid.

FashionFanatic said...

She's right, it was her night, her time to shine. All the fashionistas were anxiously waiting to see what she was going to wear to the premiere in New York City. It is a big deal...at least in the fashion world.

veruca salt said...

Maybe I am reading this wrong but it looks to me like the press was all over the dress issue in a way that made it impossible for SJP NOT to comment. And, frankly, I am with her on this one.

My main reaction to the entire episode is the jaw dropping news that Milan used the word "ass" in a sentence. I can only hope it was following by a "daaahling".

GothamTomato said...

And btw, SJP is completely right. Whether you believe that whether a dress was worn before or not is silly, a lie is a lie, is a lie. Period.

Malan is right too: Don't lie to clients. Why do designers want to dress celebs? For the free publicity. And despite what some same, there IS bad publicty (ie; publicity that is bad for business). I'm thinking that others will think twice before wearing this designer's work on the red carpet again.

And aside from that, if I was someone of SJP's staure, I'd be pissed too that some nothing, waste of space socialite wore the same dress to a major event before me.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

Actually, from reading the article, it's ambiguous about whether SJP initiated the contact with the press, or if she was approached and asked for a statement concerning the "incident".

If anything, SJP seems grounded and realistic about the situation at hand; it isn't as if she's having a hissy fit. Instead, she is a client who was treated in a disrespectful and deceitful fashion publicly, and has every right to be miffed. Were any of us to be treated that way, whether it was by a fine couture house or a local retail mall, most of us would probably be pretty pissy.

Considering the arrogant remarks made by Ricci's management, and the deliberate omission by the designer (especially after a pointed question from the client), that house needs a business attitude makeover, stat. Pretty dresses alone don't keep a label afloat.

Mom said...

That was my first reaction, too, yawning dog! Phew!

Agreed with patsy. Death by snub! Although it'll be interesting to see how Vogue handles Theyskens now. They've got SJP on the cover this month, but they pimp him via L(D)SD. Hmmm....

GothamTomato said...

"edina monsoon said...
In the grand scheme of things this is silly. And kind of shameful that SJP has made such issue of the whole matter."



She wasn't the one who made an issue out of it. It was all over the press, and tabloids were turning into a big gotcha, and likely everyone was asking her for a comment, and she smartly chose to comment to the Times because they'd write what she actually said.

There wasn't anything whiney in what she said: She was very matter-of-fact and business-like. And what she was discussing WAS a business trransaction, and both fashion and entertainment are major businesses in NYC.

--GothamTomato

Brooklyn Bomber said...

Gotham Tomato, great idea for how to settle this. They'll just have to add some extremely large fleurchons to the dresses in order to do it right.

YawningDog, I had the same thought at first, that TLo were in hot water!

FlamingMo, I was about to say the same thing: it seems unfair to say she ran to the press; more likely, Horyn contacted her/her publicist. And while it might have been a better choice to brush it off, at least she had the sense to acknowledge the tempest in a teapot aspect.

Anonymous said...

I'd be upset too if I found out that a dress had already be worn by someone else.

Anonymous said...

Nina Ricci's fashion whores really fucked up with this one.

Anonymous said...

What is even worse is that SJP did not know someone had worn the dress before. I blame her stylist, she or he should be fired.

Desarae said...

What makes it even worse is that the photo shoot that it was worn in was modeled by Lindsey Lohan for Harper's Bazaar?

Desarae said...

opps didn't mean to add the question mark at the end there, sorry.

Anonymous said...

"Parker says she remarked to Theyskens during the fitting that she was surprised the dress hadn’t been worn before. He assured her it hadn’t.

"He didn’t say, ‘Well, actually I just escorted Lauren down the red carpet at the Met.’ " said Parker, adding, "I just wish it had been handled differently and they had been straight about it.""

That's shitty.

Anonymous said...

Agree desarae: If I were SJP, I would not want to wear the same dress LL had been photographed in. Blech.

Nina Ricci really mishandled the whole situation, from thinking it was ok to lie to a client and then commenting to the NY Times afterward, "Does everybody look at Style.com?" Duh, it's the internet. Information on one website can spread throughout the internet quite easily and quickly. Just because in Nina Ricci's little world they don't think Style.com is seen by the masses doesn't mean that their lie won't get out. Welcome to the 21st century.

And to top it off, they even dissed Theysken's muse Lauren (Davis) Santo Domingo! "Is Lauren a celebrity? It depends on how you look at it." Hello! Did you not see the pages of Vogue dedicated to her wedding?! A woman who receives that kind of coverage for her wedding is certainly SOMEBODY.

-estella

Anonymous said...

"And to top it off, they even dissed Theysken's muse Lauren (Davis) Santo Domingo! "Is Lauren a celebrity? It depends on how you look at it." Hello! Did you not see the pages of Vogue dedicated to her wedding?! A woman who receives that kind of coverage for her wedding is certainly SOMEBODY."

I thought the same thing. Talk about mishandling a situation...

Anonymous said...

Olivier Theyskens looks like the Mona Lisa, no? Creepy.

Sewing Siren said...

I do think that the Nina Ricci people were wrong to lie about the dress (never) being worn before, but if Sarah Jessica wanted an orginial design she certainly has the means to pay for it (the way stars used to). The thing is everyone who is likely to be photographed at any event wants to be dressed for free. One wonders how the designers manage to make any money at all. Maybe, Jessica, that is part of the reason that the industry is in so much trouble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RIP YSL

Joanie said...

How unbecoming of SJP to take this to the press. And really, for all the things over which to be up in arms about, this isn't that important.

I'd like to see her handle a real problem. I'll trade her any of mine. Let's see...how about my shattering a tooth this weekend and having it already looking like there's an abscess forming? I have no insurance, thanks to a back injury that's kept me out of work for 3 1/2 years. And the amount of money I have coming in each month is what she drops on a pair of overpriced shoes. So, how to pay for the dental work? I certainly can't let it go as I have to be healthy enough for my upcoming back surgery. I know, maybe SJP will let me have one pair of those aforementioned shoes that I can auction off.

Which is the bigger problem? Must be the dress. I can see why the press would give her such coverage.

I've had it with celebs who are so out of touch with reality that they can't see beyond their own silly little world.

Sewing Siren said...

Anonymous said...
Olivier Theyskens looks like the Mona Lisa, no?


I think he looks a bit like the young Mr. Sewing Siren, except shorter.

Sewing Siren said...

As long as we are on the subject of entitlement and free dresses. When do you announce the lucky winner of the fabulous Emmett McCarthy dress?? Hmm??
I have a huge event coming up, that I will very likely be photographed at..(it's a 5th grade graduation) ALL the important people are going to be there.

Anonymous said...

A lie happened and it was a stupid, meaningless lie that caused anguish. Sort of as if an asterisk needs to be attached to all those very good pictures of SJP whose eyes looks so good with that dress.

Does this mean that the thrice worn dress has never sold, as in money changing hands?
Did the rich socialite just borrow it? I thought that type paid for their clothes. Or should an asterisk follow "rich socialite*"?

DolceLorenzo said...

These people underestimate the power of the Internet. Fire the bitch who didn't google the dress!

Anonymous said...

SJP has every right to take this to the press. As NYT and TLo said, this is a business transaction. SJP, as the customer, was supposed to wear a dress that had not been worn before on the red carpet. She made that perfectly clear in her exchange with Theyskens.

In exchange, Nina Ricci would receive significant positive publicity as the design house chosen by SJP to dress her for the American premiere of one of the biggest movies of the year and the one in which fashion takes center stage. I'm sure there are numerous designers that would have loved to have had that kind of free publicity.

So when Theyskens lies to the customer's face about a key element of the contract, it's only right that SJP take the story to the press. They broke the contract and should not be allowed to get away with it.

PhantomMinuet said...

I dunno. I find it hard to get all that worked up about people who are given beautiful clothes to wear for free. Now, if SJP had paid for the dress on the guarantee that it had not been worn before, that would be completely different.

As it is, meh. She should just have told the Nina Ricci people that she won't be wearing any of their gratis clothes again.

Anonymous said...

Santo Domingo wore the dress properly. That alone would have been bad enough even if SJP did know about the previous wearing.

I can't see why people would want SJP's stylist fired. Nobody can be absolutely up-to-date on what any rich or 'celebrity-level' woman wears at every event.

But, yeah, Ricci's people... ooooooo. Not good. There be damage control happenin' right 'bout now I imagine.

Would *love* to be in the room when the big guns are taking a strip off Theyskens :-)

Anonymous said...

If the Nina Ricci people thought they could get away with this in the era of the web, they are crazy. If they thought a controversy would just generate more pictures of their dress, then that's the risk they took--and we'll see which way it goes in terms of helping or hurting them.

I don't blame SJP in the slightest. This was the premier of her life and she had a right to wear a never worn dress, particularly if the question was directly asked and answered.

Rainwood said...

This is a lose-lose situation for everyone. Theyskens is shown to be a liar which I doubt is unusual in the fashion business (you look fabulous in that jumpsuit!), but sounds really bad here. Plus he's pissed off not 1 but 2 customers because of how Nina Ricci dissed the woman who wore it to the Met gala.

Although her gripe is legit, SJP comes off as a whiner to some, self-centered to others, and then there's the fact that someone else looks good (perhaps better) in the dress than she did which isn't good for someone who is such a fashion symbol. If you count the LL fashion shoot, this dress has been around.

And SJP's stylist looks bad because she should have caught this. The Met gala has become the Super Bowl of fashion, it was less than a month ago, and there's pictures of what people wore everywhere. Someone said it's hard to keep up with everything going on in fashion, but isn't that the stylist's job? My guess is that every star's stylist will now google whatever dress is being talked about - fashion due diligence as it were.

Anonymous said...

Funny. The top of the dress looks most fab on SJP and the bottom of the dress looks fabber on the other gal.

One of CH's blogger's left this link to LINDSAY LOHAN wearing the damn dress awhile ago for Harper's shoot. Would be really funny if she looks best in it. I guess she's in July issue to hit Batman release?

http://cdn-media.channelme.tv/media/images/000000/73/32/NzM~NjMy_large.jpg

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

PS -- I get the impression Cathy Horyn (who was at the Met gala) contacted SJP.

I wonder if SJP was set for the dress, but that rich socialite (who actually BUYS clothes) talked them into letting her wear it.

-- d'wind

Anonymous said...

I think it's funny that people talk about how this incident doesn't matter. OF COURSE IT DOESN'T! Neither does anything celebs do. Lighten up, it's just fashion, people!!! SJP even said it doesn't matter in the big picture.

But we can discuss this. It's OK. We know it isn't the energy crisis, or the dwindling food supply or the weakening dollar. It's fun. And a break from that other stuff, OK? Please let me be pissed about a dress. Otherwise, I have to think about how I hate my job, hate paying so much for gas and hate worrying about my sick father. OK??? PLEASE!!!!

*done ranting like a crazy person*

mjude said...

well said & thank you dimknit

Bill said...

I want a picture of Sewing Siren in her EMc2 dress with all the 5th graders! That's the kind of red carpet photo that really gets my interest.

Oh, and SJP will get far more mileage and publicity out of that dress now that this scandal/tragedy/non-event has occurred.

Bill said...

I want a picture of Sewing Siren in her EMc2 dress with all the 5th graders! That's the kind of red carpet photo that really gets my interest.

Oh, and SJP will get far more mileage and publicity out of that dress now that this scandal/tragedy/non-event has occurred.

PhantomMinuet said...

OT, but still worth mentioning. Yves St. Laurent died today.

Anonymous said...

*done ranting like a crazy person*


No, done ranting like a sane person.

Those reviewers who said the clothes, shoes and real estate porn in the movie weren't appropriate in hard times, obviously had never seen the movies of the thirties and forties. The harder the times, the more we need the fantasy.

Vera said...

And that, Olivier, is what we call a potential career ender.

How idiotically short-sighted. How did he possibly think he was going to get away with that?

Anonymous said...

YSL passing is a much bigger deal than SJP's dress drama. But, I do think it's funny that she wants to queen of the dress -- but then prides herself in selling (and wearing) mass marketed clothes for Bitten.

Where is SJP's stylist telling her the provenance of the dress? Also, I'm sure there were designers willing to crawl hand over foot to make her an original for the SatC premiere. Maybe if she wore a crazy bird hat, huge fabric flower, or something else indicative of Carrie Bradshaw, it would be an original take on the dress.

Jenn said...

I'm sorry, but that designer is a douchebag, and that blithering wannabe celeb did not wear the dress better than SJP.

eric3000 said...

That's a shame because the dress is so beautiful!

Anonymous said...

The true pity of the dress for SJP, was the length. SJP is clearly shorter than the other chick and the designer was not interested in shortening the dress for SJP. The dress was well fitted in the bust and waist and dress-up style too long. The Nina Ricci people must have had another reservation fot the dress, which was not worth all this fuse.

Kanani said...

Okay, everyone.
I bought that Isaac Mizrahi dress at Targét first, so please destroy yours.

Kanani said...

P.S. Ah well. Bitchier things have happened in the world of fashion.

Anonymous said...

Great post, flairmanwoo. Great minds think alike. I, too, had planned to make mention of the Bitten factor, as well as the passing of YSL (I hope Sundance is kind enough to air a documentary or two this week to mark his passing).

Whether SJP contacted the press or not is pretty irrelevant and whether she "whined" or spoke with great eloquence is irrelevant as well. However, it would have been nice to see a celebrity of her influence and popularity take the high-fashion road and have handled the whole silly thing with a chuckle, a chortle and a little class and grace.

P.S.
joan:
Amen, to your entire post. I really hope you're able to have your tooth taken care of and your back surgery goes well. Good luck!

- edina -

Anonymous said...

Okay, SJP still looks like a fugly overly tanned way-to-old-to-still-be-in-business hooker. The dress looked much cleaner and classier on the other chick.

Anonymous said...

It is all very silly, isn't it? The dress is beautiful and many women should wear it. I would like a closeup of that necklace that the other woman wore - looks intriguing.

I would also LOVE if TLo would do a photo montage/homage to YSL. Man designed some gorgeous clothes.

Anonymous said...

Kind of a bridezilla no?

Yes they were wrong to lie to you but come on...you don't have be all "stop the presses" about it SJP. This should have been handled privatly. It's not like she is trying to get all of us to boycott the designer cause he did one over on her right....right?

tehkou said...

Why is it that people feel the need to get into battles of petty one-upsmanship about what does and does not constitute a "real problem"? It's so ridiculous.

Point is, the designer lied to her, and left her to take the fall with the press. He deserves to be called out, for the good of his potential future clients. That's capitalism. Period.

Anonymous said...

Hello, it's a DRESS, people. Tempest in a c-cup, if you ask me. And isn't SJP's whole ethos about making things our own? If you had your own style, Sarah, you coudl wear the same dress as I'm wearing and make it faboo with your own special sauce. (My bitchy side says, "yeah, HORSEY sauce") (And even my nice girl side snorted a little at that.)

I am so ready for her to go away again and stop annoying me with her prissy, "I live in a bubble" ways.

Anonymous said...

the designers knew that by telling SJP the truth it would have prevented them to have the dress be seen by millions of people paying attention to the SATC premiere, as opposed to the x numbers who saw it at Style.com when it was worn by a supposedly "celebrity" socialite.... so... their main purpose was the publicity, not the integrity of the process....
now the dress is being discussed (and seen) even more because of the snafu... however, I'm not sure the price that Theyskens will pay for it......
I'm with SJP in this one, and of course! it's just a dress... but this is the kind of things we discuss at this blog, right?
by the way I think it looks way better in her than in that other socialite chick....

GothamTomato said...

"redspring said: Those reviewers who said the clothes, shoes and real estate porn in the movie weren't appropriate in hard times, obviously had never seen the movies of the thirties and forties. The harder the times, the more we need the fantasy."



Exactamundo!

And I'd add to that, if the reviewer thinks it's so frivilous, why is he writing about it instead of, say, hunger or earthquake victims?

Of course, it takes a lot less balls to take on SJP, and a chick flick than the morally bankrupt republicans who caused those 'hard times', and whose behavior, in the face of it, it what it truly inappropriate (not to mention criminal).

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

Totally off topic, but I am waiting for TLo's review of the SATC movie...

GothamTomato said...

"anon said: I wonder if SJP was set for the dress, but that rich socialite (who actually BUYS clothes) talked them into letting her wear it."



I wouldn't assume that a socialite pays for everything either. They are in line begging for freebies when Daddy's (or hubby's) bucks don't get them every little thing they want.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

Of the designer made a mistake. However, SJP had a choice to handle it with class or like a spoiled brat.

How much better for all involved if she'd show the class that, clearly, money cannot buy.

Anonymous said...

hey maryland mom, i'm in Maryland too! :-)
and yes, will the review of the SATC movie be in the TLOBlog soon?

Gorgeous Things said...

Sorry, this one really pissed me off at SJP. I mean, I want to smack her and say, "Get over yourself honey"

It's not like she paid for the dress. And it's not like she even bothered to hem it properly for the occasion. Was Olivier stupid? Yes. But she's proving to be way more shallow than he is. He's a designer for goodness sake. He's probably pulled in about 80 thousand directions and has to deal with SJP's little snit fit? Pfeh. This might even turn me off from seeing the movie.

Anonymous said...

Redspring -
Your posts are all right on the money in my book! And you have a clear, concise writing style. Applause!

Joan,
get some therapy.

Gorgeous Things said...

Oh, and BTW, if you want to see an example of a similar situation handled with class, do you remember the time that not one, but three women showed up at a White House dinner in the exact same Oscar de la Renta gown? One of the three was Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush didn't make a fuss. She went back upstairs and changed. She didn't whine to the press.

That's class.

Brooklyn Bomber said...

Sewing Siren, you're fantastic:
"I have a huge event coming up, that I will very likely be photographed at..(it's a 5th grade graduation) "

Again, people (other people), nothing in the article says that SJP was "all stop the presses" or "ran to the press."

And, yes: Yves Saint Laurent--wow, that really is news. He wasn't so old, either. How sad.

Anonymous said...

how did she behave like a spoiled brat? I don't get it, she got asked about it and answer logically, the designers screwed up... and don't tell me poor Oliver.... if he doesn't know how to handle the celebrities, which are a huge part of the business, he ultimately does Nina Ricci a disservice....
boy... SJP has received so much hate in this blog lately....

Suzanne said...

Oooooooohhhh drama...
Remember that old commercial? "Its not NICE to fool Mother Nature"? Well....Its not NICE to lie to SJP!!

Anonymous said...

Remember in the movie SJP chose the Nina Ricci wedding gown for her nuptials to Big. I think by virtue of that alone, she was almost OBLIGATED to a Ricci to the US SATC premiere.

Nina Ricci's stylists have more than one gown to choose from, I'm sure. Why not another? If SJP picked it (and it should have been picked ages ago). Had that all been pre-arranged it wouldn't have made an appearance on La Lohan (God forbid) or at the Met after party less than a month ago. OR if the Met dealio trumps a movie premiere, this Theyskens fellow should have told SJP she needed to pick another gown. I'm sure it wouldn't be the first or last time Theyskens got an earful from an A-list client, but regardless of the timing that the dresses were chosen to be worn at each event, the fault is certainly his. Given SATC's emphasis on designer label clothing that had to be translated to the red carpet for its actresses, SJP had every right to be ticked off.

That is all. :-)

Anonymous said...

"Gorgeous Things said...
Oh, and BTW, if you want to see an example of a similar situation handled with class, do you remember the time that not one, but three women showed up at a White House dinner in the exact same Oscar de la Renta gown? One of the three was Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush didn't make a fuss. She went back upstairs and changed. She didn't whine to the press.

That's class."

Sorry, Gorgeous Things, I respectfully disagree. That is called politics.

Ms Sangrail said...

Bad move....while these things are not terribly important to me, they are to the people involved.






Next.

Kanani said...

I'm just bugged that everyone has the same Nirvana t-shirt as me.

Anonymous said...

He lied to her, folks; I'd be pissed too. And I love how he managed to piss two people: celebrity and socialite. He forgets that you need both to survive in this industry.

Anonymous said...

That's bullshit. Fashion houses keep records of everything, who, when, and where everything was worn. They knew this was a huge event and decided to keep it hush.

Anonymous said...

Wrong! Very tasteless and will bite them in the ass, as Malan said.

Anonymous said...

"dimknit said...

I think it's funny that people talk about how this incident doesn't matter. OF COURSE IT DOESN'T! Neither does anything celebs do. Lighten up, it's just fashion, people!!! SJP even said it doesn't matter in the big picture.

But we can discuss this. It's OK. We know it isn't the energy crisis, or the dwindling food supply or the weakening dollar. It's fun. And a break from that other stuff, OK? Please let me be pissed about a dress. Otherwise, I have to think about how I hate my job, hate paying so much for gas and hate worrying about my sick father. OK??? PLEASE!!!!

*done ranting like a crazy person*"


I. LOVE. YOU.

Anonymous said...

I don’t think Sarah Jessica Parker would have minded, but he lied to about it, which is a very stupid thing to do. Like she would never find that out? It certainly will make other stylists and celebrities think twice before choosing Nina Ricci. Bad, bad boy!!

Anonymous said...

Lindsay wore the dress too??? Now THAT would drive me up the wall.

Stubenville said...

Anonymous 11:06 AM said...
Olivier Theyskens looks like the Mona Lisa, no? Creepy.


I was thinking the same thing. Even creepier is how SJP is starting to resemble Jocelyn Wildenstein.

Anonymous said...

She looks sooooo gorgeous in that Nina Ricci dress, why would she care?
Wear a custom-made dress next time, then.

Anonymous said...

This dress was in the March 2008 issue of Harper's Bazaar, page 407. It was in the "Lindsay's Super Comeback" fashion spread … beautiful dress, but how could they not have remembered they had used it already?!

Anonymous said...

A lot of people had no idea who Nina Ricci was, or Olivier Theyskens for that matter, until she wore that dress. It is true that celebrities wear dresses for free but after they wear them and are photographed to death in them these designers get thousands of calls from people interested in buying the same dress.

Anonymous said...

Nina Ricci will lose many a high-paying customer after this fiasco.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with some of you here. SJP took the high road by saying that she still loved the dress. Olivier Theyskens used her, they knew that the premiere was a huge event and they wanted her to wear the dress. I feel bad for the other 29 designers that didn't have their dresses picked.

Anonymous said...

Who cares??? She looked way more fabulous than that other woman? And Olivier Theyskens looks like a girl.

Anonymous said...

Shame on Olivier Theyskens, and shame on Mario Grauso. They flat out LIED to her. Very unprofessional!!

Anonymous said...

Who wants to wear a "hand-me-down"? Would you wear a hand-me-down to your wedding or to a very special occasion? Think about it.

Anonymous said...

To the people who are bitching about their teeth, backs, sick fathers - this is the wrong forum for you. Seriously. We are dishing on dresses, designers, and SATC - and you are killing my buzz.

GothamTomato said...

" Gorgeous Things said...
Oh, and BTW, if you want to see an example of a similar situation handled with class, do you remember the time that not one, but three women showed up at a White House dinner in the exact same Oscar de la Renta gown? One of the three was Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush didn't make a fuss. She went back upstairs and changed."



But first she yelled at George for telling her that it was going to be a costume party and suggesting that she and her friends come dressed as the Supremes.

Then she popped another valium and realized that she had enough orthopedic shoes to match any number of outfits, so no worries.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

"Unethical"?

Good lord.

PhantomMinuet said...

A lot of people had no idea who Nina Ricci was...until she wore that dress.

Well, then, they're fashion philistines who apparently know nothing about haute couture (or iconic fragrances) in the 20th century. So really...why would we care what they think?

Kanani said...

Now if they were both wearing L'air du Temps as well as the dress, this would be a royal pisser!

Anonymous said...

Apparently Lindsay Lohan also wore the dress for a showbiz party earlier this year (not the photo shoot thing). Fire your gays, SJP!!!

Anonymous said...

I think she has every right to be pissed. A movie that she produced and starred in and she arrives in a gown she knows will be in every magazine and newspaper, that everyone is anxiously waiting to see what she's wearing and then discovers it's been worn and photographed before?? Very upsetting.

Anonymous said...

Oliver Theysken looks like he's 14.

Anonymous said...

"Kanani said...

Okay, everyone.
I bought that Isaac Mizrahi dress at Targét first, so please destroy yours."


ROFL. That was pretty funny, Kanani. He lied. End of story.

Anonymous said...

Kim Cattrall is probably saying, "Payback time....BITCH!!!!"

Anonymous said...

Ted, LL may have worn it another time, but she definitely wore in a shoot for Harpers Bazaar many moons ago.
http://popsugar.com/1021313

Anonymous said...

http://socialitelife.celebuzz.com/categories/nina_ricci/ for a comparison of the dresses on Lindsey, Santo Domingo and SJP.

Anonymous said...

All of us fashionistas had seen pictures of Lindsay Lohan and Lauren Santo Domingo wearing the dress. Are they telling me that SJP's "people" didn't know about this? It's her stylist/assistant/slave job to make sure the dress has never been worn before before they even roll it in for her, the problem is that she asked Oliver Theysken point black and he lied to her.

Anonymous said...

Great Manolo Blahniks! Sounds like the now infamous dress has been around the block a few times.

lafemmefataldeny:
I'll bet all of the girls are having a good laugh over their Cosmos after this.

Anonymous said...

What Lilithcat said. The dress is much more flattering on Ms. Santo Domingo than on SJP.

Lilithcat said...

"She is such a nice person, I cannot imagine she could believe anyone to be dishonest to her. "

Oh, I didn't know Malan was that naïve. Or does he think SJP is that naïve? Considering the business she's in, I'd think her prevarication antennae would be finely tuned!

Anonymous said...

Great way to lose celebrity friends and alienate people. Way to go, girl!

Emma P. said...

Can you imagine how Anna Wintour, whose image & magazine, Vogue, is featured in the film SJP is presiding over (producer, star, brand), is going treat Oliver Theyskens/Nina Ricci after this? Why would Vogue recommend a designer to the power elite who is known to lie about who's worn a design? This is a breach of an important verbal contract w/ an extremely prominent client. Considering Theyskens is trying to bounce back after his last company, Rochas, folded very publicly in 2006, he's on thin ice.

Anonymous said...

""Lilithcat said...

"She is such a nice person, I cannot imagine she could believe anyone to be dishonest to her. "

Oh, I didn't know Malan was that naïve. Or does he think SJP is that naïve? Considering the business she's in, I'd think her prevarication antennae would be finely tuned!"

Malan is not naive. He's doing what Ms. Theyskens should have done: mind his words.

Joanie said...

Edina,

Thanks for your kind words. Dentist visit went...fine, I guess. I still want a pair of SJP's overpriced shoes to auction off to pay for everything I need done, though. Hehehe

And, my silly troubles aside, there are people who have problems bigger than mine and no amount of money or publicity will cure their diseases (HIV, terminal cancer, etc) or bring back their loved ones (think China quake). It just seems so insane that a dress would even begin to rival the importance of such things. Better SJP shut her mouth and smile nicely, then donate a bunch of money to those in real dire straits.

I just don't get what's with all the hubbub, bub. It's a dress. And for such a "fashionista" to not have picked up a magazine or looked at a few photos from big events online boggles the mind. SJP took the snarky road and she didn't have to.

Stephanie Lucas said...

I'm right there with those who say she should have kept her trap shut about this--publicly. She has a right to be pissed but it does no good to make a case of this in the press.

The whole deal with SATC is girls wearing designer fashion, not stuff no soul has ever been seen in.

NO ONE CARES about your business relationships, sweetheart. Nowadays it's all we can do to fully engage our fantasy brain to find some way to relate to you and your pals with the Prada bags, as we sit in our cars snipping the "------ for Target" fobs off our $29.00 purses.

If she wants to be a film exec, she should start acting like one: Keep your image intact publicly, and take the bastard out at the knees in private. Metaphorically speaking of course.



Very bummed tonight as my gay friends are going to SATC on a night I can't go. Snif.

GothamTomato said...

"Joan said: It just seems so insane that a dress would even begin to rival the importance of such things."




But yet you're here discussing it. Nothing about entertainment is as important as certain other world events or issues. Most balanced people are smart enough to know that, and don't need to be repeatedly reminded.

--GothamTomato

Gorgeous Things said...

GothamTomato said...

...
Mrs. Bush didn't make a fuss. She went back upstairs and changed."



But first she yelled at George for telling her that it was going to be a costume party and suggesting that she and her friends come dressed as the Supremes.

Then she popped another valium and realized that she had enough orthopedic shoes to match any number of outfits, so no worries.

--GothamTomato

ROTFLMAO!!!!!
Ah, I needed that.

Anonymous said...

The dress was lent to her, she did not buy it. So I don't see how she can bitch about someone else wearing it.
Lauren Santo Domingo is in fact a friend of Olivier, is not a celebrity, and did not flaunt the dress for the world to see.
SJP went on Oprah talking about "her" fashion line, reminiscing about growing up on welfare and how fashion should be accessible to everyone. But can't wear a $10,000 dress that she didn't pay for since it had been worn by someone else. Plzzzzz....
If she's so in the know with regards to fashion and an icon, then maybe she should have done her homework first instead of relying on people to dress her.

Sewing Siren said...

Bill said...
I want a picture of Sewing Siren in her EMc2 dress with all the 5th graders! That's the kind of red carpet photo that really gets my interest.


Bill, I will post my pic if I win the dress, but you must solemnly swear to do the same... I know you look great in a little black dress (probably better than me).

Anonymous said...

The point is, they lied to her and that means she has every right to be pissed.

Anonymous said...

Potty Mouth Princess: "Carrie" did not choose a Nina Ricci dress for her SATC nuptuals. She chose the Vivienne Westwood.

And a bird in her hair.

She wore a Nina Ricci in the Vogue shoot, however.

Anonymous said...

shesogetto said...
Who wants to wear a "hand-me-down"? Would you wear a hand-me-down to your wedding or to a very special occasion? Think about it.

Well said!

Sewing Siren said...

brilliant said...
shesogetto said...
Who wants to wear a "hand-me-down"? Would you wear a hand-me-down to your wedding or to a very special occasion? Think about it.

Well said!


Actually plenty of people wear second hand dresses to their weddings. For instance they might wear their mother's or sisters gown, also there are some stores like Opal White that specialize in antique gowns that have been worn before.

As for special occasions, I wear things that have belonged to other people all the time. Also when someone lends me something that is very valuable, I am grateful. Remember, the designer benefits from the publicity the photos generate, but the star being photographed (and the movie they are promoting) benefits even more from the pictures and publicity.

Leah said...

Oh, please.

Anyway, it's true: http://www.sarahjessicaparkerlookslikeahorse.com

Alicia said...

shesogetto said...
Who wants to wear a "hand-me-down"? Would you wear a hand-me-down to your wedding or to a very special occasion? Think about it.

I'm actually with shesogetto on this - granted, I WOULD wear a hand-me-down wedding dress (and tried to but failed) and many of my favorite garments are on their second owners but, well, simple, slighly retro, and eco-friendly are my identity. SJP's identity is cutting edge, trend setting, fashion maven. We can debate how well she does with that (and how well any of my stuff fits my identity) but the truth is that hand-me-downs are completely contrary to her persona. If she chooses your design to showcase on the red carpet then you better know that and be honest with her on that. Are there bigger issues in the world? Heck, yeah. That's exactly why we're here bickering over a stupid dress. Was the designer in the wrong? Yes, 100%.

But with all that, I still think the dress is fabulous.

Kasey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kasey said...

How could her stylist not know, hell how could SJP not know...they don't read Harper's Baazar? I knew as soon as I saw it on the SATC The Movie pink carpet. My exact words " that's lindsay's dress". What is even more scary is that Linsday wore it better ( stop it haters), the additon of the leather coat to it took another level.

Kasey said...

Although I love SJP it kind of serves her right. Doesn't she make James Wilke wear hand me downs even though she wears clothes that cost thousands of dollars? Now I'm not saying waste money on buying kids clothes, but your a style icon and your kid wears only hand me downs? So it's kind of fitting that she now wears hand me downs too! HA!