Harley Viera Newton
[Larry Busacca/Getty Images]

After some window shopping nearby, I headed back to Montmartre and the fantastic apartment I was lucky enough to snag, and changed for dinner. Montmartre is the incredibly inspiring home of many a famous (and not so famous!) artist—think Dali, Van Gogh, Monet, Mondrian. Just some of the artists that called Montmartre and nearby home. It is now an interesting combination of tourist and chic upscale neighborhood. Rather like our SoHo in NYC.

Dinner was an intimate (and delicious!) Italian meal at charming La Corte Restaurant on Rue Saint-Honoré. Everywhere you looked there were beautiful people, and the food, oh, the food! The pasta made my heart sing. Besides my better half, Jesse, my charming companions were Massimo Redaelli, President of Prima Management and former Senior VP of IMG Fashion Europe, philanthropist, heiress, and entrepreneur Mercedes Zobel, and Giorgio Guidotti, President of Worldwide Communications at MaxMara.

Our group went on to Le Matignon Restaurant and Playground—the music was insanely danceable and the staff was more interestingly dressed than the New York Fashion Week peacocks that strut around hoping to be in someone’s street style blog. There were crazy hats, colorful suits for the men, and sexy and sophisticated dresses on the ladies, and that was just the wait staff. The clientele were sexy, dripping in diamonds and couture, and the champagne was flowing like water. The Maître ‘D broke out sparklers and Vogued when Madonna’s song played. True story. Our group included Susan Shin, Annette Weber from InStyle Germany, and Isha and Asim Abdullah. Asim is the owner of Ungaro—which will be one of the more interesting shows this season as the world waits to see what direction the label takes as they struggle to rebrand.

I opted to skip out on the rest of the evening, which included stops at Regine’s and Titty Twister. No really, it’s the name of a club. I can’t make this stuff up. I would have loved to, but an early show the next day called.

Good Guy Marc Jacobs [Dave Benett/Getty Images]

Sunday, a day of rest.... Well, not so much, but this is Paris, and though most of the stores are closed for the day, life goes on. This was the first sunny day in weeks, and tourists and Parisians alike took full advantage even if the weather was still chilly. I had a wonderful conversation with my driver, who when he found out I was here to work Paris Fashion Week, let me in on a little secret. He lowered his voice dramatically, and said, “you know Marc Jacobs? I’ve driven him around. I will give you a secret about him.” Well, being a huge fan, I was all ears. He continued: “He is just the nicest guy, you wouldn’t believe it.” It made my morning—always nice to hear some good gossip.

First stop of the day, the MaxMara Atelier presentation. MaxMara Atelier is iconic, owning a MaxMara coat is a rite of passage for many women. According to MaxMara President of Worldwide Communications, Giorgio Guidotti, legend has it that Isabella Rossellini was given her first MaxMara coat by her mother, Ingrid Bergman as a coming-of-age ritual. MaxMara do not allow the coats to go on sale, since each piece is meant to be an investment piece, a key wardrobe staple for years. The Autumn 2013-2014 collection is made up of twelve luxurious coats varying in style from parka to dinner jacket, each piece is classically tailored, with modern fit and styling. The mix of materials including camel, hand woven double cashmere, and fur—mink, astrakhan, and beaver, are often featured together, adding a touch of modernity to a classic silhouette.

Up next, Céline. It felt like Céline was the place to be—Kanye West made a surprise appearance, and the whole room was buzzing with everyone wondering what designer Phoebe Philo would do to follow up last seasons fur booties and sandals. This season’s offerings were definitely more wearable, seemingly with the working woman in mind. Pastel coats with sloping shoulders and rounded lapels looked comfortable and warm while maintaining a stylish line, and more plaid (making this an official runway trend this fashion week!) as well as flirty circle skirts, easy sweaters, and of course dresses cut in Philo’s signature minimal chic. It wouldn’t be Céline without a few surprises, including a mink dress with a tulip skirt, and dresses and coats with slits for arms and sleeves tied up in the front, which felt a bit gimmicky. Overall, the romantic turn that Philo took was a lovely departure, and the collection overall was gorgeous.

How do you follow up Céline? With Maxime Simoëns’ ready-to-wear debut. The designer, whose sale of a small stake in his company

Maxime Simoëns Fall 2013 Show [Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/Wire Image]

As a follow up to all of this fashion, a girl’s got to eat... and dance.

The evening started with a family style dinner at Ginger, on rue de la Trémoille, which included Susan Shin, Asim & Isha Abdullah, and designer Elise Overland. People were coming and going, and it was a lovely Parisian free for all.

After dinner, I grabbed my cohort of the evening, Susan, and dashed to the Diesel & Edun party for Studio Africa Live. Attendees included Bono, Coco Rocha, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, and Solange Knowles. There were live performances, DJs, the whole bit but it was very crowded so we moved on to Café Flore where I ran into Harley Viera Newton, Waris Ahluwalia and the divine Tilda Swinton. After a few quick bisous, we ran next door to Montanas for a bit of dancing. There was some kind of party going on, and lots of people were being turned away at the door. We got a few angry looks as we were quickly ushered through the velvet ropes. People here take their partying very seriously.

After all of that dancing, we ended up right back at Hotel Coste, where we sipped cocktails and enjoyed the mellow vibe. Though our group continued on to Le Baron, 5 parties was enough for me and I hopped into my Über car and was whisked home.

Kenneth Cole and Debbie Harry watch the events from a(m)fAR (Patrick McMullan)

Thursday night on the steps of the New York Public Library, a sea of familiar faces flooded the red carpet for the third annual Inspiration Gala--a celebration of men’s style to benefit the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).  Chaired by Kenneth Cole and Dr. Mathilde Krim, with Marc Jacobs presiding as honorary chair, the evening featured a live auction, runway shows and a performance by Scissor Sisters that raised over $1 million dollars.

Josh Duhamel and Hillary Swank presented awards to Fergie and Robert Duffy, of Marc Jacobs International, in honor of their contributions to the fight against AIDS. Inspiration Gala is one of a series of amfAR events that have raised over $3 million total for AIDS research.

With a Grey Goose Cherry Noir cocktail reception awaiting post-carpet, many of the notable attendees, among them Mark Sanchez, Rose McGowan, Cheyenne Jackson, Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa, Thom Browne, Greg Louganis, Ben Cohen, Simon Doonan, Jonathan Adler, Debbie Harry, Gail Simmons, Clinton Kelly, Kelly Bensimon, Sean Patterson, Larry Boland and John Demsey, rushed past inside to the Stephen A. Swartzmann Building.

We asked a few questions of producer Joshua Woods, who reported first and foremost that Simon Doonan was auctioning off the world’s most expensive and high-tech toilet.

“It took a bit for me to get onboard with that request when it came through,” he said.  “But the odd things give [an event] character.”

“The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders wanted to come,” he added. “They couldn't make it, but we do have the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders.  Many people have asked if Greg Louganis is walking in the show in his Speedo.  Someone asked if I would wear a wrestling singlet.  That's not happening.”

Mr. Cole reported on the red carpet that nothing had gone wrong, “yet.”

Despite Mr. Wood’s biggest fears going into the event: “Rain. Too hot. Too cold. No one having fun. Am I sweating? Why are tuxedos so uncomfortable?” he echoed his fellow chairman. “We should be good.  I have faith in the universe.”

Mr. Wood added that the event took over a two-block long corridor in library, making it “pretty much [the] world’s longest runway.” He explained that each year has a different theme for the runway show and guests. This year, inspired by the Olympics and modern sports, 65 models and 50 designers worked to pull off black-tie-meets-athletic attire. The 72 resulting looks were auctioned off during the dinner.

Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters got in the spirit with an ambitious set of bottoms: one cut-off and normal-length black jean spotted with white safety pins. Sheer genius? We weren't sure. The band goes on tour next week in Vegas--amfAR is just the start.

“I love playing parties like this,” he said. “We’ve been wanting to do it for years and have never been in the city when it’s been going on.” On playing in the States, he added: “We have a very sexy crowd.”

Many celebrities donned Marc Jacobs Collection, among them Ms. Swank and, most notably, Ms. Harry with a fabulously chic pair of black lens 2003 limited-edition glasses.

According to Mr. Cole, everything about the night was unique: “Tonight is really catered to the fashion community and it’s a way of celebrating how far we’ve come, speaking to a constituent group that’s been very supportive for a very long time.”

“This past year we have learned, for the most part, how to live with AIDS. There is no rational scenario today where people should contract the virus going forward," he said. "We know how to render ourselves safe, we know how to prevent ourselves from spreading the virus, we know how to protect unborn children from contracting the virus in the womb--but we still don’t have a cure. So tonight we’re going remind everybody about how far we’ve come and what we still need to do, and we’re going to have fun doing it."

“You have a lot of the fashion community that’s here to make their unique personal statements, individual expression, and that’s what amfAR does. We’re very creative and innovative in how we fund research initiatives, and that is why we’ve been seed money for the six groups of drugs today that keep people alive," he said.

Everything was donated, Mr. Wood explained. “The models do it for free.  The stylist, the casting directors, the tailors...everyone volunteers. It's really like a giant school play where everyone is doing it for the love of the cause.  Very much a 'Let's get together and put on a good show' kind of thing,” he said.

Though about as mysterious as her black-lensed glasses, Ms. Harry was on the same page: “It’s one of these things,” she said. “What goes around, comes around.”

Last night, the Fashion Week after parties in Paris had a run for their money, as Marc Jacobs threw a grand gala for friends and family (a very discriminating list) to celebrate the launch of Louis Vuitton - Marc Jacobs: The Exhibition. Paris' Musée des Arts Décoratifs has devoted an entire floor to the two designer's work, hoping to recreate the buzz of the Met's Alexander McQueen's show last year.

While Mr. Jacobs arrived in lavish pink, the architect Peter Marino came in full bondage gear, which leads us to wonder...what were these celebs thinking?

(Photos via Getty)

Jezebel's model-in-resident Jenna Sauers picked up on the story and took certain key quotes from Ms. Hasbrook's detailing of her hectic schedule, to exemplify the kind of workhorse labor young models are put through, and how they can be taken advantage of while trying to "break into" the industry.

Sunday was a VERY hectic and LOOOOONGG day…..

It started with a casting for Rodarte at 11:00 in the morning.

Then, I had MORE looks for Marc Jacobs. The SCHEDULED time was Noon-4:30. They ended up keeping me until 6:00, though, causing me to have to switch around my schedule and cancel some things.

I get a call from my agency saying Marc wants me BACK to do more looks. They told him that I would do it but I had to have an early night because I had shows early the next morning. They told me that I shouldn't be there any later than 10:30.

Well, 10:30 rolls around and I ask Shawn if he knows when I will be ready to leave. Only to find out that they have me booked open-ended. Meaning that they had no specific end time for me. After a couple phone calls, they decided on 2:00 am.

Well, 2:00 rolls around…. I hadn't been trying things on for a while so we all thought I would be good to go. I go and start to get dressed only to be called for in the other room by Marc.

I didn't end up leaving until around 4:30 in morning.

Also, Ms. Hasbrook may have only gotten paid in "trade" (i.e. clothes) for her time; she doesn't really know.

While this is a noble effort on Ms. Sauers' part to lift the curtain on the horrible conditions young models work in, they didn't take into account how this might negatively impact Ms. Hasbrook getting any more modeling jobs. So since then, Ms. Hasbrook has deleted (or made private) all her previous entries on Tumblr and Twitter, and put this message up on her Tumblr:

So I just got home and I was told that I was mentioned in the Jezebel blog. I went to check it out and I was HORRIFIED.

Let me start out by saying that I started this blog because my aunt and a couple friends back home asked me to. They thought it would be cool to be able to follow what I was doing on a day-to-day basis. I liked the idea because I hate repeating myself. I would be able to tell everybody what was going on at once.

This leads me to the Jezebel blog post, and wherever else things might have been posted.

First I want to set one thing straight, I loved working and doing looks for Marc Jacobs. I was actually one of the favorite jobs I have had so far. Everyone there were absolutely amazing and awesome to work with. It wasn’t like I was non-stop trying clothes on for a full 9 hours. There were many times where Marc and Camille were going over other things. I had many breaks where I could go and lay on the couch, read, or just relax. They took really good care of me there. All I had to do was ask if I needed anything. There was plenty of food and drinks there the entire time. They were all very understanding, flexible and accommodating.

I actually preferred to be paid in trade. I love everything that I got, and it was well worth it. There was an entire room filled with clothes and shoes that I was asked to choose from. Everything was amazing.

I feel like the authors of these blogs tried to remake my entire post and make it seem that I was slamming the company. As I said, it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed my time there, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I am not and was not complaining one bit about it at all. I hope that everybody can see and understand that I meant no harm by those posts and that this will help clear everybody’s mind of any false beliefs that were put there by Jezebel or any other posts that may have mentioned me in them.

Translation: Please take me back, Marc Jacobs! No one beat me, and I was given many chances to eat crackers and take three minute naps!

Marc Jacobs' response:

John Galliano - Runway Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011 (Eric Ryan/Getty)

“I love Hitler. People like you would be dead today. Your mothers, your forefathers, would be fucking gassed and fucking dead.” Fashion designer John Galliano spewed these despicable, beyond hateful and offensive words, in February 2011 at his favorite watering hole, Café La Perle in Paris’ chic Marais district. Galliano—seemingly drunk or high, or both —was caught on video by Philippe Virgitti, a receptionist, and his girlfriend Geraldine Bloch, a museum curator. The couple also said Galliano called them: “dirty whore,” “ugly,” “fucking Asian bastard” and “dirty Jew face.” The shocking footage of Galliano’s anti-Semitic rant was released for the world to watch in horror. Then 47-year-old Fatiha Oummedour, a French citizen, came forward claiming that Galliano hurled similar insults at her for no apparent reason. Galliano was arrested and charged with “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity,” which is against French law. He was fined 6,000 Euros and found guilty of making racist and anti-Semitic remarks.

The flamboyant designer of Christian Dior and his own namesake label was quickly canned by Dior on March 1, 2011. Sidney Toledano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Christian Dior Couture, said: “We unequivocally condemn the statements made by John Galliano which are in total contradiction to the long-standing core values of Christian Dior.” Natalie Portman, the face of Dior at the time and once seen posing with Galliano, was even more ardent in her dismissal of the fallen fashion designer: “I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano’s comments. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way.” Just a few weeks later, Portman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Black Swan. And as the ultimate fashion slap in the face wore Rodarte, not Dior, to pick up her statue. Once the darling of the fashion world, Galliano became an outcast—the Mel Gibson of the runway. And as the internet was overloaded with anti-Galliano comments, he issued a press release with the obligatory, carefully crafted apology for his actions and then vanished—evidently to rehab.

But not everyone was satisfied with Galliano’s plea for forgiveness or his light sentence. Moshe Kantor, the President of the European Jewish Congress said the “slap on the wrist” sent the wrong message to those who use hate speech. “It is outrageous,” Kantor denounced. “This sentence demonstrates that there appears to be a culture of impunity in the entertainment world.”
Yet despite his vanishing act, one year on, there is still a man named John Galliano who is one of the living masters of his craft. One year on, there is still a fashion label that bears his name and is putting forth collections. And one year on, Dior has yet to find a suitable replacement for him at the helm of the house.

There has been tremendous observation of the movements of all the actors in this sordid play. Suzy Menkes, the Head Fashion Editor for the International Herald Tribune, said in a recent New York Times article, in trying to fill the position at Dior, it has been rumored, “Seven designers already approached have either been turned down or backed away.” And there is still not a replacement in sight. The biggest talk was that Marc Jacobs would fill the position, but that turned out to be just a rumor. At press time, Belgian designer Raf Simons, who won raves for his collections at Jil Sander, was said to be a shoe-in as Galliano's replacement at the house of Dior.

As for Mr. Galliano, he is keeping himself very much undetectable; so much so, he seems to have disappeared altogether. It is against the law in France to incite racial hatred and it has been said that Galliano has been staying in the South of France since the criminal case against him had been settled. Another source in Paris alleges he has occasionally spotted Galliano out and about drinking. As for his next moves, a source close to the designer’s partner, Alexis Roche, has said they are seriously considering moving to Los Angeles, a city known for its eternal forgiveness—yet also a town with a large and powerful Jewish population. Just look at Mel Gibson’s career, or rather lack of a career, as an example of what happens to celebrities who make public pronouncements that insult a whole lot of people.

Recently, Mr. Roche, also known as “Lexy,” created a Twitter account and was tweeting with other fashion industry professionals (such as makeup artist Pat McGrath and stylist Edward Enninful) while out at various fancy events in Paris. This sudden communication suggests the Galliano camp may be opening up a bit and that movement from the designer may be on the horizon. And just last month, Galliano surfaced publicly in London where he attended the 50th birthday party of his old pal DJ Jeremy Healy. A “spy” told the New York Post that Galliano seemed “sober” but that his appearance “caused quite a flutter in the room.”

INTO THE LOOKING GLASS
There has, however, been a positive outcome from this situation in that a deep introspection of the fashion industry unto itself has occurred. It is not a secret that fashion is a stressful business. The great Yves Saint Laurent famously battled demons throughout his career, and Christopher Decarnin, Balmain’s former designer, parted ways with the house due to overwhelming pressure. And tragically, editor Isabella Blow and designer Alexander McQueen both took their lives seemingly due to the high-stakes world in which they worked. After this latest incident with Mr. Galliano, everything in the way that fashion functions, from the rate at which designers are expected to produce in order to meet higher and higher profit goals, to the practice of placing singular value on a figurehead designer, has come under scrutiny.

Increasing production demands on designers has become a large part of this broader conversation. Anja Vang Kragh, a designer who worked closely with Galliano both at Dior and his eponymous label, describes her time working for him as some of the best years of her life. Though in regard to the workload, she says, “To me it was quite strange that when a collection didn’t do well at Dior, the big bosses would come and say, ‘Well now we do a cruise collection or kid's collection or menswear,’ in order to make up for it. What surprised me was that they just didn’t ask for better clothes.” Vang Kragh went on to say, “I think now they are doing 16 collections, and no matter how genius you are, no one can work this much all the time.”

Especially for Mr. Galliano, who by all accounts looked over every one of those 16 lines personally as well as his own line. “He would never let things go, there was not one thing that was not supervised by him,” says Elisa Palomino, a designer based in London. Palomino was one of the first people to join the team at Galliano as his studio manager and remains in Galliano’s close stable of consorts. “He was so right and when you would see it you would know,” she says. “He has had a wonderful team over the years, but the talent is his.”

Recently, LVMH has made a move showing heightened consideration of their designers. The brand Céline, another strong label in the French conglomerate’s stable, recently cancelled its Paris runway show and instead opted for a presentation because its designer, Phoebe Philo, was eight months pregnant.

And maybe Galliano isn’t really all that valuable? Not having a designer for Dior as the “official face,” as fashion writer Vanessa Friedman calls it, has not hurt sales a bit. Dior’s retail sales were up 27 percent in the first three quarters of 2011, and general turnover went up 21 percent compared to the same period in 2010. Ms. Friedman adds, “Maybe they don’t need a high-cost, high-maintenance, high-salary star at the helm?”
“You take a company like Nike, whose numbers are so tremendous, that no one can touch them. And what does Nike do?  They put a team of innovators, as opposed to an individual behind their products, which is better strategically,” says David Gensler, the CEO and founder of the Keystone Design Union which consults for brands like Nike on corporate strategy. “Don’t put all the attention on the quarterback, focus on the team as a whole. The fashion industry often makes the mistake of putting all the attention on the figure head, instead of saying, ‘here is the team.’”
There are fashion brands that have utilized this method successfully, most famously, Maison Martin Margiela. One of the more experimental and revered houses in fashion, the Margiela brand is built on anonymity. The designer and founder, Martin Margiela, has never so much as been photographed, bar one picture, which ran in The New York Times in 2008, taking complete attention away from himself as a figurehead. As a result, public focus is kept on the clothes and the collaborative effort it takes towards their creation. Clearly there are other successful models than “designer as figurehead,” so perhaps it can even work for Dior. Is John Galliano needed to lead a label, much less, wanted?

WHO IS BILL GAYTTEN?

There is, however, a mystery man in this scenario by the name of Bill Gaytten, who is now the Acting Creative Director of both Dior and Galliano. While he has garnered a lot of attention in this past year as a result of the position he has acquired, very little is known about him aside from the few collections he has put forth and that he has spent decades working alongside Galliano. Fashion industry professionals seem to know very little of him, while some who have worked closely with him have refused to discuss him, and even those who were willing to discuss Gaytten, had few things of significance to say. The critics panned his first collection, which was for Dior couture, beginning with Cathy Horyn from The New York Times. “He’s a sweetheart, but not a designer,” she said, and called some elements of the collection “dumb” and added, “That immaculate Dior polish was not evident.”

In the same review, Ms. Horyn questioned why a studio assistant has been given such a heavy position in taking over both Dior and Galliano, and Anja Vang Kragh, also expressed confusion at the choice. Vang Kragh said he wasn’t present at the studios on a daily basis. “It was like he was almost working there freelance, up until 2003,” Vang Kragh says. “As a person I really like Bill, he has always been a warm, sweet guy, it’s just really weird what’s going on here, that his [Galliano’s] close friend and assistant is the new John Galliano.” Since his first couture show, Mr. Gaytten has shown another season of collections and has made moves as Creative Director of Galliano. For the most recent Dior collections, he seems to be erring on the side of caution, relying on perfect technical creations, sans Galliano’s trademark drama and over-the-top showmanship. As a result, critics have been more positive in their reviews, calling his latest couture offering, “technically persuasive,” “pure nostalgia” and “a class act by any standards,” even in spite of it lacking emotion.

He also recently released the first new ad campaign for Galliano under his creative direction, which employed a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas theme, a choice that raises the question of prudence. Utilizing this film as a reference naturally raises eyebrows, as it is a tale laden with drug and alcohol abuse, two of the things that were a part of Mr. Galliano’s downfall.

The hand that LVMH may be playing with Mr. Gaytten is also curious. In a recent post-show interview after Dior’s spring couture show, he said to Grazia magazine, “I am super organized, fully programmed. I do what I am told.” It is unclear to what he refers when talking about what he is being told to do, though one interpretation could be that it is in reference to direction coming from corporate entities above him at LVMH.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
LVMH is still a majority stakeholder in the Galliano brand, and exactly how much is difficult to discern as French laws differ from U.S. laws in terms of what is, and isn’t, available for public knowledge. Though, if it is structured anything like Marc Jacobs, of which LVMH owns 96 percent on last account, then Mr. Galliano may have a miniscule say, at best, at what goes on there. Though LVMH chief, Bernard Arnault, has very clearly stated, “He will not be working for LVMH.” So perhaps getting back the Galliano label is simply out the question at this point. Is this the end of Galliano’s fashion career?
That said, the Galliano label’s sales have increased in the Middle East, Moscow and Asia, and strategically, this can mean big business for the brand in the long run, and a platform from which to rebuild. It also exhibits consumer faith in the brand, in spite of what has happened. Fern Mallis, Fashion Consultant and the former head of the CFDA and IMG, seems to think forgiveness is in order, telling SCENE, “We live in a world of forgiveness, while what he said was awful, people deserve a second chance.” This idea of forgiveness is a surprising, yet almost unanimous sentiment from all those in the fashion world who were willing to speak on the topic. There are even whispers that Anna Wintour is trying to “help” get Galliano back on his feet.
“We love to build celebrities up knock them down, but we also love a comeback," says Mickey Boardman, Editorial Director of Paper magazine. “But first he has to get to a point where people would really believe he is sorry. Then they would accept him again.”
But some think Galliano needs to do much more than just convince people he regrets the horrendous things he said. Rabbis Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre said, “It is up to him to make amends to the community he demeaned and to the public at large.” They feel his earlier apology was not sufficient. “It is important to emphasize that a cleverly worded press release is not sufficient. If John Galliano is truly sorry for what he did, only his future deeds will tell us how sincere he is.”

And what Galliano’s future holds—whether on the catwalk or in Hollywood—remains unclear.

Stay tuned...