December 3, 2007

Judith Thurman's LA dish

My good friend, style writer Steffie Nelson invited me to a conversation with longtime "New Yorker" writer Judith Thurman (pictured) last week...and what a treat it was.
Held at the Los Angeles Central Library in Downtown, the conversation was led by KUSC radio host Gail Eichenthal, who probed Thurman on the stories contained in her latest book, "Cleopatra's Nose, 39 Varieties of Desire". Thurman, known for her fashion essays, has profiled many of the world's leading designers and artists, and the book contains her thoughts on Coco Chanel, Rei Kawakubo, Diane Arbus and Elsa Schiaparelli. In one of her stories, about Giorgio Armani, she opens with a personal anecdote, recalling arriving at what she thought was a costume party in a green caterpillar outfit, only to realize everyone else was wearing tuxes and cocktail dresses. "Where was Giorgio Armani when I needed him," she wrote (or something to that effect), in her humorous and artfully-crafted prose.

Thurman told the audience about spending an evening chatting with Jackie Onassis in the sixties, describing her as "the ultimate courtesan". Later, while signing copies of the book, Thurman told Steffie and I that she was knee-deep in a profile of designer Isabelle Toledo (pictured here with her husband Ruben), who was controversially dropped from her head role at Anne Klein just a few weeks ago. We can't wait to read it!
Afterward, we popped next door to Cafe Pinot, and spotted Judith again. She sat at a table with friends, including the young model and pizza heiress Caroline D'Amore, whom we mentioned in a post just a few weeks ago.
Small world.
(Buy Thurman's book here.)

December 3, 2007 in OPENINGS/LAUNCHES | Permalink