Elton John, Colman Domingo Sit Front Row as Valentino Ups the Cinematic Stakes
Alessandro Michele's first couture show for the house of Valentino was the hottest ticket of the week.
Michele upped the cinematic stakes, showing a variety of looks on stage against a big screen of seemingly free-associated words, and Sir Elton John, Colman Domingo and Nick Cave were among those with a front row seat.
More from WWD
Heavily Layered Looks Were the Highlight of Paris Men's Street Style
Roger Vivier's Gherardo Felloni Bags Paris Landmarks
Jennie Talks 'Ruby,' Marion Cotillard on 'The Morning Show' at Chanel
Instead of last looks, models moved against the wind and a blink-inducing barrage of flashing lights as if in frames of an old-fashioned film. The designer drove home the point with the show notes being a film script.
Oscar-nominee Domingo thinks Michele should direct.
'His shows are so theatrical and have such a great story,' said Domingo. He shared that the two had met Tuesday and discussed filmmaking, but Michele gave a hard pass on ever getting behind the camera, much to Domingo's dismay. 'Every single look, you felt the fantasy, you felt the story, you felt references from around the world,' he said of the fashion show.
Domingo added that the runway was diverse in age and color, which he found a very beautiful, inclusive message. 'That's what Alessandro does. He makes you feel like you're part of the world, and the world is a big, magical place where you can have fun and express yourself.'
He was expressing himself in a full Valentino look, with printed pajama suiting, a tan blazer and tie belt from the resort collection presented last June. He completed the look with a handbag and some seriously cool shoes. The actor categorized it as maximalist and minimalist at the same time.
'It's just a little bit of chaos,' he said. Domingo, who has a long-standing relationship with Michele, felt the day's outfit summed up the designer's more-is-more aesthetic. 'Yet I feel like I can wear this on any given Wednesday.'
Domingo just wrapped working with another legend, director Gus Van Sant. He wrapped the 1970s-set film 'Dead Man's Wire' last weekend and then got on a plane to Paris. Next, he will be working with Steven Spielberg on 'The Dish.'
The two directors are similar in their enthusiasm. 'These innovative creators still create with a sense that they're doing it for the first time, and they want conversations and work to be meaningful together,' he said.
But 'The Dish' comes after the Oscars, and the back-to-back nominee is getting ready for the red carpet. He loved the show's looks and said he hopes that Michele can interpret a male version of some of the dramatic dresses. They'll be planning that look soon, as well as his outfit for the Met Gala on May 5.
For Nick Cave and wife Susie Bick, founder of The Vampire's Wife, it was their first time seeing Michele's vision of Valentino.
'We both absolutely love Alessandro, so we're super excited,' said Bick, as she practiced where to properly place her handbag for the best shot. She was in a velvet wrap dress with an embroidered flower pattern.
Aside from the flashes from the photographers, the room was movie theater black.
'We're happy because it's dark,' joked Cave. 'Darkness for a dark age.' The legendary singer just wrapped the European leg of his tour, but will hit the U.S. starting in April. For now, he is continuing the advice column he runs on his own website, where he takes philosophical inquiries from fans.
Thai pop star Jeff Satur wore a dramatic ruffled collar and low-cut, corset-style waistcoat. He was named the house's first brand ambassador from Thailand last December.
Satur reflected on the growing importance of Thailand on the world fashion stage, with other Thai stars making the front row during men's and couture weeks.
'All of my friends, celebrities, are here in Paris this fashion week,' he said of the growing Thai presence. 'I think we are growing bigger and bigger, and I think this is a new opportunity for the fashion brands to be out.'
Satur, who released his single 'Ride or Die' on Jan. 10, said he is prepping for a series of concerts in Thailand and perhaps more around Asia this summer.
Launch Gallery: Celebrities Front Row at Valentino Spring Couture 2025
Best of WWD
'White Lotus' Star Nicholas Duvernay Models for Banana Republic With Jasmine Tookes in Spring 2025 Campaign [PHOTOS]
Lauren Sanchez's Inaugural Outfit, Natalie Portman in Versace & More Peekaboo Bra Layering Trends [PHOTOS]
Melania Trump's Wedding Planner Describes the Party and Guests — 20 Years Later
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jennie's "Ruby" makes it to Rolling Stone's "Best Album of 2025 So Far"
9 Jun - Jennie Kim of BLACKPINK was revealed to be the only K-pop act to have made it into Rolling Stone's "Best Albums of 2025 So Far" list for her first solo album, "Ruby". The singer joined the likes of other big names such as Lady Gaga ("Mayhem") and Bad Bunny ("Debí Tirar Más Fotos") to receive recognition from the renowned magazine, with Rolling Stone comparing "Ruby" to the works of Rihanna. "Not only does Jennie have an impressive ability to command the centre of candy-coated pop-R&B, there are some moments that feel like, if not direct, at least second-generation descendants of the hazy introspection shown by the Barbadian mogul on her 2016 classic Anti," the magazine wrote. It is noted that Jennie was heavily involved in the making of her namesake album that was released back in March, which is said to be inspired by Shakespeare's "As You Like It" Aside from the chart-topping "Like Jennie", the album also features several collaborations, including "ExtraL" with rapper Doechii and "Love Hangover" with Dominic Fike. (Photo Source: Jennie IG)
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Ran' turns 40: How a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar
Forty years ago, a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar. The legendary Japanese filmmaker's Ran proved the final samurai masterpiece of his distinguished career. His third Shakespeare adaptation, the film is epic in every sense of the word — massive in scale, shot in glorious color, with vicious betrayal and intense action and emotion. At the time of its release in 1985, Kurosawa was certainly well-regarded by the Motion Picture Academy, receiving an Honorary Award for Outstanding Foreign-Language Film for Rashomon, followed by Best Foreign-Language Film in 1976 for Dersu Uzala. The 58th Academy Awards found Ran competing for four awards, including Kurosawa's only Best Director nod — despite not being submitted for Best Foreign-Language Film, a snub that was the product of a messy history. More from GoldDerby 2025 Tony Awards: Complete list of winners (updating live) 'What's next?': Allison Janney on playing a 'badass' on 'The Diplomat,' 'West Wing' 25 years later 'Sinners' bonus feature, 'Good Night' live, Sabrina's song of the summer, 'Fantastic Four' theme, and what to stream this weekend Kurosawa was remarkably influential in the West. Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars was essentially a remake of Yojimbo, and films as diverse as George Lucas' Star Wars (Hidden Fortress), Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (Rashomon), and John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven and A Bug's Life (Seven Samurai) borrowed liberally from his works. If Kurosawa was accessible to Western audiences, it was perhaps in part because he was inspired by Western literature and film. William Shakespeare provided continued inspiration for Kurosawa, adapting Macbeth (Throne of Blood), Hamlet (The Bad Sleep Well), and King Lear (Ran), who as did great early Western filmmakers, including John Ford. International fame aside, Kurosawa's relationship with the Japanese film industry was significantly strained in the late-'60s through early '70s. He was hired to direct the Japanese section of the 1970's Toei-Fox. coproduction Tora! Tora! Tora!, but had difficulty dealing with Fox's communication, editors, and oversight, and spent considerable time in the thick of a mental crisis. He was prescribed two months of rest, so producer Darryl F. Zanuck's son, Richard, flew to Japan to personally fire Kurosawa. Japanese funding for his projects became scarce, and he relied on external financing support from friends for financing Dodes'ka-den. Between health problems and career turmoil, at a particularly low point, Kurosawa attempted to take his own life late in 1971, though he survived and recovered. The career that followed cemented his trajectory of international acclaim with minimal support from the Japanese film industry. In 1972, the Soviet studio Mosfilm approached the director for what became 1975's Academy Award-winning Dersu Uzala, but despite bringing numerous awards home to Japan, he again had difficulties funding his next epic, Kagemusha. Kurosawa met George Lucas and Frances Ford Coppola in 1978 while preparing for the project, and the pair were wowed by Kurosawa's vision. Coming off the success of Star Wars, Lucas convinced 20th Century Fox head Alan Ladd Jr. to provide a reported $6 million in 1979 to complete the film's funding. The film was a success, and Kurosawa ultimately referred to Kagemusha as a 'dress rehearsal' for his biggest project yet: Ran. Used to funding sources outside Japan, for Ran, Kurosawa secured the involvement of French producer Serge Silberman (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), alongside Japan's Nippon Herald Ace, to make the film, which opened in U.S. theaters on June 1, 1985. The Academy's rules for Best Foreign Film allowed one submission film per country to be considered for nomination, with each country having a unique nomination process. Speaking with The New York Times, Silberman admitted he had attempted to submit Ran as an 'independent' collaboration between France and Japan, an unintentional violation of Academy rules. Silberman next considered entering Ran as a French entry, but French rules stipulated submissions to be in the French language. That would require extensive dubbing, because the film starred Japanese actors and was shot and filmed in Japan. Silberman thought a French dub simply wouldn't have worked, so French submission was off the table. The final option would be submission to Japan's Motion Picture Producers Association (now MPPAJ), and this is where it gets even messier. According to the Times, a representative of the Japanese producers association said Ran wasn't submitted for consideration, and that the nominating committee was told the film would be submitted through France. Silberman claimed that the group refused to give more time to the decision after plans for an independent entry were nixed by the Academy. Then again, it's entirely plausible that major players in Japan's film industry weren't displeased with an opportunity to disrupt the film's Oscar chances. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Kurosawa refused to attend Ran's opening-night presentation at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Kurosawa had a rocky history of disagreements with Japan's film industry and had long relied on external funding for production, a recipe for strategic blunder. That snubbed festival was headed by Shigeru Okada, also the head of Toei and a member of Japan's Oscar-selection committee. It may not be a coincidence that Japan submitted Hana Ichi Monme (conveniently a Toei production) in Ran's stead. With its path to the foreign-language film category stymied, Silberman submitted Ran to the Academy for consideration in other feature-length categories, and the rest is Academy Award history. It all makes for a long, twisty story about how Kurosawa's final samurai masterpiece landed him a Best Director nomination in a year where, for a number of odd reasons, it wasn't even up for Best Foreign Film. He received one final honor from the Academy at the 62nd Academy Awards, an Honorary Award celebrating his life in film, appropriately presented by Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Best of GoldDerby Stephen King movies: 14 greatest films ranked worst to best 'The Life of Chuck' cast reveal their favorite Stephen King works, including Mark Hamill's love of the 'terrifying' 'Pet Sematary' From 'Hot Rod' to 'Eastbound' to 'Gemstones,' Danny McBride breaks down his most righteous roles: 'It's been an absolute blast' Click here to read the full article.

Hypebeast
3 hours ago
- Hypebeast
Jared Leto Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Multiple Women, Including Minors
Summary Oscar-winning actor and musician Jared Leto is facing serious accusations of sexual misconduct from at least nine women, according to a detailed report published byAir Mailon Saturday, June 7, 2025. The allegations describe a pattern of inappropriate behavior spanning over a decade, with some women claiming the incidents occurred when they were underage. The report includes interviews with nine women who describe troubling interactions with the 53-year-old actor. 'It's been an open secret for a long time,' an anonymous woman told the outlet. Among the disturbing allegations are claims that Leto asked sexual questions to a 16-year-old girl, walked out of a room nude in front of a 17-year-old, and exposed himself and masturbated before putting an 18-year-old's hand 'on him.' One woman, a model who was 16 in 2008, recounted meeting Leto at an animal rights event before visiting his studio, where she claims he flirted with her and appeared nude. Another woman stated she was also 16 when Leto approached her at a Los Angeles cafe, and later called her at night with sexually suggestive conversations. These allegations gained renewed attention last month when DJ Allie Teilz reposted a Facebook status from 2012 on her Instagram Stories, accusing Leto of inappropriate behavior when she was 17. She described his actions as 'predatory, terrifying, and unacceptable.' Following her post, Teilz shared over 50 responses from individuals who reported similar experiences, some of whom were reportedly as young as 14 to 16 years old at the time. A representative for Jared Leto has vehemently denied all allegations, asserting that the claims are 'demonstrably false' and that there was 'never any recruiting, complaints, or impropriety.' They have stated that Leto has abstained from drugs and alcohol for over 35 years. As of now, no criminal charges have been filed against Leto, and he has not publicly addressed the allegations himself.