WWD
Michael Kors Judges Bette Midler‘s ‘Hulaween’ Party
By ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
11/02/2012
NEW YORK — Unrecognizable in a jet-black wig, mustache, French sailor shirt and neck scarf, Michael Kors proved to be the ultimate judge at Bette Midler’s annual “Hulaween†Party Wednesday night at the Waldorf-Astoria. With a baguette in one hand and a fake cigarette in the other, Kors said, “I am the forbidden Frenchman. I am going to do two things you never see in New York — smoke in public and eat bread. There are women in that [ball]room who have never seen this much carbs.
“Can you believe I am smoking in public? In New York, red is more forbidden in fashion.â€
“En Francaise†was the theme for the 17th-annual Halloween bash, which helped a Coco Chanel-looking Midler raise $1.8 million for the New York Restoration Project. Sizing up the parade of guests en route to dinner, Kors said, “We have a lot of Karls [Lagerfeld.] I knew there would be.â€
The designer liked the Ann Curry look-alike with a knife in her back but the American slant clashed with the Francophile theme. That was something he could relate to. “When I was at Celine, they said, ‘You can’t drink Coke in public. It’s too American. I told them, ‘Well, I think everyone knows I am American.’â€
Back to the costume contest. The Blackstone Group’s Stephen Schwarzman missed out on prizes as the Devil. And impressive as a stage-worthy French court was, Kors really perked up when a caftan-clad troupe waltzed by. “What are you?†Kors asked the party of 14, only to be told, “We’re Liz Taylor and the was-bands.â€
“Oh I get it, you’re Larry [Fortensky] and you’re Richard [Burton] — divine,†he nodded approvingly. “Elizabeth Taylor told me when she was married to John Warner she had to wear tweed.†The Taylor-ites then told Kors their caftans were actually bought at the Christies auction last fall. “I guess I’m lucky because I was bidding against you,†he said. “Just remember, don’t say you’re ‘Liz.’ You’re Elizabeth. She always called herself Elizabeth.â€
In a Grace Jones-inspired costume, Douglas Little — who designed the party’s dramatic decor — donned another winning look. Kors said, “We actually saw Grace Jones perform Saturday. It was called her Hurricane Return to Roseland. How strange is that?â€
Hurricane Sandy’s flight cancellations stranded Al Gore in Tennessee and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas in Bermuda. Debra Messing arrived Wednesday as Marie Antoinette and Debbie Harry performed in can-can girl attire, but neither walked away with one of the prizewinning wheels of brie.
Before revelers tucked into the Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s three “corps†menu, Midler sang for her supper with Sotheby’s auctioneer Eric Kornfeld and Hugh Hildesley. “Of course, you all want to know who I am — Bella Abzug,†she said, showing off her tweed suit. “No, I am a corpse of Coco Chanel because I knew there would be more Napoleons here tonight than there are Elvises in Las Vegas.â€
