Derek Blasberg

Now that New York Fashion Week is but a distant memory, the front rows of Paris Fashion Week—which ends Oct. 5—are crowded with editors, socialites and actresses. At the Balmain show, Derek Blasberg sat alongside Milla Jovovich and Paul Anderson. French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld and her daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld attended the Christian Dior Spring 2009 show, and  Tinsley Mortimer made an appearance at Christian Lacroix. Even the ubiquitous Leigh Lezark is over there posing for photos! 

(Note to Ms. Lezark: Stick to that whole black-only thing; the hot pink tutu dress is a little much.)

Click above for a slideshow of who was where (and what they wore) during Paris Fashion Week.   read more »

As investment banks collapse, insurance firms file for bankruptcy, and jobs continue to be lost, it seems that New York socialites deserve some of the blame for jinxing the stock market.

On March 7, Arden Wohl, Derek Blasberg, Amanda Hearst, Claire Bernard and nightclub owner Simon Hammerstein rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange--seemingly also ringing in the period of financial ruin that directly followed the ceremony, reports Cityfile, which even retrieved graphical proof.

We suppose that's what we deserve for allowing the party people of our city to handle such historically important tasks. But all of this also got us thinking.  read more »

On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 7, at Herve Leger's Spring '09 show, the Daily Transom was—shivers of excitement!—seated across from a front row filled with uptown gals.

From left to right, in exact order, were: Genevieve Jones, Derek Blasberg, Fabiola Beracasa, Lauren Remington Platt, Zani Gugelmann, and Maggie Betts. (One of the chairs was labeled "Arden Wohl," but alas she never showed.)

Ms. Platt, clad in a binding (and blinding) white Herve dress with black detail, had arrived by herself and unfashionably early. There she was standing in line up for nearly twenty minutes like everyone else waiting to be let into the Promenade, looking around and checking the time periodically.  read more »

On Friday, August 11, Opening Ceremony kicked off a 72-hour party at their Howard Street store in honor of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

The celebration began promptly at 7pm and lasted through Sunday evening, though the Daily Transom was there to only catch Friday’s festivities, which included performances by specially hired cheerleaders, a flat-screen TV to show the actual opening ceremony in Beijing, and a vintage '50s style Good Humor ice cream truck and a taco truck to keep everyone’s sugar levels up. (Much later, mini cans of Budweiser were brought out after the celebratory champagne ran dry.)

“We wanted it to be like a community fair, like our own little block party but contained within the store,” said the store’s co-owner, Humberto Leon. “We’ve always had this idea of doing a 72-hour store and this seemed like the perfect time to celebrate.”  read more »

The Observer's version of March Madness entered a new phase at midnight last night when votes were tabulated for the Final Four face-off in our Socialite Slapdown contest.

The contest—which gained a bit of heat last week when Page Six reported on socialites' efforts to stack the votes in their favor—closes with four finalists: Publishing heiress, model and bag-designer Lydia Hearst faces off against socialite/style writer Derek Blasberg, and Lauren Davis, socialite and Vogue editor, faces off against Peter Davis, the mocialite-loving ... style writer!  read more »

On Friday, March 14, the socialites Lauren Santo Domingo and Derek Blasberg took knitwear heiress Margherita Maccapanni Missoni out for  read more »

When did journalism become THE hip hobby for New York socialites?  read more »

At the Free Arts NYC 8th Annual Art Auction Benefit at the Milk Gallery on Monday, April 23, stars discussed the power of the arts with the Transom.

"Well, just always to encourage someone to seek a creative life is wonderful," said a glowing Naomi Watts, whose dress, by Australian designer Stephanie Conley, gracefully draped her burgeoning pregnant belly. The 38-year-old actress added that she appreciates Live Arts for helping those "struggling with problems." Then she sent someone to fetch her boyfriend, Liev Schreiber--beelining for the bar--so that they could take off early.

"I grew up in a household with a lot of music, and I know that Free Arts isn't necessarily about music, but that was a huge thing for me in my life," said the radiant actress Liv Tyler, 29, who co-chaired the event with Scarlett Johanssen (a no-show). "And creativity in general, especially with my son"--Milo!--"you know, we paint or we draw and we play with Play-Doh and we dance and sing and perform things, and it's such a big part of a child's expression, and there's a lot of children in the city, even in the schools, there's no access to that whatsoever."

Does the brunette beauty have a favorite artist? "I don't! I'm terrible!" Ms. Tyler said. "I don't know that much about art, I mean, I'm very in awe of it. I mean, I love Van Gogh, I really always have, but my husband knows a lot about art and he shows me things."

In complete contrast to Ms. Tyler's delicate whisper, the stylist Rachel Zoe, 35, was practically vibrating as she hollered at friends standing at the far end of the bar.

"I grew up with it," she said of Art. "My parents are collectors, so I came up with it since I came out of the womb. It's important on every level-for education, for culture, for understanding pop culture, it's history, I mean, it's everything, it's a huge influence."
Perhaps not so much on socialite Tinsley Mortimer, flying solo in a white dress, who chatted for a bit with Derek Blasberg and his mini-me pal, former Vogue-temp Lyle Maltz, before making like Ms. Watts and leaving (Liev-ing?). Ms. Mortimer said that she was not giving any interviews "tonight."

How about tomorrow, then?