MEMO PAD
Byline:
MOVIN’ ON UP: The second biggest amusement this season in Paris — after heckling the French journalists who walked out of late-starting shows — was watching the publishers of two of America’s foremost fashion magazines steal other people’s seats. The two dons, as Carl Portale of Elle and Ron Galotti of Vogue are now known, were routinely assigned seats in the second or third or even fourth rows by most houses, but by the time the lights went down, they somehow managed to get right up there in the front-row at many shows.
“I literally had to threaten him,” one public-relations woman said of Galotti. “He said he had to be in the front row or else. And I said, ‘Well, let it be or else.’ “
Both Portale and Galotti scored major victories at Sonia Rykiel: Galotti managed to have the seat of honor next to Anna Wintour (he, too, wore sunglasses) while Portale also sat in the front row next to Elle’s fashion news director, Ruth La Ferla. But a few days later at Emanuel Ungaro, the two dons were back in the sixth row with all the other ad salesmen. “Ron kept his face in his hands, and so did Carl,” said someone nearby. “They didn’t want anyone to see them. I kinda felt sorry for them.”
NO MORE TIMES: Hal Rubenstein is leaving the New York Times, where he worked as men’s fashion editor. Rubenstein had been under contract to the paper, but “his arrangement with us ends March 31,” said Claudia Payne, director of fashion news at the Times.
Rubenstein has joined Time Warner’s In Style as editor-at-large. He said he’ll work on planning special issues and “helping the magazine get involved with other media, such as TV.”
“I want to work for a company that’s not afraid of the future,” Rubenstein said.
As for a new men’s fashion editor at the Times, Payne said, “We’re looking.” Rubenstein’s final men’s edition of Fashions of the Times appears Sunday.
STOP: The Stop Sexual Harassment Campaign, the
first national, multimedia campaign on the issue of harassment in the workplace, is under way. Companies supporting the project include Capital Cities/ABC, Hearst Magazines, Chrysler Corp. and Murad Skin Research Laboratories. A print campaign created pro bono by Bozell Worldwide and photographed by Sheila Metzner will appear in more than 20 national magazines throughout the year. More than $25 million worth of space has been donated. The ads, which detail conversations between two colleagues, broke this month in Redbook and Parade. A new public-service announcement, developed through American Women in Radio and Television and Capital Cities/ABC, will also appear on network, local and cable TV.
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MAY JOINS T&C: David May has been named associate publisher of Town & Country. He had been senior vice presdent of fragrances for Lancaster Group Worldwide Inc., and was one of four individuals who established Lancaster in the U.S. May succeeds William S. David, who becomes associate publisher of House Beautiful. May will report to Molly Schaefer, publisher of T&C.
In an unrelated move at Lancaster, Nina Korelitz, vice president of marketing for the Lancaster brand, has also left the company. Lancaster said it plans to announce successors to both positions soon.
MODELING STEW: John Casablancas, chairman of Elite, is so outraged at the way he is portrayed in Michael Gross’s exposA of the modeling industry, “Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women,” he has asked his lawyers to stop William Morrow from distributing the book. He also demanded the publisher delete what Casablancas calls “outright lies” about his personal and professional life.
“We’ve put William Morrow’s general counsel on notice that this book contains libelous and malicious material,” says Casablancas’ lawyer, Edward Curtin. “We are taking whatever action is necessary. We are demanding that they not ship and suggesting that unless they retract the erroneous statements, they have major exposure,” said Curtin.
Debra Weaver, counsel to William Morrow, said the book is expected to be in stores by this weekend. “From my point of view, the book is shipping. We have every confidence the book is well researched. We stand behind Michael and his reporting. We’ve told Mr. Casablancas’s lawyer that if he has any concerns, we’ll respond in good faith.”