the ball

André Leon Talley Is Trying to Dress Marisa Tomei for the Met Gala

It might interest you to know that, earlier this week, André Leon Talley, an integral fiber in the fabric of the A-list, was riding in Diane Von Furstenberg’s shamrock-green Bentley on the way to the Tribeca Film Festival opening-night party. But that’s beside the point. He blogs about the car ride, during which he managed to take a break from being fabulous to confab with Marisa Tomei via cell phone to discuss what she should wear to the Met gala on Monday. This raises eyebrows, because André has made some questionable styling decisions for his celeb gal pals, and Jennifer Hudson’s regrettable bolero at the 2007 Oscars is just the beginning. Remember what Kimora Lee Simmons wore at his behest to the gala last year? Anyhoo, André is firmly ensconced on Marisa’s style-advisory board. He loved what she wore to the Golden Globes:

[S]he was, in my mind’s eye, without question the most elegant and best-dressed of any actress in the room. Wearing a white lace-trimmed blouse and a long black skirt from Oscar de la Renta, she set a recession-appropriate tone of quietude and made it look cool with hair tossed back in a soft queue de cheval and several strands of necklaces.


This worries us because, while Oscar de la Renta is an amazing designer, nothing about this outfit stands out to us. It’s not his best work, nor Marisa’s best outfit. (Also, since when does André champion “quietude” in dressing?) For the Costume Institute Gala, Marisa chose a “brilliant lemongrass Madame Grès toga-like sixties gown.” Talley blogs:

My suggestion was to belt the dress with a wide gold leather Alaïa belt, the way Michelle Obama loves to define her waist; [boutique owner] Rita had an even better idea of a vintage Cartier gold metal belt. Without cinching, the iconic dress could get a little dour on such a sexy woman with a great body. Actually, she was going to wear it to the Oscars this year, but at the last minute, she went with an over-the-top white Atelier Versace that, in the end, wore Marisa, not the other way around.


So the dress Marisa’s planning to wear, which Talley helped her select, is her Oscar reject dress. No wonder Talley disapproves of the Versace (which we adored). Will Marisa pull another switcheroo on Talley? Hopefully, if only for another taste of his subtly acrid blogging.

On Call [Vogue.com]

André Leon Talley Is Trying to Dress Marisa Tomei for the Met Gala