As a longtime fan of fashion designer John Galliano, I really enjoyed this new documentary: “High & Low.” It’s a complicated portrait of a complicated genius. If you’re not familiar with his work, I’d suggest starting here.
Buy My Book I About | Blog I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Hire Me I Email
I took this photograph near the red carpet at the AVN Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, in, I believe, 2013.
Buy My Book I About | Blog I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Hire Me I Email
Rabbits, Malibu Canyon, and a dress made of books. Follow me on Instagram for more of my photographs.
Buy My Book I About | Blog I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Hire Me I Email
A shot from an estate sale in North Hollywood. Follow me on Instagram for more photos from my life in L.A.
Buy My Book I About | Blog I Newsletter I X I Instagram I LinkedIn I Consulting I Email
In the third episode of the controversial HBO series “The Idol,” Jocelyn, a pop star played by Lily-Rose Depp, and Tedros, a slimy wannabe Svengali played by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, head off for a shopping spree at the Valentino boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. After bypassing a gaggle of adoring Jocelyn fans out front, the duo undertake some retail therapy. “You see that young lady over there?” Tedros asks a store employee. “Got anything in this store as beautiful as she is?” Jocelyn tries on a series of Valentino outfits as Tedros eggs her on, threatens to “curb stomp” an employee he believes his ogling his girl, and dismisses one top as “trash.”
Eventually, the pair end up having sex in a dressing room. When Jocelyn exits before Tedros can finish, he finishes himself off alone in the dressing room while holding onto a rack of Valentino clothes. Afterwards, he looks at his soiled hands. Then his gaze turns to the very expensive Valentino red dresses hanging nearby. The camera cuts away, but the implication is clear: he wipes his hands off on the dresses.
Did Valentino sign off on this? I wondered as I watched the scene. After all, Valentino is a venerated luxury fashion brand. Founded in 1959 by Valentino Garavani, its designs have been worn by Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, and Oprah Winfrey. Had Valentino cosigned on what appeared to be the bespoiling of its brand—or was this was what product placement looked like in 2023? In search of an answer, I reached out to Valentino for comment. I didn’t get a response back.
For an expert’s take, I sent an email to Stacy Jones, the CEO of Hollywood Branded, a pop culture marketing agency. She didn’t know if there was any brand partnership between Valentino and “The Idol,” but she did offer her take on the provocative Valentino scene, which had generated some debate on Twitter.
“While the scene in the Valentino store was certainly explicit, there isn’t damage to the brand,” Jones opined. “Even the derogatory mentions made by Tedros about some of the styles and the store’s stylist had no lasting negative impact. Tedros is shown to be the not-so-nice character he is, and it was in fact Tedros who came off looking poorly, not Valentino. The growing spotlight on Valentino dressing Lily-Rose's character and having her model their clothing on screen feels like a win regardless. The saying that you can’t pay for media worth that is true. This particular product placement is over delivering on brand awareness big time. There is not a lot of risk in offending older Valentino consumers as they simply won’t be watching the series. They are not the target audience.” These days, Valentino may be more interested in targeting millennials and Gen Z as potential customers. According to Bain & Co.: “These generations are expected to account for as much as 70% of the global luxury market by 2025.”
Not only that, it seemed I had missed the point entirely. As Jones pointed out in her email to me, the Valentino scene from “The Idol” was a redux of a scene from the 1990 film “Pretty Woman,” starring Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward, a Hollywood escort, and Richard Gere as Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman, right down to the “Do you have anything in this shop as beautiful as she is?” line. “I googled to see where [the boutique shopping scene] in ‘Pretty Woman’ was filmed as I thought it had a high likelihood of being Valentino,” Jones added. “This article states ‘Pretty Woman’ filmed the Rodeo Drive scene specifically at Valentino. There are a lot of similarities in the scenes, just taken up many adult notches with an edgier, modern touch.”
Is “The Idol” “‘torture porn’”? Has it “set back the feminist movement by at least a decade”? Is it “anti-feminist spectacle”? Or is something more complex at work? At least in the case of the Valentino scene, the subtext is resolutely feminist. In “Pretty Woman,” Vivian says: “I want the fairy tale.”; she wants a man to rescue her. In Sam Levinson’s “The Idol,” the fairy tale is over. After all, it’s Jocelyn who denies Tedros his own pleasure, who is the star, and who, we presume, foots the bill for their shopping trip. In this retelling, the woman holds the power, not the man.
On a recent Friday afternoon, I made my way to the Valentino boutique. Since it was late June, the well-heeled shoppers making their way up and down the sidewalks had to share space with groups of tourists. In the Valentino store, I was met by a security guard. A salesperson followed me around as I admired a pair of $1,800 see-through platform pumps that reminded me of the strippers’ shoe brand of choice, Pleaser Shoes, and a red dress that looked like one Jocelyn had worn. On the second floor, the salesperson indicated the dressing room where the racy scene for “The Idol” had been shot, supposedly. I opened the door. No one, much less Tedros, was there.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com.
I cover the business of sex | Blog | Forbes | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | Email
As I was watching last week’s episode of “The Idol,” in which the main characters have sex in a Valentino dressing room, I thought: Is this for real? It was a brand partnership involving couture and cum, it seemed. (If you’ve seen the scene, you know what I mean.) I wrote about it for Forbes.com, including a trip to Beverly Hills to eyeball the dressing room of the Valentino boutique where the scene was shot (apparently). Read it.
I cover the business of sex | Blog | Forbes | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | Email
A brilliant cover. The New York Times Magazine. Hard pants are the enemy of good.
I’m a writer and a strategy consultant. Get a consultation.
On my Forbes blog, I wrote about a woman who’s turning blowup dolls into fashion designs.
An excerpt:
Breslin: Why did you choose this model of blowup doll?
Friday: Judy's the one! Out of all the blowup dolls out in the world, she's the most iconic. She has a classic design that's been around for decades, so she has a warm nostalgic feeling about her. I like that she plays it classy with her closed mouth, but we all know what she's really got on her mind.
I create killer content. Get a free, 15-minute consultation.
Five years ago, I attended a storytelling conference at Yale University; visited the “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and stayed at The Algonquin Hotel, where I met Matlida, the cat who worked the front desk. I miss those adventures. Hopefully there’ll be more someday soon.
I’m an author, editor, and consultant. Book a 1-hour, $100 consultation today.
After buying a few necklaces from Cartography, I suggested that they do a Saint Lucy necklace. Saint Lucy is the patron saint of writers, among other things. As it turned out, they made one, which you can buy now. It’s seen here with my Warrior Woman / Joan of Arc necklace, also by Cartography.
Like what I do? Support my work! Buy my digital short story: THE TUMOR.
Image via Vogue
7 Likes, 0 Comments - Susannah Breslin (@susannahbreslin) on Instagram: "💅🏻"
I went to Trashy Lingerie for the first time in a long time today. I thought they might still have my membership card on file, but they didn’t, so I filled out a new one. Inside, it was mostly the same: a lot of lingerie. A woman there was ordering something custom for someone. There was everything from metal studded cup-less leather bras to costumes for sexy jail babes. I took a look around and then left. Soon, I’ll go back in and buy something.
Like what I do? Support my work! Buy my digital short story: THE TUMOR.
0 Likes, 0 Comments - Susannah Breslin (@susannahbreslin) on Instagram: "Be your puppy 🐶"
Had a great time walking around West Hollywood today and visiting a very cool store that I’ll be writing about soon. This dog training hood retails for $425. Perfect for the canine-minded fetishist in your life.
Like what I do? Support my work! Buy my digital short story: THE TUMOR.
Adult star Teanna Trump created a fashion line that couldn’t be more fitting for our times. The url? Teanna2020. The slogan? “THE ONLY TRUMP I FUCK WITH IS TEANNA.” It’s a viral sensation.
Buy my digital short story, “The Tumor” … “a masterpiece of short fiction.”
via Pleasure Zone
Thanks to the always amazing Ecce Homo, I saw this designer dance wear sold by Pleasure Zone in Houston, Texas. There’s also Givenchy, Chanel, Gucci, Off-White, and Supreme. Because nothing says I’m worth it like logomania.
Buy a copy of my digital short story: “The Tumor” — "a masterpiece of short fiction.”
In case you were wondering about the current state of journalism …
Enjoy my work? Get "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
45 Likes, 3 Comments - Susannah Breslin (@susannahbreslin) on Instagram: "💰BAN BILLIONAIRES💰 hoodie by my buddy 🖤@claytoncubitt🖤 #banbillionaires #getmoney"
My photographer friend Clayton Cubitt is producing some amazing works-for-sale as of late. I had to own his BAN BILLIONAIRES hoodie. The design is slick, and the sweatshirt is a cool cut and the softest material ever.
Enjoy my work? Buy "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."
19 Likes, 3 Comments - Susannah Breslin (@susannahbreslin) on Instagram: "That's my ostrich leather journalism for @forbeslife on @chrislhayes' show on @msnbc. Link in bio...."
That Forbes post I wrote about Paul Manafort's ostrich leather jacket made an appearance on "All in With Chris Hayes" on MSNBC. Thanks to this lady for the tip.
Buy "The Tumor," a terrifying short story and "a masterpiece of short fiction."
It's called ostrich leather journalism (Image credit: Vickie Pynchon)
Yesterday, on the first day of Paul Manafort's bank and tax fraud trial, I wrote about the news that the man purportedly spent $15,000 on an ostrich leather jacket. I called a few of the stores that could have sold it to him, because I'm a journalist. Today, my ostrich leather investigative journalism was recognized by the Washington Post. Next stop: Pulitzer? Perhaps.
Buy "The Tumor," a terrifying short story and "a masterpiece of short fiction."
4,889 Likes, 45 Comments - Viktor&Rolf (@viktor_and_rolf) on Instagram: "Wearable Art, Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2015 <3 VR #ViktorandRolfCouture 📸 by @teampeterstigter..."
Amazing wearable art by Viktor & Rolf, care of their Instagram feed.
