When Cher is Chère

July 29, 2006 – When Valentino was left with an empty seat at his recent Paris couture show, he probably rewrote the guest list for his annual candlelight château soirée (staged the following evening) to exclude Cher. The queen of rock had made an appearance earlier that same day at Armani and Dior, but must have had enough of it all by nightfall. Well, after five pm, one never knows. She was a no show.

The fact is that high fashion and the stars that wear it are linked in ways that are symbiotic – one can’t live without the other. Celebrities traditionally make the most of their entrance to a fashion event. At Versace’s last Paris couture show in the winter of 2004, Christina Aguilera hired a flotilla of security guards to shepherd her down the catwalk, a curvaceous slippery trail that had been set up atop the pool at the Ritz. Interestingly, any guest with a camera was allowed within flashing distance of the then black-haired Aguilera, but reporters with pen and paper were kept further away than a member of the White House press corps looking for W.

Madonna made an even more spectacular appearance at the Gaultier couture show in January 2006, waiting until the lights had been dimmed and swarms of restless paparazzi had fluttered into a frenzy, before she entered from backstage – a teeny tiny silhouette surrounded by a dozen or so huge gorillas that formed her garde de corps.

But fashion houses are codependent when it comes to celebrity sparkle. Pierre Cardin knew years ago that Hollywood had the ultimate power when it came to selling glamour. During his stint running Christian Dior’s couture atelier, he dressed Rita Hayworth, then put her in front of a camera in the private salons. That archival photograph still hangs on the wall at Dior on Avenue Montaigne, auspiciously placed above the cash register.

These days it takes a bevy of public relations officers to cajole, butter and roast superstars to get them to turn up in Paris in front of the cameras. In the end, it’s usually a stylist who makes the decision, based on what color, what cut, what publicity might best suit a starlet, especially one with a film receiving disappointing ratings.

In the end, you can’t count your chicken until it’s hatched. Lots of things can come up between the cool bar of the Ritz, and the hot seat of a fashion event. Just ask Valentino.

– Timothy Hagy