Afternoon:
12°c
Just as we were beginning to despair about the lack of A-listers at Milan Fashion Week ... bang, Dolce & Gabbana gave us the best line-up in years.
On Monday Scarlett Johansson led an impossibly glamorous posse of Hollywood stars to the Italian design duo's autumn/winter 2009 show.
The art of catwalk seating takes Machiavellian cunning. With designers painfully aware that the bigger the celebrities their shows attract the more media coverage their collections get, the couture houses are locked in a constant battle to show off the best front rows.
D&G has been planning this with military precision for a year. Scarlett's presence was a given — she's the new “face and body” of the brand's first make-up range — but the designers also pulled in a brilliantly eclectic mix of actors, models and socialites.
Either side of Scarlett were Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson. Eva Mendes sat next to Hudson. While sixtysomething cougar Lauren Hutton chaperoned a stunned-looking Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire. And don't forget the three veteran supermodels, Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigova and Nadja Auermann.
With so many VIPs, several British fashion editors, bumped to the second row, were reportedly furious. Risky, because every fashion house needs good reviews.
How did they pull in such a smorgasbord of talent? Well, laying on private planes and luxury hotels will have helped. Frocks worth thousands and cash gifts to cover “expenses” are just a few of the tactics employed by designers.
And there are other enticements. Pinto will be hoping for an ad campaign (Estée Lauder is circling), while Schiffer and Herzigova, both working models, still need to watch their profile.
But what brought most celebs to chilly Milan was the gala opening of Vogue's Extreme Beauty photography show. The party, which took place after the catwalk show, was organised by Dolce, Gabbana and Anna Wintour to launch the new D&G make-up range. So it was flattery that lured the front row. Each guest knew they had been chosen as an embodiment of extreme beauty.
The party was Milan's answer to a gala ball at New York's Metropolitan Museum. Miuccia Prada was there with Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Testino and artist Jeff Koons.
Even Orlando Bloom jetted in.
Ordinary mortals can see the exhibition until 10 May. But for one night only, the firmaments of fashion and celebrity collided to produce the perfect front row.
Most wanted... Every designer's dream line-up
Anna Wintour - Phenomenally influential editor-in-chief of American Vogue
Kate Moss - Publicity gold, though only tends to show up for her designer friends
Mario Testino - The fashion photographer is a regular at Versace shows
Diane Kruger - As a former face of Chanel the actress is the epitome of the brand
Lindsay Lohan - The party girl's presence ensures that a show hits the tabloids
Kylie Minogue - Guarantees major exposure. Usually turns up for Chloé, Dior and Chanel
George Clooney - With his sharp suits, everyone wants him on their front row
Emma Watson - The actress has just scored her first ad campaign with Chanel
