>> Last night, Anna Wintour hosted a premiere of The September Issue (which opens Aug. 28 in NYC, Sept. 11 nationwide), and no one dared be late.  Arrivals were scheduled to start at 7 pm, but Anna appeared and was joined (despite all the digs about her appearance she receives in the film) by September 2007 cover girl Sienna Miller promptly at 6:45 pm.  Even Sean Combs and entourage, when realizing they were late, "sprinted across the lobby," the New York Observer reports.

Despite the general consensus that the film's true star is Grace Coddington, last night was all about Anna.  Grace and Andre Leon Talley both avoided being photographed on the red carpet, and it appears that Vogue staffers were required to wear t-shirts for Fashion's Night Out (Anna's pro-shopping pet project) to the event.  Grace did comment on her portrayal in the film, however:

I hate to say it, but true to life! A very annoying person. But it’s not really bickering. It’s a process you have to go through for the job we do and it just makes everything stronger. Whatever gets through is then very valid and very strong. I think they focused on me in the movie because I’m a bit more outspoken and because I don’t care about the cameras, I’ll say whatever I want to say and I won’t hold back.

Bee Shaffer, who attended in Proenza Schouler and reminded her mother to put on her sunglasses while on the red carpet (which Anna duly did), thought her own scene in the film was "so embarassing":

It’s funny because that was two years ago and I wanted to go to law school then and that’s basically all I’m talking about and now I don’t want to go to law school at all so . . . [I] still don’t want to work in fashion, that was never a possibility. Now I’d like to work in theater.

Marc Jacobs, who was apparently speaking with a French accent, had his own Anna tribute to share. "She’s a risk-taker unafraid of taking chances. She doesn’t suck up,” he said. “And she’s been very good to me on a personal level as well. When I was having some personal problems, Anna was always there for me. She’s very maternal and caring to people she cares about."

>> Last night, Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti were in New York to fete the opening of Valentino: The Last Emperor — arguably their biggest Manhattan party ever, between the screening and the dinner for 200 of fashion's finest (including Anna Wintour, Anja Rubik, Jason Wu, and Chanel Iman) at the Plaza's Oak Room.  The designer's six pugs Molly, Milton, Monty, Margot, Maude, and Maggie, who director Matt Tyrnauer has dubbed "the costars of the film," weren't present — according to Valentino, "they're getting some time away from me in Italy" — but maybe that's a good thing: Karolina Kurkova admitted, “they’re really not nice to everybody” and Gwyneth Paltrow agreed, calling the pugs "kind of mean."

When Giancarlo Giammetti was asked about his comment on film that the designer looked too tan, he was quick to explain, "We'd come from the beach, and we were about to show summer suits, and he just . . . it just seemed like too much. But it was one time, and one time only."  And as for those rumors that he was back to helping out at Valentino for Fall 2009, Garavani denied having any hand in it, "No, not at all.  Very far from the truth. I don’t think about it. I wish my assistants to do the best. It’s a big job, though, and to know my name goes on the designs, I want them to do the best.”

Meanwhile, the film seems to have already inspired at least one person — Zac Posen. "I wouldn't mind being followed around too for two years.  It's all about having the right collaborators."
*image: source, source, filmmagic

>> After weeks of speculation, we got our answers.  As rumored, Izabel Goulart is no longer a Victoria's Secret Angel — there is speculation that she broke her contract to work for Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange — but she, along with the Angels and 26 other non-Angel models, taped the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Miami on Saturday.  There were a few casting surprises — no Asian models?; some disappointments — no Natasha Poly or Jessica Stam; and lots of newcomers — Arlenis Sosa Pena, Sarah Stephens, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Sessilee Lopez, Clara Alonso, Edita Vilkeviciute, Erin Heatherton, and even Lara Stone made it after all.  Broken glass catwalk aside, Maryna Linchuk had a stellar outing — many have their bets on a Angel contract for her in the future — and Doutzen Kroes cozied up to boyfriend DJ Ruckus at the after-party.  All in all, enough party to hold us over until the show airs Dec. 3.        
*image: source, source

>> As the Victoria's Secret yacht rolled into Miami and the girls had a beach photoshoot today, we got to see of the 30 non-Angel faces that will be participating in this weekend's fashion show — 19 of them, to be exact.  No sign of Lara Stone, Jessica Stam, or Natasha Poly, but after missing yesterday's event, Izabel Goulart is there.  There are plenty of new faces — Abbey Lee Kershaw and Sarah Stephens represent Australia, Arlenis Sosa Pena the Dominican Republic, Maryna Linchuk Belarus, and Erin Heatherton the US.
*image: source, source