If you follow New York Times‘ “The Moment” twitter account, you might have noticed this particularly bitchy tweet, yesterday: “Going through mountains of New York fashion week invitations. Just received Christian Siriano invite (2/19 6 p.m.). Who wants it?” It’s one thing to not attend, it’s another to announce it via Twitter. Anyway, Siriano’s boyfriend and photographer Brad Walsh was not having it, and responded to The Moment’s shadiness through his blog.
“That was kind of surprising, both because the New York Times already confirmed specific attendance before that message was even posted, and because… well, that’s really rude and a bit trashy coming from a source affiliated with the Times. I’m not a stranger to fashion week, and I know that there are plenty of “non-transferable” invitations to shows that are indeed ultimately transferred. But to go onto the internet and post an item asking “who wants it?” to a list of many thousands of Twitter followers? That’s really just unnecessary and annoying. The last thing this show needs is an army of random Twitterers thinking they have a chance getting in, or some sixteen year old having access to the RSVP info. Some of Christian’s young fans already found my phone number on the internet and call more often than is probably healthy, just on the chance that maybe they will get to hear him in the background.
As soon as I told Christian about it, he followed up with his people and soon The Moment posted: “I’m not going… So let me see if I can pass this off to one of you guys. —JP [Jonathan S. Paul, according to the website]” and then, minutes later, “Christian Siriano’s press person wasn’t into it. Sorry… Let you know if that changes. What NYFW invite do you guys want the most?”
Way to class it up, JP.”
Everyone loves the personal connection of Twitter, but we wonder how many papers are going to realize that instant access to the web is something they might not want to give to all their high-strung fashion corrspondents.
jake
Good point. Was there a hidden cokey reference?
Scooter
Blah, blah blah. . . can someone tell me why this is news? In this time of extreme fiscal emergency the appropriate thing for Siriano to do, (as many of the industry legends already have done), is to cancel the show outright. Of course he won’t because he realizes he needs to take advantage of the precious few moments remaining in his ten minutes of fame.
The pissy response by the boyfriend makes matters even worse. God forbid that the “army of random Twitterers” might actually become consumers of the brand. What a pompous and pissy repsponse to a complete non-issue.
Sickening and sad.
twatter
haha! “the appropriate thing to do” is to cancel fashion week? that’s what you’re saying, scooter? great! let’s also close all the museums because the paintings are expensive. no more fashion, no more art, no more creativity, no more luxury, no more fun, none of it. because we should all be focusing on being miserable. lovely sentiment.
with your “blah blah blah” and snotty attitude, you are the one writing a “pompous and pissy response,” scooter!
nvam
it’s ridiculously lame to tweet such a bitchy comment – very unprofessional. someone has their panties in a twist (along w/scooter).
nycmattman
Journalism still has not found its spot in the world of blogging and social networking. Would an editor ever have let a comment like that into print? Of course not. The issue is realizing when a journalist is acting as the voice of a publication like the Times and when he or she is acting as an individual who is “off the clock.” Clearly this person at the Times was feeling cocky and abused some of his power as a NYTimes employee. I don’t think a journalist from a tiny newspaper, for example, would ever be that flippant. Regardless, it was just so unnecessary. As they say, mean people suck.
Tara
Reading this post really struck a chord with me. Christian Siriano is not only one of the most talented young fashion designers in the industry, he is also one of the most kind and genuine people I know. An invitation to Christian’s fashion show would be an honor and I find the twitter comment unnecessary and in poor taste. Christian has worked hard to achieve the success he has come into and I firmly stand behind him, his boyfriend, his designs and his show.
Geneva
Point blank: we all expect more class from anyone associated with a respected publication such as NYT.
Scooter: This is Christian’s third official consecutive fashion week show. I’d say his ten minutes of fame are still going as Christian has been the most successful brand to come out of Project Runway. At this point, his success is based on HIM: his talent, vision, ability, and personality. Also, if Christian has the monetary support from sponsors, why shouldn’t he be going forward with his show?
Scooter
I love a lively chat.
Bitchy comments are what critics offer. . . it’s how they make their living, it’s what gets them out of bed each day. If the guy was actually going to give the ticket away to one of the “armies of random twitterers” then that is certainly one thing. I personally took his statement as more rhetorical than actual. I may be wrong.
Ah ohhh, (scarry), God forbid some “sixteen year old gets access to the RSVP information”. . . the whole world is going to cave in on itself.
And Twatter, please go back and read what I said. . . there must be a reason why many famous designers have backed out this year. Is this merely coincidence? Your comparison of the promotion-heavy nature of Fashion Week to not-for-profit museums and art does not seem “apples to apples” to me.
Project Runway, Top Chef, American Idol, America’s Next Top Model, Food Network’s Next Chef, So You Want To Be a Dancer, Russia’s Next Best Poodle Groomer. . . the winners of these shows all have their shining moments. To vast majority of Americans Siriano is not known now so much as a fashion designer but rather as the acerbic guest judge on Bravo and the Red Carpet shows.
I am sure I will hear from all of you what an idiot I am, but that’s okay. Dissenting opinion, like the one the original blogger made, is a good thing.
Have a nice day folks.
twatter
scooter, the times writer was legitimately offering the ticket to someone. that’s why the follow-up twitter posts that the guy posted said that he was trying to work it out, and then later that the press contact said no. it was the opposite of rhetorical.
also, many famous designers have NOT backed out of their shows. only one that i know of (betsey j) backed out of a formal show. and even she is still actually showing, she is just showing a presentation in her showroom. the people who are not showing in the tents are instead showing off-site for their own financial reasons.or they are showing off-site because there is much more freedom of set and production if you show off-site.
and nobody ever said the world would implode if a random person got the ticket. walsh only said it would be “annoying,” and everyone is saying that the action of the times writer of even posting this on twitter in the first place was unprofessional and rude. don’t invent and sensationalize other people in order to prove your shoddy point.
Kathy
@Scooter: The “appropriate” thing to do is cancel his fashion show in the name of the poor economy? Because, see, the actual appropriate thing to do is to make an extremely beautiful line of clothing, because life does not stop when the economy goes bad, but do so while collaborating with everyday brands to make at least portions accessible to everyone. Oh, except wait! He did that! Payless is doing the shoes for his show, and his line of shoes in the fall. So come off it.
b
Wait, so Scooter is mad at Christian Siriano for being the only winner from Project Runway to actually go on to be success? Are you Jay Mccarroll?
Christian is the only one to show a real collection at fashion week. He’s a legitimate designer these days. Why would he NOT show this time? It would be career suicide to bow out while people are paying attention to him.
Scooter
Okay, okay, okay. . . he should not cancel his show. I was a little rough in my initial blog and I apologize.
I would, however, like to ask the question again. . . why is this news? A cat fight between a designer, his boyfriend and a rude critic loosely associated with the Times??
It just seems really petty and pissy to me. Doesn’t this designer have a staff of people responsible for the show? If so, then shouldn’t they be the ones to worry about this errant ticket?
I would think there would be a ton of things that are “annoying” to the boyfriend of a celebrity, but those annoyances are just part of the package. If you want an extreme example of that, just think Samantha Ronson.
I am happy for anyone who has success, but in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t this just seem a little petty?
Cam
I thought Christian was great and was glad he won, but just to clarify, Jeffery (Who I didn’t like) is actually making quite a bit of money, his Cosa Nostra line is available all over the place and overseas so most sucessful may be him.
twatter
i agree with you, now that all the snark and excess is gone from your statement. but then, why are shirtless guys news? they’re not. it’s just entertainment. not everything on queerty has to be of dire importance. it’s just something to talk about.
Scooter
I am an average American guy and the fact that I am gay means I have snark and excess in my DNA. I read this site to keep up on the current gay issues and sometimes, yes, to get titilated by the eye candy. I am not a fashionista and therefore probably do not fully understand the nuance of the industry or appreciate the fashion “machine” beyond anything excpet the dollars and cents.
In light of the negative way the gay community is being painted in the aftermath of the Proposition 8 defeat, I am one average American gay guy who is just a little frustrated by being lumped in with the pettiness of these sorts of bitchy, catfighty stuff that projected on all of us.
To the designer, do your thing and be hugely successful, to the boyfriend, you may want to learn some restraint. If Siriano becomes the next Calvin Klein or Marc Jacobs, (groan I can here all of you screaming at me about that comment already), the stress and the annoyances will be exponentially magnified.
And yes, in the grand scheme of our current world situation, a single misappropriated ticket to a major Fashion Week event is shockingly tiny.
I love you all.
Charles J. Mueller
@Scooter:
I’m with you, scooter. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Society column gossip.
Oh, where or where is Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper in our hour of need? 😉
Dray
The part I don’t get is why is someone that admits to not being interested in fashion, who thinks the topic is ‘petty; spending so much time writing multiple posts about it. Then states he’s concerned about the negative image of gay people post Prop 8 and than admits “the fact that I am gay means I have snark and excess in my DNA”. Thanks Scooter for the positive stereotype.
BobP
Scooter- You sound more confused with every post.
Charles J. Mueller
@Scooter:
Scooter, how can you expect some gay people to wrap their head around the grand scheme of things, when their reality only consists of Twitter and the minutia contained with it?
That’s like expecting posts on Queerty.com to give us the meaning of life. lol
I am having the same argument with a bunch of queens on the Drag thread. The light reflecting off their sequined dresses is so blinding that they can see little else.
Need I say more?
mb00
oh who cares! If you wanna see Christian Siriano’s work, just look up for old Chanel collections. That’s all he does is just rehash Chanel. And Twitter(?!), are people so desperate for attention that they need a website to help them keep up to date of their every action for friends AND total strangers to know about? How high school is that?
Twaster
Seems to be a innocent tweet that was misunderstood. But agree with commenter that when you wear The New York Times logo on your twitter account, you owe some respect to the brand.