The Emperor's New Clothes

Last night, Z and I went to The Film Forum for a screening of Valentino: The Last Emperor. His idea, not mine.

The theater was packed so we sat separately, right aisle seats one row apart. It was that or sitting in the very first row craning our necks back to reduce the effect of being waaaaay too close.

While I appreciated the icnonic fashion in the documentary, it was largely wasted on me. I respected the work and vision invested in each dress, but I still wouldn't pay that kind of money for AN outfit. I reiterate that after seeing all that goes into creating these individual pieces I understand why they do cost what they do, but the entire enterprise is a bit too steeped in frivolty and vanity for me to indulge myself. But who knows if I had a ga-gillion dollars, who knows.

What wasn't wasted on me was the strength and depth of the relationship between Valentino and Giancarlo, V's business manager. They've been together 45 years as friends, lovers, business partners. Two attractive, successful Italian men in fashion beating the odds. There were moments of tension even in the two years of constant camera following it took to make this film but underneath it all there was love, trust, and mutual respect.

As if I needed to be any more in favor of gay marriage, but this movie made me want to run out and marry happy gay couples everywhere.

Z and I grabbed a drink at XR Bar which was so empty that it was much like being in our private living room with a fully stocked bar and requisite bartender on hand. It was so chill--the perfect place to sit on a rainy New York spring-impending day.

For once he beat me to asking what I thought of the movie and this very break from our norm left me tongue-tied. I was still processing the depth and breadth of two people spending 45 years together with only a sum of roughly 2 months in that time apart from one another. I haven't even spent that much time with MYSELF yet. It's still blowing my mind a bit...