Posted 11 months, 3 weeks ago at 8:38 am. 0 comments
Celebrity interior designer Nicky Haslam (b. 1939) will publish his autobiography, Redeeming Features, in November and the sparks are already flying. Among other revelations, Haslam writes of his affair with photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon (b. 1930). Haslam claims their fling went on during 1959, the year before Lord Snowdon married Princess Margaret. Though they were divorced in 1978, and Margaret died in 2002, Snowdon remains close to Britain’s royal family.
Haslam writes, “I had a very brief romance with Tony Armstrong-Jones, somewhat one-sided on my part as Tony, who was dazzlingly attractive, had other irons in the fire.” Haslam, who has written columns for London Evening Standard, The Telegraph, Vogue, and Tatler, also claims Snowdon had an affair with Tom Parr, later head of the luxury-goods firm Colefax and Fowler.
Lord Snowdon has denied Haslam’s claims, saying: “It’s not true as far as I’m concerned – and I should know.” Snowdon has never confirmed widespread rumors of his bisexuality.
Anne de Courcy, in her biography of Snowdon published last year, quoted a friend of his as saying, “If it moves, he’ll have it.” She wrote that in his early days he enjoyed boys, “who were fun to do things with”, as well as girls. “I didn’t fall in love with boys,” he noted, “but a few men have been in love with me.”
Lord Snowdon, Los Angeles, 1980s. Photo by Chris Gulker
Posted 1 year ago at 7:21 am. 0 comments
Daniel Vosovic’s burgeoning career as a fashion designer took another leap forward with his victory last night on a special “all-star” edition of Project Runway. The reality show is in its first season on Lifetime after five seasons on Bravo.
Vosovic was a leading finalist in season two. Following that success he has continued to develop his talents, and recently announced that he will introduce a signature line at NY Fashion Week in February, 2010. Last night’s episode pitched him against eight other former contestants whose challenge was to create four looks, including one red carpet look for Nicole Kidman’s Nine movie premiere, with each designer given a $1,200 budget.
Last year, Vosovic published a book, Fashion Inside Out, featuring interviews with leading fashion designers including Diane von Furstenberg, Todd Oldham, Tim Gunn, and Nina Garcia. He’s actively involved in groups that support gay youth including The Trevor Project and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. AfterElton.com named him one of their “Top 15 Gay Reality Stars.”
Daniel Vosovic
Posted 1 year, 2 months ago at 8:46 am. 0 comments
In an landmark ruling on Thursday, the Delhi High Court struck down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, in effect legalizing gay sex in India for the first time since colonial days. Article 21 of the Indian constitution states that every citizen has equal opportunity of life and is equal before law, and the court found the anti-gay law to be “the antithesis of the right to equality.”
This is good news for fashion designer Suneet Varma who, prior to this ruling, was a criminal in the eyes of Indian law. As Varma puts it, “Homosexuality is in my DNA.”
Varma is a household name in India. One of the founding members of the Fashion Design Council of India, he’s known for his work with celebrities, styling everyone from Aishwarya Rai on the cover of Vogue India to Cindy Crawford for Omega. He’s a major figure in the Bollywood film industry, designing costumes for spectaculars such as Monsoon Wedding. He’s the head of a rapidly expanding series of retail outlets for his designs. Named Designer of the Year for 2006 by MTV India, Varma was also the brand ambassador in India for Moet Chandon from 2000 to 2005; he is also the current face of BMW India.
“I came out in the open about my sexuality from a young age. I never feared that I’d be ridiculed,” he told the Times of India following the ruling. “This is a landmark victory.”
Suneet Varma
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