And boy is she getting the troops in line.
Wintour attended the 2014 Tonys and was appalled by what she saw on the red carpet.
“Let me tell you it was a disaster,” she sniffed to fashion critic Suzy Menkes at an event last year in London. “How many mermaid fishtail strapless sequin gowns can we see?”
(And “The Little Mermaid” wasn’t even in contention last year!)
After that broadside, costume designer William Ivey Long, who is also chairman of the American Theater Wing, asked Wintour to join the Tony team as a fashion consultant.
She’s taken on the job with her customary gusto.
All the nominees are on edge, eagerly awaiting a summons to Wintour’s offices at Vogue for a fashion consultation. The lucky ones so far include child actors Emily Skeggs and Sydney Lucas, both of “Fun Home,” and Leanne Cope, the lovely ballerina who stars in “An American in Paris.” Steven Boyer, the star of the dirty puppet show “Hand to God,” has also been Wintour-selected.
Vogue will pick up the tab for their gowns and all their accessories, Tony sources tell me.
The summons comes in the form of a phone call from a Vogue-ette who says, “You will be wearing an Anna Wintour-approved outfit.”
This could be a bit tricky for some nominees who may already be planning their outfits with designer friends. If they get the summons, and Anna doesn’t approve of what they’re thinking of wearing, are they going to tell Her Majesty to take a hike?
A few nominees who haven’t received the call yet have made discreet inquiries about their status.
If Wintour is not interested, they’re told, “We are only able to focus on a few nominees.”
“Not everyone has access to Anna’s closet,” says a theater source.
The betting on Broadway is that Wintour will stick with “the pretty people,” which is to say slim actresses. I suspect Kelli O’Hara (“The King and I”) will get the call, along with Carey Mulligan (“Skylight”) and Ruth Wilson (“Constellations”).
Helen Mirren does not need Anna’s helping hand. She could wear her bathrobe to the Tonys and still be sexier than everybody else.
As for the boys, I hear the Christopher Wheeldon, the handsome director and choreography of “An American in Paris,” may get a summons. Alex Sharp, the young star of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” Bill Nighy (“Skylight”) and Bradley Cooper (“The Elephant Man”) also strike me as likely Wintour playthings.
Wintour’s been on the Broadway scene a lot this past season. She attended several openings, including “The River” and “Something Rotten!.” I’ve noticed that she wears her sunglasses during the show, which is good way to prevent people from seeing you nod off during the boring bits. She moderated a panel discussion with the cast of “Skylight” for out-of-town Tony voters. She arrived wearing one outfit, changed into something different for the panel, and then left the event in a third outfit.
As for the Tonys, I hear she’s going to insist that many of the nominees wear one outfit on the red carpet and then change into something else for the telecast.
Nominees not getting a clothing allowance from Vogue are starting to worry about how much the Tonys are going to cost them.
“I haven’t budgeted for two dresses!” says one.
As for myself, I haven’t received my summons yet, but I’m sure I’ll be getting one. After all, I am to Broadway what Wintour is to the fashion world — the glamorous, respected and feared arbiter of all I survey.
I was thinking of wearing my J.Crew seersucker tuxedo, but that may be a little down market for the red carpet. So I am open to suggestions, Anna. My fashion idol is Roger Moore, though I’m willing to forgo the bell-bottom tuxedo pants he wore in 1977’s “The Spy Who Loved Me.”
I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a Brioni either.
In any case, I am at your disposal, darling!
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