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In the third episode of the controversial HBO collection “The Idol,” Jocelyn, a pop star played by Lily-Rose Depp, and Tedros, a slimy wannabe Svengali performed by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, head off for a purchasing spree at the Valentino boutique on Rodeo Travel in Beverly Hills. Right after bypassing a gaggle of adoring Jocelyn admirers out entrance, the duo undertake some retail treatment. “You see that young girl about there?” Tedros asks a retailer staff. “Got something in this keep as beautiful as she is?” Jocelyn tries on a collection of Valentino outfits as Tedros eggs her on, threatens to “control stomp” an personnel he believes his ogling his girl, and dismisses one best as “trash.”
Sooner or later, the pair stop up getting intercourse in a dressing place. When Jocelyn exits ahead of Tedros can end, he finishes himself off by itself in the dressing space though holding on to a rack of Valentino outfits. Afterwards, he appears to be like at his dirty fingers. Then his gaze turns to the very high priced Valentino red dresses hanging close by. The digital camera cuts away, but the implication is very clear: he wipes his hands off on the attire.
Did Valentino indication off on this? I questioned as I viewed the scene. Immediately after all, Valentino is a venerated luxury fashion manufacturer. Founded in 1959 by Valentino Garavani, its designs have been worn by Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, and Oprah Winfrey. Experienced Valentino cosigned on what appeared to be the bespoiling of its brand—or was this was what item placement looked like in 2023? In research of an remedy, I achieved out to Valentino for remark. I didn’t get a reaction again.
For an expert’s choose, I sent an electronic mail to Stacy Jones, the CEO of Hollywood Branded, a pop tradition internet marketing agency. She did not know if there was any manufacturer partnership amongst Valentino and “The Idol,” but she did supply her consider on the provocative Valentino scene, which experienced generated some discussion on Twitter.
“While the scene in the Valentino shop was unquestionably explicit, there is not injury to the brand name,” Jones opined. “Even the derogatory mentions produced by Tedros about some of the models and the store’s stylist had no lasting damaging effect. Tedros is shown to be the not-so-awesome character he is, and it was in truth Tedros who arrived off searching badly, not Valentino. The rising highlight on Valentino dressing Lily-Rose’s character and getting her design their clothes on display screen feels like a acquire irrespective. The saying that you just cannot pay for media truly worth that is accurate. This unique merchandise placement is above delivering on brand recognition massive time. There is not a good deal of risk in offending more mature Valentino shoppers as they only won’t be looking at the collection. They are not the focus on audience.” These times, Valentino may perhaps be far more interested in targeting millennials and Gen Z as likely consumers. According to Bain & Co.: “These generations are envisioned to account for as substantially as 70% of the world luxury marketplace by 2025.”
Not only that, it appeared I had missed the point completely. As Jones pointed out in her e-mail to me, the Valentino scene from “The Idol” was a redux of a scene from the 1990 film “Pretty Girl,” starring Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward, a Hollywood escort, and Richard Gere as Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman, suitable down to the “Do you have anything at all in this store as wonderful as she is?” line. “I googled to see exactly where [the boutique shopping scene] in ‘Pretty Woman’ was filmed as I considered it had a large probability of remaining Valentino,” Jones added. “This article states ‘Pretty Woman’ filmed the Rodeo Travel scene precisely at Valentino. There are a whole lot of similarities in the scenes, just taken up quite a few adult notches with an edgier, fashionable touch.”
Is “The Idol” “‘torture porn’”? Has it “set back the feminist motion by at least a ten years”? Is it “anti-feminist spectacle”? Or is something extra sophisticated at perform? At the very least in the situation of the Valentino scene, the subtext is resolutely feminist. In “Pretty Woman,” Vivian states: “I want the fairy tale.” she would like a person to rescue her. In Sam Levinson’s “The Idol,” the fairy tale is more than. Just after all, it is Jocelyn who denies Tedros his individual pleasure, who is the star, and who, we presume, foots the monthly bill for their buying vacation. In this retelling, the lady retains the energy, not the man.
On a latest Friday afternoon, I created my way to the Valentino boutique. Since it was late June, the effectively-heeled buyers generating their way up and down the sidewalks experienced to share space with teams of travelers. In the Valentino keep, I was met by a safety guard. A salesperson adopted me all-around as I admired a pair of $1,800 see-by platform pumps that reminded me of the strippers’ shoe model of selection, Pleaser Footwear, and a red dress that appeared like 1 Jocelyn had worn. On the 2nd floor, the salesperson indicated the dressing place exactly where the racy scene for “The Idol” had been shot, supposedly. I opened the door. No 1, substantially much less Tedros, was there.
This report was at first revealed on Forbes.com.
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