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At dinner a few weeks ago, Robert Verdi opened up about the lack of support he’s experienced in the gay community, calling out designer Marc Jacobs by name: “Even when I worked with Judy Licht and we developed Full Frontal Fashion, which was the darling of fashion for so many years, I still was never invited [to a Marc Jacobs show].”
“You find this everywhere in the world,” said Verdi. “You find women of color who say, other women of color don’t support them… You see that with women who say, ‘Other women don’t support me and they’re the first to throw me under the bus.’ And I’m saying that in my experience, my personal experience has been that a lot of gay men who are influential and important and have the ability to [help other gay men] don’t.”
That is, with one exception: “RuPaul was amazing when I first started my career. He was the face of MAC and I was working for a small local cable channel — and I mean, Robin Byrd cable — when he walked out and they opened the floor for questions, do you know who he picked? Of all the established industry people. He picked me.”
The debut installment of theFashionDish brings six fashion industry experts for dinner and a roundtable discussion recapping New York Fashion Week. In the coming weeks, we’ll be bringing you lots of short clips and a full 30-minute episode drawn from the rowdy, hilarious and informative conversation that ensued.
About our panelists:
- June Ambrose, a leading celebrity stylist whose clients include Jay Z, Missy Elliot and Zoe Saldana.
- Laurie Brookins, a veteran fashion journalist who has interviewed designers like Tom Ford, Frida Giannini and Alber Elbaz. Brookins was also theFashionSpot’s social ambassador this Fashion Week.
- Katie Cassidy, the star of The CW’s Arrow and co-founder of the fashion blogTomboyKC.
- Jaclyn Jones, Senior Womenswear Editor at WGSN, a leading trend forecasting firm.
- Chiun-Kai “Chunky” Shih, fashion photographer, Condé Nast creative director and the creator of Hipstamatic‘s ‘Chunky’ lens.
- Robert Verdi, a celebrity stylist (best known for his work with Eva Longoria), television personality and lifestyle expert.
Julie Bensman, theFashionSpot’s editor-at-large, moderated the discussion, which was filmed at The Lion in New York City.
Previously:
- Wild, Wild West: The Western Jacket Emerges as a Spring and Fall Must-Have
- Watch: Do Runway Models Perpetuate an Unattainable Beauty Standard? [theFashionDish]
- Watch: Can We Talk About Lupita Nyong’o? a tFS Roundtable Discussion [theFashionDish]
- Watch: Is Karlie Kloss Overexposed or Awesome? A tFS Roundtable Discussion [theFashionDish]
- Watch: Who Cares About Diversity? A tFS Roundtable Discussion [theFashionDish]
- Watch: Do Bloggers Belong at Fashion Week? A tFS Roundtable Discussion [theFashionDish]
- Watch: Is Lincoln Center Fashion’s High School? a tFS Roundtable Discussion [theFashionDish]
