“Sorry, I’m not Sharon Stone,” Juliette Lewis said from the podium at this year’s edition of the amfAR Milano charity gala. Stone has long been associated with this event and is a famously persuasive emcee when it comes to the auction part of the proceedings, but Lewis used her quirkier brand of humor to hold her own in the role. And thanks to a series of lots that included works by Warhol, Vezzoli, Clemente, and the brilliant British photographer Terry O’Neill—each item introduced by an enthusiastic guest like Goga Ashkenazi, whose company, Vionnet, was one of the evening’s sponsors—bidding was lively. The highlight was a highly theatrical duel between Roberto Cavalli and another gentleman for a limited-edition Hublot watch. With the bidding tied at €100,000, it was decided that both men should pay up and receive a watch each. “There goes our Cavalli advertising for next year,” one magazine editor in attendance joked. When the auction concluded, Vogue Italia‘s editor in chief, Franca Sozzani, was honored for her commitment to AIDS research. Then it was on to an adjoining room for the after-party. That included a set by 2 Many DJ’s, though judging by an amped-up crowd still going strong in the wee hours, 2 Many is never enough.
Elsewhere, Moschino was celebrating its thirtieth anniversary with a bash immediately following its show. The heaving crowd was equal parts showgoers trying to get out, partygoers trying to get in, and no one getting very much of anywhere. Franco Moschino himself, arch fashion satirist that he was, would undoubtedly have found a metaphor in there somewhere. He’s not around to share it, but his presence was felt all the same via the huge video wall playing footage of the theatrical spectacles he once masterminded.
