Tilda Swinton on Her New Film With Waris Ahluwalia and Blake Lively Talks Jason Wu for Target
“It’s a treasure hunt,” Tilda Swinton explained about the short film she and Waris Ahluwalia conceived for The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts at a screening on January 24. The film, titled Here, stars Agyness Deyn traveling between several of the company’s resorts via various modes of transportation. “She’s in a sort of state of trust and adventure, but a treasure hunt is what we were going after,” Swinton told FashionEtc. “Hitchcock.”
Swinton says she and Waris are old friends, and working together was more like playing. Which of them is the most disciplined? “Oh him, for sure,” the actress said. “Although he looks quite neat, but it’s not really true.”
What? The ever-dapper Waris, who wore a dark suit and white shirt at the screening at NYC’s Core Club, is not always perfectly turned out? “Yeah, that’s his public persona,” Swinton said, and introduced us to artist Sandro Kopp, whose just-opened exhibit at Lehman Maupin gallery in New York includes paintings and video of Waris in disarray. In fact, Swinton says, a whole room is dedicated to Waris at the exhibit. “In disarray—and underpants. At the same time,” she clarified.
How does Waris feel about a whole room of portraits—a shrine, practically—devoted to him? “I knew he was recording the video, but I didn’t realize it was going to become the focus. I thought it was just going to be part and parcel with, you know, the sixteen other people,” he told FashionEtc.
And the fact that there’s footage of Waris looking less than meticulous? He laughed. “It just so happens that I’m always put together and have a very, you know, serious look. But this show is… It’s a very personal side that I don’t necessarily show outside that Sandro is going to expose.”
Since his pal, Tilda Swinton, mentioned that he appears in the video in his underpants, we asked if Waris had any other revelations to add? “I’m at times shirtless,” he said.
Shirts, skirts and dresses were coming off in droves a couple of days later at a party at Skylight Soho—flying off the shelves, that is, at a private shopping event to launch the Jason Wu for Target collection, which hits Target stores on Feb. 5.
Celebrities got their hands on the duds even earlier; Blake Lively, Chloe Grace Moretz, Emmy Rossum and Jaime King hit the red carpet already wearing looks from the collection—and then they all hightailed it to the selling floor as soon as they finished posing for the cameras.
Moretz has been embracing the fashion world, and the young actress gushed about Wu. “I love Jason Wu as a designer, and I’ve only really seen his expensive, amazing works of art. So to be able to see him transform his expensive designer taste into a Target affordable brand is really special,” Moretz told FashionEtc. “I love all the Peter Pan collars and the sailor-prints and stuff,” she added about the Target looks.
Blake Lively kvelled about Wu’s success. “It’s amazing to see what’s happened to him in the past few years. We met right before I started Gossip Girl, and it was before he dressed Michelle Obama,” she said. “So it’s been a big time for both of us, we had no idea of what lay ahead. We’re both very lucky.”
Lively, who looked sensational (can she ever not?), mixed it up for the evening—her dress was from Jason Wu’s designer line, and her trench coat and clutch were from Target.
Meanwhile, check out our picks for what to buy from the Jason Wu for Target line.