Last Night at the Standard…Demi, Madonna, and “John”

Gavin, Alice, and hat guy, Standard Hotel Roof, 9/12/09

Purple Mag’s Gavin Doyle, “it gal” Alice Dellal, and Magnus Gunnar aka “hat guy”
(All text and photos by Susan M. Kirschbaum)

Sometimes a party’s action rests around the center of the room, by a stage, or a dinner table. And  sometimes, the hottest action of the night takes place in the bathroom. Well, last night at the official opening of the Standard Hotel’s roof club, people couldn’t stop talking about the loos.  Those toilets are the  quintessential Manhattan experience of all time.

As you sit on “the john” (which I believe in my haze , painted noir lacquer), full length windows surround you on all sides, so you view the full  skyline of the city at your feet. If some perverts rest in high buildings and can secure top tech binoculars, they can also probably see you. One thing for sure, the mirrored outside doors can pick up various angles. Sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy…..

Out in the actual space —  floors laid out like runways around the old school 1950’s style  fat middle bar — a who’s who of New York converged– old friends like photographer Craig McDean, artist Hope Atherton, Vanity Fair writer Geroge Wayne, and  shutterbug Patrick McMullan; loads of hot kids like Lindsay Lohan and Peaches Geldof; and the stars of the evening, Madonna!. Ashton Kutcher, and Demi Moore (the trio did not sit together.)

I thanked Demi for becoming a more beautiful and strong  woman as she’s aged, told her she was a role model. In that same amazing throaty voice first heard in the film St. Elmo’s Fire, she said, “Thank you so much. That really means a lot to me.”

Walking those floor runways, going up to the roof for a smoke, and then excitedly back to those kinky fab bathrooms, gals paraded in short ruffled frocks and or slim leather trousers or skinny jeans, and kick ass heels (platform, gladiator, and spike.) Guys and gals alike donned motorcycle jackets, seen all over the joint. Jeweler Waris wore a Phillip Lim, whereas Alice Dellal and her gal pal Chelsea grabbed some vintage numbers. Chelsea wore a gold Pamela Love bird skull necklace. (You’re either going to love or hate that bird skull business.)

Actor and musician Jared Leto sported bright pink earplugs. “I have tinnitus.” He told me. So I recommended a naturopath to him. Not sure though, about his friend’s excuse, the guy wearing a plastic Gumby doll pierced through his ear via a safety pin. “I found it on the street and just wore it.” Yeah, okay.

Madonna sat with photographer Stephen Klein and Standard Hotel owner Andre Balazs. At one point she was dancing in her seat shaking her shoulder length blonde hair into a frenzy. Though the night’s soundtrack ran through several 80’s hits including Michael Jackson and Prince, I can’t remember which song made Madonna shake. But I do remember that toilet. Like some kind of psychedelic mind game.

Second from left, Jared Leto (pink ear dots), far right Peaches Geldof with friend (to left) guy with Gumby earring **NOTE: I’VE BEEN TOLD THAT OUR GUMBY FRIEND IS JETHRO CAVE, SON OF ROCK LEGEND NICK CAVE

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