The Times has suggested that Elton’s music isn’t the most important part of The Devil Wears Prada: the fashion is.
Costume designer Gregg Barnes contributed to the 22 September article, saying they tried to use as many classic brands as possible. Sure, they could make clothes in the style of Prada, Valentino or Versace, but when possible, ”we bought the real thing.”
In addition, 81 pairs of heels were crafted by Terry de Havilland for the musical. So it’s appropriate that OK magazine is running a Devil Wears Prada competition, with a pair of de Havilland shoes as one of the prizes.
The winner–who must be a resident of the UK and at least 18–also gets a pair of tickets to the musical, and an overnight stay at the Mandrake Hotel nearby. The Mandrake package includes dinner and The Devil’s Kiss, a cocktail inspired by the production. The hotel’s marketing director shared the ingredients with the Elton Blog, and among them are champagne, vodka, lemon juice, and raspberry lavender tea cordial.
Diablo, which means ”devil” in Spanish, is getting involved with Elton and Shaina Taub‘s musical, too.
The company will be featured on programmes, and according to Talk Retail, their wines are going to be poured at the Devil Wears Prada opening night gala at the British Museum. A custom-built Diablo bar is planned as well, and this takes place on World AIDS Day (the first of December).
Another event being anticipated by the Elton John AIDS Foundation is next year’s Academy Awards Viewing Party on 2 March. They have invited people to guess who their guest performer will be.
This could be one of the young artists Elton has expressed interest in working with, such as Gracie Abrams or Sabrina Carpenter. Or perhaps someone who previously appeared on Rocket Hour will take the stage. One contender is Chappell Roan. Elton is a big admirer. But Chappell indicated to Rolling Stone that he went too far by calling her 11 times in less than a week. ”It’s a little bit scary, this feeling inside,” you could say.
Then there’s Troye Sivan, who was interviewed by Elton last year on Rocket Hour. Troye just auctioned off one of his tour outfits to raise money for the EJAF. It sold for over three thousand dollars, and the tank top was emblazoned with the ‘U=U’ slogan . . . ”undetectable equals untransmittable.” It’s to remove the stigma HIV-positive people face, even with medications rendering the virus harmless in most cases.
Who would you like to see onstage at the EJAF soiree? Drop us a line or join our Facebook group to opine about this, and more.
The Elton Blog takes a new turn in the next edition. From #100 onwards, it transitions into an occasional production where we focus on an Elton trend. We also welcome your feedback on the topics that we will raise. So be sure to use the commentary box that’s below each Elton Blog!