And finally, my award for ‘Most Accurate Fashion Journalism’ goes to The New York Post’s ‘Page Six’ reporter – Jared Stern. NOT! He didn’t even get half the facts straight in his bit about Elsa Klensch and the Assouline Book Party for Fashion People – the delightful new book of colorful and expressive caricatures illustrated by the wonderfully talented Gladys Perint Palmer. It’s destined to be become a collector’s item I might add.
In addition to misspelling Gladys’ name (it was spelled Prenit instead of Perint), in his Friday, February 14th column (which Gladys referred to as “ridiculously exaggerated”) Stern reported:
Fashion Doyenne Elsa Klensch went ballistic over a catty caption at Assouline’s “Fashion People” book bash in the Bryant Park tents on Tuesday evening. Klensch was perusing the book of caricatures by Gladys Perint Palmer when she happened upon one of herself captioned, “After CNN canceled ‘Style with Elsa Klensch’ in February 2001 there was NOTHING to watch at 7:30 am (Pacific Time). Klensch’s face turned into a rictus of fury as she rounded on Palmer shouting “They didn’t cancel me. I quit! You never checked with me. I quit! I quit! I quit!” Before hurling the book and storming off to the amazement of fellow guests Miguel Adrover, Andre Leon Talley, Suzy Menkes, Fern Mallis, and Elizabeth Saltzman.
Ms. Palmer told me she was embarrassed by the article, and gave me the facts as they really happened:
1-“Elsa didn’t go ballistic”
2- “It wasn’t a catty caption – Style with Elsa Klensch was canceled…for whatever reason”
3- “I did check – how on earth would I have remembered it was canceled in February 2001?”
4- “Her face did not change (what is rictus?)”
5- “She didn’t shout – she spoke firmly”
6- “She did not hurl the book – she put it down firmly”
7- “She did not storm”
8- “Ellen – not Elizabeth was at the party”
9- “I like Elsa Klensch and I repeat – there’s nothing to watch at 7:30 am Saturday morning (Pacific Time). It was a terrific show.”
Good work Jared!
– Marilyn Kirschner
