How HBO’s "The Idol," With A Minimal Aid From Valentino, Rewrote The "Very Girl" Playbook

[ad_1]

In the third episode of the controversial HBO series “The Idol,” Jocelyn, a pop star played by Lily-Rose Depp, and Tedros, a slimy wannabe Svengali performed by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, head off for a purchasing spree at the Valentino boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Just after bypassing a gaggle of adoring Jocelyn admirers out front, the duo undertake some retail remedy. “You see that young girl over there?” Tedros asks a keep worker. “Got anything in this retail store as beautiful as she is?” Jocelyn attempts on a collection of Valentino outfits as Tedros eggs her on, threatens to “curb stomp” an worker he believes his ogling his girl, and dismisses a person top rated as “trash.”

At some point, the pair conclusion up having intercourse in a dressing space. When Jocelyn exits ahead of Tedros can finish, he finishes himself off alone in the dressing home when keeping onto a rack of Valentino dresses. Afterwards, he seems to be at his dirty palms. Then his gaze turns to the quite pricey Valentino red dresses hanging nearby. The camera cuts absent, but the implication is distinct: he wipes his palms off on the dresses.

Did Valentino signal off on this? I puzzled as I watched the scene. Soon after all, Valentino is a commemorated luxury fashion brand name. Launched in 1959 by Valentino Garavani, its patterns have been worn by Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, and Oprah Winfrey. Had Valentino cosigned on what appeared to be the bespoiling of its brand—or was this was what merchandise placement appeared like in 2023? In search of an respond to, I attained out to Valentino for remark. I didn’t get a response back.

For an expert’s consider, I despatched an e-mail to Stacy Jones, the CEO of Hollywood Branded, a pop society marketing company. She did not know if there was any manufacturer partnership in between Valentino and “The Idol,” but she did provide her get on the provocative Valentino scene, which had generated some debate on Twitter.

“While the scene in the Valentino store was absolutely explicit, there is not problems to the brand name,” Jones opined. “Even the derogatory mentions designed by Tedros about some of the kinds and the store’s stylist had no long lasting negative impression. Tedros is shown to be the not-so-great character he is, and it was in reality Tedros who arrived off wanting inadequately, not Valentino. The growing highlight on Valentino dressing Lily-Rose’s character and possessing her model their outfits on display screen feels like a gain regardless. The saying that you just can’t shell out for media worthy of that is genuine. This certain product or service placement is above offering on model recognition massive time. There is not a good deal of danger in offending more mature Valentino people as they merely won’t be viewing the series. They are not the goal viewers.” These times, Valentino may possibly be extra interested in focusing on millennials and Gen Z as potential shoppers. In accordance to Bain & Co.: “These generations are expected to account for as significantly as 70% of the world wide luxurious marketplace by 2025.”

Not only that, it seemed I had missed the stage solely. As Jones pointed out in her electronic mail to me, the Valentino scene from “The Idol” was a redux of a scene from the 1990 film “Pretty Girl,” starring Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward, a Hollywood escort, and Richard Gere as Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman, proper down to the “Do you have just about anything in this shop as lovely as she is?” line. “I googled to see where by [the boutique shopping scene] in ‘Pretty Woman’ was filmed as I believed it had a significant probability of getting Valentino,” Jones additional. “This posting states ‘Pretty Woman’ filmed the Rodeo Generate scene especially at Valentino. There are a lot of similarities in the scenes, just taken up many adult notches with an edgier, modern touch.”

Is “The Idol” “‘torture porn’”? Has it “set back again the feminist motion by at the very least a decade”? Is it “anti-feminist spectacle”? Or is one thing far more intricate at operate? At minimum in the case of the Valentino scene, the subtext is resolutely feminist. In “Pretty Woman,” Vivian states: “I want the fairy tale.” she would like a man to rescue her. In Sam Levinson’s “The Idol,” the fairy tale is more than. Immediately after all, it’s Jocelyn who denies Tedros his individual enjoyment, who is the star, and who, we presume, foots the monthly bill for their procuring trip. In this retelling, the girl retains the electrical power, not the man.

On a current Friday afternoon, I designed my way to the Valentino boutique. Because it was late June, the effectively-heeled buyers producing their way up and down the sidewalks had to share space with groups of tourists. In the Valentino retailer, I was met by a protection guard. A salesperson followed me all around as I admired a pair of $1,800 see-by means of platform pumps that reminded me of the strippers’ shoe brand of option, Pleaser Shoes, and a pink gown that looked like a single Jocelyn had worn. On the 2nd flooring, the salesperson indicated the dressing room wherever the racy scene for “The Idol” had been shot, supposedly. I opened the door. No a person, considerably less Tedros, was there.

This write-up was at first printed on Forbes.com.