Carly Simon Wore Tom Ford’s Vain Lipstick to Perform ‘You’re So Vain’ at Clive Davis’s Grammy Party
A massive array of celebrities and notable figures gathered in the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton last evening for the 40th edition of the Pre-Grammy Gala & Grammy Salute to Industry Icons, held every year by Clive Davis. The ballroom’s table held everyone from Ringo Starr to Nancy Pelosi to Chris Rock to Jane Fonda to Sylvester Stallone to Richard Branson to Caitlyn Jenner, as well as nominees like Meghan Trainor, Diplo, Tori Kelly and Elle King. For Grammys host LL Cool J, the party is part of his tradition in preparing for the big show.
“I go to Clive’s party, relax, have fun,” the rapper, wearing an Armani suit, told Yahoo Style about his Grammys prep. “And I’ve been watching the show, seeing what the rehearsals are like. I’m just going to have fun. No real rituals. I’m not praying to pumpkins, I’m not standing on one leg all night — I’m just hoping and keeping my fingers crossed that people love the show. I’m just going with an open heart. That’s it. Keep it simple.”
The party kicked off around 9:30 p.m. and lasted until the wee hours of the night with performances by the remaining members of Nirvana and Beck — who performed a David Bowie cover — Fetty Wap, Barry Manilow, and Carly Simon. The festivities got an intro from late-night host (and Burberry favorite) James Cordon, who lauded Davis for his contributions to the music industry. “If you’re here tonight and you’re not represented by Clive, chances are you’re not that talented,” Cordon quipped. “You know who I’m talking about.” The comedian added, “There’s more people in this room than have subscribed to Tidal in the last year.”
For Chrissy Teigen, who attended with husband John Legend, the event was a chance to test out her pregnancy style in an emerald green gown. When asked who made Teigen’s dress, Legend exclaimed, “She doesn’t know!” Teigen shrugged, then explained, “It’s a color I’ve never really worn before and it flatters the belly, which is hard to do in a lot of different fabrics. For some reason it just hugs correctly. It’s hard to find a good fabric right now. Luckily I have amazing stylists but it is hard.” She added of dressing around her growing belly, “This stuff is easy, but my real life, my normal life, is tough.”
As for the party, Teigen was excited to not be so drunk she doesn’t know what transpired.
“I’m going to remember it,” she noted of this year’s event. “That’s a first for me and that’s going to be good. I used to only have photos to look back on but now I have it in my head, which will be interesting.”
King, nominated twice today for her single “Ex’s and Oh’s,” was also unaware of her ornate white gown’s origin. “I’m going to make so many people very angry,” the singer sighed. “I’ve literally worn like nine gowns in the past four days and I forget. I have a really good stylist and I’m going to send an apology to her.” King does know who designed her Grammys dress, however: Christian Siriano. “He’s amazing,” King said. “He’s so unbelievably talented and he made me a gorgeous custom gown. I’m very grateful.”
Lana Del Rey, clad in an eclectic number from Italian designer Pinko, raved about the party. “Clive’s party is an institution and I love seeing everybody here,” the singer said. “It’s my favorite thing to go to all year.” Del Rey, who plans to watch today’s ceremony from “somewhere in Malibu, down by the beach,” offered a simple goal for those embarking on the Grammys red carpet. “I hope for each person’s personality to shine through with the outfit they choose,” she noted.
Melissa Rivers, who attends the party every year and is a long-time friend of Davis, had a more specific aim. “I’m rooting for fashion,” she said when asked which artists she wanted to win. “That’s what I’m rooting for! Something outrageous. I want it to be the Grammys and have everyone be unique and crazy and fabulous.”
Want to take that crazy sensibility one step further? Kathy Griffin, in a Narciso Rodriguez column dress, offered an idea: “I’m looking for an all-out brawl from Kanye West and Taylor Swift,” Griffin said of the Grammys red carpet. “I want them to get into a fistfight. I want someone’s weave to come off and I mean Kanye’s.” She continued, clearly ad-libbing, “I’m going to join that squad. I’m going to call Lorde later, who normally goes to bed early. But I’m going to say, ‘Lorde, wake up, we’ve got a crisis on our hands.’ And then I’m going to call Selena Gomez and anyone else in the squad and then I’m going to visit Kanye where he lives.”
The icons were the focus of the evening, however. Davis called out artists like Quincy Jones, Manilow, Stevie Wonder, Alice Cooper, Earth, Wind and Fire. Simon took the stage late into the evening, after flying in directly from Martha’s Vineyard. “This is a pleasure for me to be here,” she said. “This is a song I haven’t performed in a while, so bear with me — and sing with me.” It was a perfect pairing of fashion and music as the “You’re So Vain” singer paired a black top she bought on eBay for $29 and a gold cape with Tom Ford’s recent lipstick named for the iconic song she performed. “My lipstick is called So Vain,” the singer explained to Yahoo Style. “I suppose it was honoring the song. It made me feel absolutely great and I happened to love the color. I wear it all the time. He happened to pick out the perfect color for me.” And now Ford probably thinks that song is about him.
