How Amal Clooney Took New York

Interesting read from The NY Times today


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How Amal Clooney Took New York

At 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Amal Clooney walked into Classroom 103 in William and June Warren Hall at Columbia Law School. The human rights lawyer and wife of the actor George Clooney was dressed in a cream textured coat and floral Oscar de la Renta slingbacks and carried a tangerine bag the size of a large toaster.
She was by herself, far from the tangle of paparazzi who gather outside the Carlyle hotel, where the couple are staying while Mr. Clooney is in town making “Money Monster,” a film directed by Jodie Foster and co-starring Julia Roberts.
Ms. Clooney, 37, greeted a man preparing slides for the class in human rights for which she is a guest lecturer this spring. As she spoke, passers-by peeked at her through the sliver of glass in the door. If anyone had thoughts to share about Ms. Clooney, they weren’t talking.
“We are under strict orders not to discuss her or anything about her class,” said a student who declined to give her name. A representative from the law school politely asked a reporter to leave.
Ms. Clooney has captivated the attention of New Yorkers in a way that has not been seen since Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt lived here in 2007. “What Does It MEAN?” wrote Racked.com when the London lawyer was spotted at lunch with Anna Wintour at the Lambs Club in late March.
Her frocks are breathlessly chronicled on the blog “Amal Clooney Style” and on New York Magazine’s “Amal Clooney Lookbook,” from the attention-grabbing minidress by Giambattista Valli she wore to Babbo last Friday to a Stella McCartney jumpsuit she wore to dinner at the home of the editor Tina Brown two weeks ago.
None of the couple’s nocturnal wanderings go unmissed by the media. The Daily News published a map of Clooney sightings that included Lincoln Center and Café Boulud. Ms. Brown even tweeted about her “quiet dinner” with the newlyweds, posting on Facebook how a plumbing disaster nearly derailed the night.
Somehow, Amal Clooney’s New York sojourn has the mood of a carefully orchestrated coming-out party for the newlyweds. Her more famous husband, who was previously married and has dated actresses and a professional wrestler, has made movies here before. But rarely has he attracted the attention his wife has.
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There is perennial talk, too, that Mr. Clooney, 53, will seek political office. And in New York his wife has perfected the camera-ready pose of a political spouse: head tilted to the left as she strokes her luxurious tresses and parts her lips just so while slipping quietly into the back of a black sedan.
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Ms. Clooney, a lawyer and human rights activist, and her husband leave a dinner at Tina Brown’s house in Manhattan. Credit Splash News, via Corbis
“All of a sudden George has this new stature of being married to a glamorous woman who is intelligent,” said Peggy Siegal, the doyenne of New York publicists who is friendly with Mr. Clooney but does not represent him. Bonnie Fuller, the editor in chief of HollywoodLife.com, said, “People wonder what did she have that his other long-term girlfriends did not.”
Ms. Clooney and her husband did not answer requests for interviews. But Ms. Clooney is no stranger to Manhattan, having lived here for almost a decade in the 2000s. (Born in Beirut, she grew up in London.) She was a student at the New York University School of Law and later worked in the litigation department of the white-shoe firm Sullivan & Cromwell and in the Office of the Prosecutor at the U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

In 2010 she returned to London, where she was appointed a barrister, but continued her work with the United Nations, including as an adviser on Syria to the former Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
So far, the couple has eschewed the Upper East Side cocktail circuit, opting for meals with Mr. Clooney’s familiar posse of friends.
“I’m sure he’d rather go to a restaurant than be at a boring dinner party,” Ms. Siegal said. In early March it was reported that the Clooneys dined at Kappo Masa with the actress Ellen Barkin and Bryan Lourd, a partner at Creative Artists Agency who is Mr. Clooney’s agent and good friend.
Recently on “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen, Ms. Barkin said of Ms. Clooney, “She takes great care of him and all his friends.”
Two weeks later the couple had dinner at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in Midtown with Mr. Clooney’s mother, Nina, whose daughter-in-law was elegantly dressed in a leopard-print jacket from Mr. Valli’s prefall 2015 collection and flared jeans.
Ms. Clooney’s style is impeccable, which some people credit to Ms. Wintour’s coaching, going back to the outfits Ms. Clooney wore at the couple’s wedding last September. Ms. Wintour declined to be interviewed, but Ms. Clooney was photographed for Vogue with Oscar de la Renta, the designer of her wedding gown and a friend of Ms. Wintour. (A recent post on the magazine’s website wrote glowingly of the cropped Stella McCartney pantsuit she wore to the Brown dinner, headlining it, “Amal Clooney Aces One of Spring’s Best Trends.”)
Mr. Valli, who recently had dinner in New York with Ms. Clooney, said in an interview that he was introduced to her by the Vogue editor about a year ago.
“She is not a reality-show girl,” Mr. Valli said. “Finally there is someone with a mind and legs.”
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Amal and George Clooney in New York last month. Credit NCP/Star Max, via GC Images
He said that Ms. Clooney does not have a stylist and came to his New York showroom to try on some of the dresses and clothes she has recently worn. “She is very spontaneous,” he said, adding, “She is not the kind of woman who programs.” (Perhaps that explains the white opera gloves she wore to the Golden Globes.)
In mid-March Ms. Clooney went shopping with a friend at What Goes Around Comes Around, a vintage boutique in SoHo where she has shopped before, said Doug McCue, the store’s general manager. It was afternoon, he said, and “there were a few other shoppers here and one of them asked to take a picture with her. She was very pleasant.” Ms. Clooney stayed for about 45 minutes, and bought a Chanel knit dress and a mink fur baseball cap.
Designers now seek to align themselves with Ms. Clooney and regularly send out fashion alerts when she wears their clothes.
Although Ms. Clooney has a background as a human-rights activist, she is not immune to the charms of her husband’s Hollywood life. On March 21 the Clooneys ate dinner alone at a back table at one of the actor’s favorite haunts, Scalinatella.
That night, cast members of the AMC show “Mad Men” (including January Jones and John Slattery) walked in for a late supper after being feted at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Ms. Siegal said. Ms. Clooney, a fan of the show, was thrilled. Mr. Clooney approached the table and asked if he could introduce the stars to his wife. “She was so excited to meet the cast,” Ms. Siegal said. “They were shocked.”

A week later, the Clooneys dined with Ms. Brown and her husband, Harold Evans, the author of “The American Century” and the former editor of The Sunday Times in London.
“I had them over to the house because I thought it would be more private than a restaurant,” Ms. Brown said. They supped on red snapper and polenta. Mr. Clooney talked about history, while Ms. Brown said Ms. Clooney said how much she enjoyed Manhattan.
“I think she has a natural charm,” Ms. Brown said, adding: “She talked about her cases. She is serious about her work. She is not into being a socialite.”
By the time the dessert plates were cleared, though, the paparazzi had arrived. “George said, ‘When you open the door there are a lot of photographers out there,’ ” Ms. Brown said. She added that he turned to Mr. Evans and said, “Hey, let me hold your book.”
Ms. Clooney took her husband’s hand and beamed as they walked to their waiting car, camera flashes brightening the otherwise empty street.
“They have lightened up the paparazzi landscape, haven’t they?” Ms. Brown said of the Clooneys.

Great article, Donnamarie. Very thoughtful and newsworthy

Do we have this article by Liz Smith, doyenne columnist and possibly around longer than Seigal, at the time of the wedding?

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Liz Smith: George Clooney did get married -- who lost their bet?

A LOT of money changed hands this weekend. Many people had to fork over cash, buy dinners, roll their eyes and say, "you won!" Some probably had to negotiate out of "If it happens, I'll sleep with you!"
I do mean the marriage of George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin.
And although I wouldn't make any bets or promises on it myself, there's no denying I didn't see an actual wedding coming. (I read somewhere that Leonardo DiCaprio would probably arrive by helicopter, toss George a rope and pull his pal into the chopper, which would be packed with gorgeous twentysomething models.) Married once, George seemed serene in his relaxed, glamorous bachelorhood. He behaved beautifully with the women who accompanied him often enough to receive the "girlfriend" title. He stuck around, didn't play the field. He seemed to move smoothly on to the next, with no rancor from either side -- a class act. (No nude pix. No ridiculous confessions or denunciations.)
Conservatives dislike him because he is an outspoken celebrity liberal. His behavior is always smart, spot-on and non-salacious. He has a brain. He has a heart, and also terrific parents, Nina and Nick Clooney, whom he adores. George put the icing on the cake of his celebrity when he began making smart, upscale films with meaning, while still doing his handsome leading man stuff, too.
When Clooney announced his engagement to Amal, I couldn't help thinking of Warren Beatty. Warren, also a big movie star, was a much more high-profile Lothario. He romanced many famous women, from Natalie Wood to Leslie Caron to Julie Christie to Diane Keaton to Madonna. (Clooney seemed to stick with model-types.) Warren, the world assumed, would never settle down. Then he met Annette Bening and before Hollywood could gasp, they were married and soon having children.
There are differences, of course. Warren married another actor. George has married a lawyer. The issue of children is up in the air. Prior to his marriage to Miss Bening, Warren never indicated a great longing to procreate. But -- surprise -- the couple produced four offspring. Warren was 55 when he married Bening. Clooney is 52. His bride is 36. Obviously, the kiddie window is still open.
In any case, Mr. Clooney is not only one of my favorite actors, he is one of the favorite people I have come to know in a long career of "knowing" actors and other famous souls.
He never seems false, or forced or awkward. He says what he wants to say when he wants to say it. He does what he wants to do when he does it. He has been unrelentingly nonchalant through decades of speculation about his private life. I admire him so much.
Dear George and Amal -- best wishes, all happiness.
THE powerhouse names of little old New York got together last week and tossed a birthday party for Barbara Walters, the working girl to end all stories of working girls, still thriving after these many years.
When B.W. herself stood up at her No. 1 table (all the tables were No. 1) to thank her hostesses and the room, she referred to "my 85th birthday" and then chided the attendees for not shouting back "no!" at her. She looked about 40, I think, and was a vision in gray and pink. She was seated between former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Dr. Henry Kissinger. And she was just a hard roll's throw from her niece Nancy Shevell and her niece's husband, what's-his-name -- Paul McCartney. And Barbara wasn't safe yet, for she had Cindy Adams in a devil of a big black glam hat and me, with my understated charm, nearby as well. (I guess we neutralized one another.)
But I won't go on dropping too many names; most of them were there in person to prove to Barbara how well she is regarded, if she had any doubt. The guests had no doubt after seeing Babs' portrait done up in flowers, throw pillows in the bar in the Rainbow Room showing her through the years and several showgirls all glammed up in feathers moving among the crowd. And the caviar was mighty nice.
The whole party was flawlessly orchestrated and Princess Firyal of Jordan greeted and met us all with open arms. The other hostesses were Mercedes Bass, Annette de la Renta, Diana Taylor, Marie-Jose Kravis and Nicole Seligman. And these are the women who make the mares go -- I do mean the Opera, the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, Sony and various other financial domains.
I must say Sir Paul McCartney was the hit of the night. When dinner ended and tycoon Bloomberg made his toast, the orchestra started their oldies-but-goodies hits, which this gang all danced to and thought were daring way back when. It was then that McCartney really took over. He danced with anybody who came near him, he boogied, he twisted, he teased; he gave the lie to the old saw that musicians don't like to dance. Many a heart was made glad again by his charm, his smile and his warmth.
Me? I was standing at the downtown side of Rockefeller Center's Rainbow Room looking at the incredible view, which was blazing with lights and so translucent that One World Trade Center (known by its nickname The Freedom Tower) was crystal clear. A tall handsome man joined me -- David Koch, one of the famous Koch brothers, the industrialists so beloved by Republicans.
We discussed the renovation of Lincoln Center, which he funded to the tune of $65 million. Speaking of the fountains, he said they could have been much greater looking and grander if he had not been stymied in what he had wanted originally to spend. Lincoln Center's State Theater was renamed for him.
He asked if I was still doing work for Literacy Partners. I said yes and thanked him for backing us some years ago. A woman came up to him then and gave him an affectionate embrace. When she departed, I said, "She is a leading ardent Democrat." He said, astonished, "Is she really?" I said, "Yes -- did that ruin it for you?" He said, "Almost!" We laughed.
Who says conservatives and liberals can't get along?

Yes PAN, thought this was a pretty informative and interesting piece.  Some tidbits we didn't know.  Love the comment about how George told Mr. Evans that he would hold Mr. Evan's book as he and Amal walked out into a sea of paps.  George always knows how to work the press. Love it!

The Liz Smith article I have read before. I think it's posted here somewhere but don't know where. Probably in the wedding thread. It's a great article.

Thanks for posting that article Donnamarie. It was great. Especially love the part about them meeting the cast of Mad Men, cute!

Love that they met the cast of Mad Men .

Yes it was an interesting read Donnamarie.
Thanks for posting it. 

Not smart of that reporter to put the exact class room in the article though...

Codexchick wrote:Not smart of that reporter to put the exact class room in the article though...

No not smart.3students already cry this NEVER happened. School closed to student they laugh they miss class.