And, speaking of The Big O, it seems Oprah’s been snubbed again in a high-end boutique because she’s a black woman. Really, O?
She says she was trying to buy a $35,000 Tom Ford bag — was it filled with pastries or what? — in Switzerland last month when the snub occurred: “I was in Zurich the other day at a store, whose name I will not mention, and I didn’t have my eyelashes on, but I was in full Oprah Winfrey gear. I had my little Donna Karan skirt and my little sandals and all that on, but obviously The Oprah Winfrey Show is not shown in Zurich. This doesn’t happen to me unless somebody obviously doesn’t know it was me.”
Perhaps the clerk didn’t recognize her in her full O-gear because she wasn’t gnawing on a Ham Hock while she shopped but I digress … Winfrey says she asked the clerk to show her a luxury crocodile bag: “She says to me, ‘No. It’s too expensive.’” Winfrey asked to see it again the clerk once again denied her, saying, “‘No, no, no. You don’t want to see that one. You want to see this one because that one will cost too much and you will not be able to afford that.’”
This apparently went on forever: “Let me see it.” “You can’t afford it.” “Let me see it.” “You can’t afford it.” “Let me see it.” “You can’t afford it.” “Let me see it.” “You can’t afford it.” “Let me see it.” “You can’t afford it.” “Let me see it.” “You can’t afford it.”
Then Oprah left the store, and raced back to her hotel room to tell her husband Gayle what happened, and Mister Winfrey said she would have returned to the store and caused a scene a la Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, but O said she didn’t want to give the clerk commission.
Oprah: “I could have had the big blowup thing and thrown down the black card and all that stuff, but why do that?”
Trudie Goetz, head of the Swiss store Trois Pommes — The Store That Dared To Refuse Oprah — denied Winfrey was discriminated against because of her race: “This is an absolute misunderstanding. Any sales person would love to sell a crocodile bag. She simply explained [to Oprah] that the bag she wanted to look at was beautiful but in a very high price range and suggested lower priced models in leather, ostrich and so forth.”
Look, maybe it happened, maybe it didn’t, but it’s funny how the story emerges as Oprah has a movie to plug. It smacks of the same media manipulation as her tale of being told to get out of that Hermes store in Paris because they were closing; you know, the story she leaked to the press just before her TV show returned after summer break. Plus, she really thinks every single person in the world knows her? Like I said, maybe if she had a ham hock in her mouth.
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On the Paltrow front, if this is the same event, I also heard NO ONE wanted to be seated at her table. If I had gone I would have been with Oxenberg and LOADED my plate with meat products. But I love Victoria Beckham. And can you blame her for her mode of transport? She only wanted the quickest way there and back, so she could get back to riding her hot hubby's baloney pony!!! And when I saw Oprah had a movie coming out, I thought of you. While her acting isn't bad, now we will never enjoy the low profile she had been keeping. I say lets busy her with some Swiss pastry.
ReplyDelete'The Canyons' hasn't opened here yet but I've also heard reasonable early reports about it. So I may well go (if it gets a British release) whereas might otherwise not have bothered. It might be a job to stifle my giggles, though, particularly in the light of the latest story you tell.
ReplyDelete'the author' - snort, chortle!
ReplyDeleteThe Gywneth an author? Puh-leese.
ReplyDeleteI smelled BS when I heard about the Oprah racism story. I used to be in retail sales, and when you work on commission you will do anything to land the big sales. If Oprah wants to see the $35k crocodile bag -- and that's why it's so expensive -- then show her the bag so she can show you the commission!
oprah and the ham hock.. the visuals.. I can't.. thank you for the laugh. I needed it today..
ReplyDelete