Many fashion designers have morphed into different careers usually in the arts, but none have managed to gone on to wear as many hats as Isaac Mizrahi. And with such success and style. The clues were always there right from the very start as a young man he studied at Yeshivah of Flatbush, High School of Performing Arts, before he attended the Parsons School of Design.
When his fashion label was enjoying considerable success, Mizrahi was awarded the Council of Fashion Designers prestigious Womenswear Designer of the Year Award in both 1989 and 1991. Then when Chanel, one of his main backers, withdrew their support, it was the end of Mizrahi’s signature label, but far from the end of man himself.
He’s enjoyed several designing gigs since then ….. one with the ill-fated Liz Claiborne Company but much more important he has kept re-inventing himself and letting his inner showbiz aspirations finally come out. Suddenly he’s hosting his own hilarious chat show on TV, interviewing stars on the Oscars and Golden Globe Red Carpet, and even fronting The Fashion Show and being a judge on Project Runway.
At the same time Mizrahi is designing costumes for the Metropolitan Opera and three Broadway Shows, for which he was awarded a Drama Desk Award. And we haven’t even mentioned so many of his countless other projects such as the children books he wrote …… of his How To Have Style manual etc etc.
On reflection. none of this is at all surprising as Mizrahi is a flamboyant rather outrageous figure who also comes over as so disarmingly charming. He has unceasing passion and an amazing zest for life , possibly part of which can be attributed to him being an out and proud (and loud!) gay Jewish New Yorker.
The news that has just landed in our in-tray that Mizrahi next incarnation is as a Cabaret performer at NY’s Cafe Carlyle comes as no surprise at all Although we are are unsure of his musical talents (!) we do know that he is a first class storyteller . He combines his keen observationalist skills with a razor sharp wit, that with some embellishment (as if) make for wickedly funny tales
One of his shows , sans audience, was filmed on January 8th and is streaming online for a whole month on the BroadwayWorld Events pay-per-view streaming platform. His special guest on this occasion is the fabulous Jackie Hoffman.
Tickets for this performance are available at events.broadwayworld.com.
Labels: 2021, cabaret, isaac Mizrahi
