So as it turns out, James Bond, inveterate womanizer and Beretta-toting man-about-town, the one as famous for his leagues of wined-and-dined “girls” as he is his sharp tailoring and pithy one-liners—yes, that James Bond has actually been in one hell of a long-term relationship. Fifty-three years, to be exact. Yes, nearly six decades of one spy loving one effervescent alcoholic beverage: Bollinger champagne. “We’ve been in it for the long run with James Bond,” said Jérôme Philipon, CEO of the champagne house, and on-site for its sponsored screening of Spectre, 007’s latest adventure, last night at the IFC Center. The Cinema Society screening drew boldface names as varied as Cuba Gooding, Jr., Helen Mirren, Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo to Patti Smith and Valentino Garavani, who watched a reel preceding the film that detailed the 14 Bond films in which the beverage has appeared throughout the series, from Live and Let Die to Octopussy to A View to a Kill, and through all manner of Bonds, from Roger Moore to Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan to present-day Daniel Craig, for whom Spectre surmises his final turn in the role after a nine-year run. “At first we weren’t so sure of Daniel Craig,” admitted Philipon, as wary as any half of a committed relationship would be when presented with a new partner, “but I think you’ll agree that now he’s the Bond we’ve always wanted: a man who knows how to kiss a lot of women, a man with a sense of humor, a man who drinks a lot of champagne.” And as guests who made their way to the Bollinger-soaked after-party at The Lion can attest, that’s a man we can all get behind.
Meanwhile, across the river, the Bruce High Quality Foundation opened its Industry City studio space—a malfunctioning elevator added a few extra minutes to the journey—for a celebration of the collective’s free art university, BHQFU. Dev Hynes, in a stark-white puffer, took a night off from playing music to enjoy it instead, watching Francis and the Lights and Le1f give low-key, all-star performances. Bob Colacello, Chromat designer Becca McCharen, and Camille Rowe were on hand to do the same. Around 9:30 p.m., outside a gritty casement window, glittering fireworks could barely be seen flaring up over the Statue of Liberty across the water. They were likely the culmination of someone else’s party, but BHQFU was just getting started.
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