Hi, and welcome back to Line Sheet. I’m still in Milan, trying to make the most of Design Week. I even managed to sneak in a visit to furniture brand Interni Venosta’s takeover of a private apartment designed by Osvaldo Borsani that has never before been open to the public. It’s incredible and you should try to go if you are still in town.

Today’s issue belongs to Rachel “Rachel@puck.news” Strugatz, who has a crucial update on the rise of Dr. Steven Levine, master of the Submuscular Aponeurotic System (SMAS) facelift. Levine is definitely the most powerful plastic surgeon in the world right now, and not everyone is happy about it. Up top, Malique Morris offers some background on Timothée Chalamet’s relatively singular approach to celebrity endorsements, as well as the inside story on Lululemon’s new C.E.O., Heidi O’Neill.

Last night, we hosted one of our now-famous, extremely off-the-record private dinners at Sandi, my favorite restaurant in Milan. (I love the interiors, the food, and especially the wine list.) They’re usually not open in the evening—only lunch!—so this was a special treat. I was so besotted with dinner (lamb ragout risotto) that I posted a food pic on Instagram, and broke my two-drink-maximum rule. We couldn’t have done it without the team from P:S—I appreciate you, Valentina!—and of course, Puck’s very own events mastermind, Louise Johnson, who spent a disproportionate amount of time with me contemplating negronis. I’d love to also express my admiration and appreciation for Jodie Chan, who fulfilled my dream of wearing a very particular black skirt suit designed by Dario Vitale during his short Versace stint. Yes, I’m serious about reporting, but I am also a fashion person, and this was a special moment for me.

Most importantly, thanks to Tiffany Lopinsky and the team at ShopMy for being truly great collaborators. And to everyone who came out to eat and chat and reminisce. The guest list represented the best of the Line Sheet universe—from superstar Emily Weiss and popular Fashion People guest Marie-Louise Scio, to designers and execs from Prada to OTB. (There were even two rumored T magazine editor candidates in attendance.) Anyway, I love hosting these dinners because we have a no-jerk policy, and they’re really fun, and I can’t wait to see you at the next one.

Also mentioned in this issue: Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Denise Richards, Elliott Hill, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Jacob Gallagher, Radar, Chip Wilson, Kris Jenner, Mariah Carey, Ben Talei, Belgian fashion education, Tim Walker, Zohran Mamdani, Chantal Fernandez, Rihanna, Margot Robbie, Zoe Saldaña, and more…

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Malique Morris

Two Things You Should Know…

Lulu enters its Heidi era: Earlier today, after several months of very public hostilities between Lululemon’s board and the company’s founder, Chip Wilson, the activewear brand announced that Heidi O’Neill, a Nike veteran, will step into the C.E.O. role following Calvin McDonald’s departure in January. (She was likely passed over for the top job, which eventually went to Elliott Hill.) While the Beaverton imprimatur may make O’Neill seem like a sure winner, it’s worth noting that Nike executives have historically struggled at the helm of other companies. It’s such a behemoth that many of its leaders are typically specialists, and those who came up during the company’s halcyon years never had to contend with large-scale turnarounds.

McDonald ran the North American arm of Sephora before joining Lululemon, where he tripled sales but arguably overexposed the brand. Meanwhile, during O’Neill’s 20-plus years at Nike, she steadily climbed the corporate ladder while dipping a toe in everything from marketing to product development to the D.T.C. and marketplace businesses. Those multidisciplinary skills will be necessary to steer Lulu through a total brand overhaul, which I hear has been underway for years. She’ll also have to convince investors that the company probably needs to shrink to grow. O’Neill will join the company’s board and officially start on September 8.
It’s Timmy time!: Timothée Chalamet’s personal style has certainly evolved over the years—and yet, to his credit, he’s always been very intentional about the brands he works with. He really only endorses Chanel, and doesn’t dabble in the red carpet contracts that supplement so many of his peers’ earnings.

But like so many other stars of his generation, he’s developed a reputation as a watch person. He recently escalated that fascination by taking a minority stake in the 253-year-old Danish watchmaker Urban Jürgensen—which just relaunched last summer—and will be taking the role of “creative advisor” for the brand. (In a statement, he called the partnership “more of a creative collaboration than a traditional endorsement.”) This should be a boon for the family-owned brand, and place Chalamet closer to the center of young consumers’ growing romanticization with the analog watch world.

Now on to Dr. Levine…

Inside Kris Jenner’s Facelift-gate

The internet is buzzing with allegations that Kris Jenner’s status-defining mega-facelift, performed a year ago by baby-faced legend Steven Levine, has been “slipping,” and that she’s at war with Lori Loughlin over the latter’s new look. An investigation into an alleged medical mystery…

Rachel Strugatz

It’s been almost a year since Dr. Steven Levine, the clandestine, baby-faced facelift king, became perhaps the most famous plastic surgeon of our time. Last May, after Kris Jenner’s second facelift was captured by tabloids during Lauren Sánchez Bezos’s bachelorette party in Paris, the internet was set ablaze with rumors and guesswork about the architect of her age-defying new look. It was only after another surgeon started receiving credit online that Jenner told the New York Post about Levine’s handiwork.

The rest is history. The Upper East Side surgeon became a mini celebrity in his own right, even attending Jenner’s 70th birthday bash last fall at the Bezos’s Beverly Hills home, where party coverage elevated him to bold-faced name status alongside Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé. Levine, who keeps a decidedly low profile, quickly became a figure of lore in Manhattan as hopeful uptown and Tribeca clients feverishly sought referrals for paid consultations and traded hushed assurances that his signature Submuscular Aponeurotic System (SMAS) facelift—which cost a few hundred grand, if you could manage to get an appointment—was worth every penny. (For more on this, see my original piece, Get Me Dr. Levine!)

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Alas, hell hath no fury like the insular and internecine world of plastic surgeons and their vain clients. Last week, RadarOnline (of all places) reported that Jenner was “raging” that her facelift was “already slipping.” Word of her discontent spread in certain circles almost as fast as the first pictures of her new face. Naturally, the internet ran with the story, including a subsequent Radar post pitting Jenner against Denise Richards, whose new facelift has garnered a ton of positive press, and Lori Loughlin, rumored to have also gotten a great facelift. “Kris is mad as hell that Denise Richards and Lori Loughlin both look so good, and she feels hers is already fading in comparison,” one source for Radar said.

The internet is stupid, obviously, but it’s important to remember that people are, too. Medical professionals (and plenty of nonprofessionals) jumped at the opportunity to critique Levine and his signature technique. The past week, a surfeit of surgeons, medical experts, and talking heads have posted lengthy explanations regarding how and why a facelift could “fade” so quickly, using Jenner as a hook to resurface the interminable deep plane vs. SMAS debate online. In reality, I’m told that most facelifts use a combination of both techniques, are highly tailored to each patient, and take into account a number of factors including the patient’s anatomy, prior surgeries, etcetera.

There were also plenty of surgeons who came to Levine’s defense, with some speculating that the initial item was planted by a rival plastic surgeon, which wouldn’t surprise me. This tends to be a petty bunch, as there’s nothing a plastic surgeon hates more than to see their peers’ work publicly celebrated. Anyway, people with no ties to or interest in niche plastic surgery drama have been reaching out to ask me if the story was true. Here’s what I found out.

The Lori Loughlin Affair

If you’ve read this far, you should be a little ashamed, but I don’t blame you, either. Apparently, this all stems from a terrible photo taken of Jenner last month at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where the less-than-flattering lighting was well documented by attendees and insiders who complained about the event’s “unforgiving” pictures (that’s putting it politely). “This wouldn’t have failed within a year,” a person close to Jenner said. “Every celebrity at that party looked like shit in the photos. It had the worst lighting I’ve ever seen.” She’s “still very happy with her results,” another person with knowledge of the matter said. They called the story “bullshit,” adding that they recently saw Jenner without makeup and that she looks great. (A spokesperson for Jenner declined to comment. Dr. Levine didn’t respond to a request for comment; neither did a spokesperson for Vanity Fair.)

The Loughlin storyline doesn’t hold up, either. I know that Loughlin just got a facelift from Levine, and it was Jenner who apparently made the introduction. “Kris is the reason Lori’s having a moment, because Kris set her up with Levine,” said a person close to Loughlin. “If you want to say Denise Richards looks better than her, fine. Denise is like 20 years younger than Kris.” (Richards is 55.) Coincidentally, Richards’ facelift was performed by Dr. Ben Talei, the Beverly Hills–based plastic surgeon who was initially credited for Jenner’s facelift last year. (A spokesperson for Loughlin didn’t respond to a request for comment.)

Despite the recent news cycle, people close to Levine say the practice’s business hasn’t been affected yet. He’s still able to charge top dollar, raising his facelift fee from about $100,000 pre-Kris to a current rate of $350,000 to $400,000, with premiums if your timeline is a “super rush”—i.e., needing to squeeze surgery in between filming commitments or needing to heal before awards season. Generally, patients have to wait about six months for their surgery, and male facelifts cost more. (The surgeries take longer, it’s a tougher dissection, there’s thicker skin, beard skin makes them more likely to bleed, and more.)

The price for a Levine consult has jumped from $1,000 to $5,000 in order to weed out people who were scheduling consults expressly to create social media content (revealing details about the meeting, pricing, etcetera). “His office continues to be referral only, and the phone is shut off for general traffic. All patients are screened by referral,” said a person with knowledge of the situation. “He’s trying to only have people come in who very much want surgery, who are already in the know about the product, and not because of Kris. [Maybe] they have a friend he’s operated on. They’re not shoppers, they want the surgery.” The practice is limited to face procedures, they added, with body procedures entertained only if a patient is doing their face at the same time.

What We’re Reading…

The world’s most in-demand Fashion People guest, Jacob Gallagher, is launching a twice-weekly newsletter for The New York Times. Jacob is the only fashion writer whose work I respect (just kidding! sort of…), but really, I implore you to like and subscribe. People keep asking me if it’s too late to start a newsletter. It’s never too late to start something if it’s good, and this will be good. [The Fashions] [And Read Jacob’s Q&A in Feed Me]

There’s so much discourse about Belgian fashion education right now because tons of the big creative directors were educated at the Antwerp School, but also because of the first-ever exhibition on the Antwerp Six. Now comes the first-ever Antwerp Fashion Festival. Should we head over? [WWD]

My former work wife Chantal Fernandez did a fabulous thing and figured out how much all the stuff in the first Devil Wears Prada film would cost today. The interesting thing: The Chanel jacket has not gone up so much, while private school tuition has nearly doubled. [The Cut]

I forgot to talk about Mamdani not going to the Met Gala. He’s making the right decision. [N. Y. Times]

Rihanna by Tim Walker! [W mag]

Today, everyone in Milan was talking about last night’s opening of Restoration Hardware. It’s their first store in Milan, and they paid Margot Robbie and Zoe Saldaña to be there. Everyone was also talking about how they hoped they never have to ever go into Restoration Hardware. Especially in Milan. Perhaps everyone is being elitist, but… everyone is right. [WWD]

Until tomorrow,
Lauren

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