Bridezilla was perusing this ingenious (and steamy!) Karl Lagerfeld spread over the weekend, and frankly, it inspired us. Anyone who reads Bridezilla regularly knows it is our pet peeve when successful women marry down in order to feel supported (here’s looking at you, Britney). On that note, we decided to profile 5 fascinating power couples who exemplify true perfectly-matched partnership. Without further ado, Bridezilla gives you a glimpse into the fabulous world of the Egalitarian Elite….
Stella McCartney and Alasdhair Willis.
Power Couple Pedigree:
One of the most eye-candy couples in the British power circuit, the pair’s hard work ethic complements their golden appearances. Indeed, the two seem to move from success to success.
Not content with the sugar-coated life of a socialite, fashion visionary McCartney got her start as an intern at Christian Lacroix at age 15. She then spent four years as Creative Director for Paris fashion house Chloe, where she increased sales by over 500%. Today, McCartney is one of Britian’s most successful fashion designers, and her amazing ambitious drive has earned her the nickname “Stella Steel.”
For his part, Willis started out selling ad space for popular lad mag Maxim, then went on to become the publisher of edgy style magazine Wallpaper. Today, Willis is the CEO of upscale furniture manufacturing company Established and Sons, housed in London, Tokyo, New York and Milan at the time of print.
A study in both critical acclaim and commercial success, Willis notoriously sold a debut furniture showpiece, the Zaha Hadid Aqua table at auction in New York for the tidy sum of almost $300,000. Willis was also profiled in Time Magazine’s “The Style and Design 100” 2007 list. An article in The New York Times Style section this past September called the company “already one of the coolest on the planet.”
And then of course, there’s the wedding. This Bridezilla-worthy wedding was a secret ceremony held on the 300-acre Gothic Estate on Scotland’s Island of Bute. The reception included artichoke souffles, wild mushroom tarts and strawberries and cream, enjoyed by such high-profile guests as Madonna and Gwyeth Paltrow. Aww Factor: Says Willis of their first meeting, “We literally haven’t been parted since that day.” With three children and four years of marriage, this is one Mogul Marriage worth watching.
Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter.
Power Couple Pedigree: In the world of fickle Hollywood couples, we think there is something incredibly romantic about a big-time director who’s lady love is always his leading lady. In addition to English Rose cinematic charm, Bonham Carter hails from a bloodline of great prominence- her great-grandfather was former British Prime Minister Herbert H. Asquith and her father was Raymond Bonham Carter, a noted merchant banker. Bonham Carter is a smartie as well as a stunner, having gotten her start as an actress by using the money garnered from a national poetry prize to enroll herself in an acting directory. Burton showed similar early academic prowess as, after high school, he won a Disney scholarship to attend the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. We’re sure Walt is rolling over in his grave right now.
Burton and Bonham Carter are a match made in Brooding Black Comedy heaven, having collaborated on such Gothic gems as The Corpse Bride, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and currently, Sweeney Todd. The unconventional but perfectly matched couple defined “moving in together” as knocking down a wall between their adjacent homes, and are expecting their second child. Bridezilla chose this pair because they exhibit a key Power Couple trait: their sum power is stronger than their single abilities. We also find their devotion despite a certain darker sensibility refreshing.
Aww Factor: “I met Tim again at my brother’s house, and magic happened,” Carter told the Radio Times. “It was like someone taking my world and twisting it a crucial 15 degrees.”
Barack and Michelle Obama.
Power Couple Pedigree: Polls aside, Barack and Michelle Obama have our vote for cutest political power couple to date! Young, fashionable and exotic, this couple breaks stereotypes with a seemingly unshakeable bond.
While many First Ladies are more Vanna White than White House, Miss Obama boldly nixes the blank-smile and beauty queen wave with some big-time clout all her own.
Matching in salary what her husband brings in stature, Michelle Obama is not only drop-dead beautiful, but brings in a cool $385,000 salary as vice-president for external relations at the University of Chicago Hospitals-double what her husband makes. Educated at Princeton and Harvard, Michelle proves herself a worthy match to one of the nation’s most charismatic Presidential candidates.Her admirers say she “combines the poise of Jackie Kennedy with the brain of Hillary Clinton..” Bridezilla couldn’t agree more!
For his part, Barack Obama is no slouch in the education department, holding degrees from both Harvard and Columbia University. While at Harvard he became the first black president of The Harvard Law Review. In addition to his slew of political successes, Obama breaks even more barriers by fulfilling that rare political accomplishment: he is actually a good writer too! His two novels The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from my Father are both best-sellers. In 2005 and again in 2007, Time magazine named him one of “the world’s most influential people.”
Barack Obama is not only a dynamic speaker with a passionate social conscience, but a committed family man who spends Thursday-Sunday at home even while on the cut-throat campaign trail (unlike some people Bridezilla could think of, who just abandon their cancer-ridden wives to kiss babies, but we digress…) This First Man FrontRunner is also no stranger to Mr. Clean; Barack is the official dishwasher at the Obama residence. Precious! Aww Factor: Says Michelle of her mate,”Barack didn’t pledge riches, only a life that would be interesting. On that promise he’s delivered.” We think that’s nice!
Bjork and Matthew Barney.
Power Couple Pedigree: An unparalleled versatility in contributions to the art world qualify the quirky pair as Bridezilla’s fourth Power Couple. Each is insanely talented, producing a high volume of intricate work seemingly without stopping. And it seems these eccentric artists are as in love as ever.
First there’s Bjork, an iconoclastic force of creativity who singlehandedly put Iceland on the map with her unique brand of pixie pop. Since being discovered at age 11, she has been nominated for 12 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and two Golden Globe awards (including one for acting). Bjork ranked #36 on VH1’s “The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll” and #8 on MTV’s “22 Greatest Voices in Music”. She continues to crank out some of the world’s most unusual, yet consistent music, characterized by her haunting style and pinched, wavering voice.
Matthew Barney on the other hand, is a Yale graduate and former J. Crew model who renounced a more conventional path to success in favor of large petroleum jelly sculptures. Bridezilla supposes it was only a matter of time before Barney and Bjork found one another. Hailed by The New York Times as “the most important American artist of his generation,” Barney matches Bjork pound for pound in extravagant expression and inspirational drive.
From film, sculpture, photography and performance art, Barney is best-known for his film series “The Cremaster Cycle,” an offbeat exploration including Celtic traditions and FreeMasons, to name a few themes.
Though notoriously private about their relationship, the couple’s collaboration on both their daughter Isadora, born in 2003 and as actors in Barney’s 2006 Drawn Restraint 9, show the pair is still going strong. Aww Factor: When discussing his decision to cast Bjork in his movie, Barney is quoted as saying, “I thought that working with Bjork would make it easier to tell a love story. ” Bjork, with her famously complex gift of language, says of Barney, “He’s kind of a submarine.” Deep!
Larry Page and Lucy Southworth. He’s one of the richest men in the world, she’s a PHD candidate with family connections to the Bushes. Southworth combines California-girl sunny good looks with serious brains: the bright young Stanford student has degrees from the the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford. She’s done medical work in South Africa and is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in BioMedical Informatics, a burgeoning field that uses high-level technology for biotech research. Not quite Underwater Basketweaving, Bridezilla notes.
And Lady Fortune is smiling on Larry Page as well. Since taking Google public August 2004, the Google Co-Founder’s rise in wealth outpaces the rate set by contemporaries Bill Gates and Paul Allen.The World Economic Forum also named Page as a Global Leader for Tomorrow. Lastly, Page ranked 4 on Forbes 2007 list of Richest Americans. We repeat, 4.
But Southworth has loved him since he was at least number six or seven, as the couple has been dating for over a year. The very Bridezilla-worthy wedding will be held this December on Necker Island, the Caribbean hideaway owned by Virgin billionaire Richard Branson. Guests are slated to include San Francisco god-mayor Gavin Newsom as well as many Google-ites.
A seamless blend of education and wealth, the Page-Southworth pairing puts a fresh, sexy face on dot.com power couples. Rather than just staying home playing Guitar Hero as one might expect, this couple is taking a prime seat in the jet-setting social scene, partying with the likes of Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and high-society doyenne Denise Hale.
Hale, who counts Princess Michael of Kent, Israel Philharmonic conductor Zubin Mehta and actor Michael Caine among her friends and has watched many a high-profile marriage flash-in-the-pan, says this is one couple with staying power.
“What else do you want?” comments Hale. “They’re very much in love, and they’re going to be the next great couple to do great things together. It’s a great combination.” Uuuh….sounds great!
And now, with this last purely-for-shock-value picture of the software mogul getting randy with his biotech babe, Bridezilla gracefully concludes this edition of 5 Fascinating Power Couples. Eww. Oooh. Eww.
