Diddy's Close Up

(NEW YORK) "Yo, this is some exclusive group of people!" exclaimed Tracy Morgan as he surveyed the not-so-humble but intimate scene at 1OAK.  He was right on point--it's not every night that a club banquette is filled by Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Franca Sozanni, André Leon Talley, Zac Posen and Jay-Z. The mogul, celebrating his current cover of L'Uomo Vogue, fine-tuned the atmosphere with a DJ, an offering of signature drinks, and the presence of his trusted videographer. "I love my cover," the host enthused. "Whenever you make it to the front of a magazine and you can't read the story because it's in different language--that's when you know you made it!"

"Sean looks very domineering and serious in this shot," said Posen, while glancing over the magazine. "But he's amazing to work with. He's a real dreamer and great collaborator." But what would Posen's own cover look like? "I would definitely wear one of my gowns with a suit on top!" he quickly decided. Mark Seliger revealed that the shoot almost didn't happen. "This was a very close call," recalled the cover photographer, who gave Sozanni and Combs a signed copy of his latest book. "Things went back and forth for two months until we finally sat down and made it a reality."

Sozanni admitted that she's not entirely familiar with New York City nightlife. "With Diddy here, it's great to enjoy the music and the atmosphere that reflects the moment," she smiled. "But in my private life, I'm much more traditional and classical. Maybe it's because I'm Italian and our parents dragged us to the opera from a very young age." But the Vogue Italia editrix enjoyed the hip-hop beats with the likes of Eve, Cassie, and Rachel Roy--and seemed to momentarily forget about Puccini. There was just one question remaining: what was Puffy going to do with all the high-grade blowup posters of his shoot? "At first I thought the office, but now I'm feeling these in my bedroom. It doesn't get cooler than this in home décor!"
VALENTINE UHOVSKI