SUSAN HOLMES MCKAGAN CELEBRATES “THE VELVET ROSE” WITH A STAR-STUDDED BOOKMARC SIGNING
Supermodel, author, and entrepreneur Susan Holmes McKagan brought fashion, literature, and rock ’n’ roll together on August 11 for a signing of her bestselling novel, “The Velvet Rose,” at Bookmarc in New York City.
The evening drew a crowd of fashion and music insiders, including Susan’s husband, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, designer Christian Siriano, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus, Mary Alice Stephenson, Judith Regan, George Wayne, nightlife icon Dianne Brill, legendary publicist Susan Blond, and The Untitled Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Indira Cesarine. Kelly Cutrone of People’s Revolution hosted and managed the evening’s lineup of fans and VIP guests.
Alongside signed copies of “The Velvet Rose,” the event featured limited-edition vinyl signed by Duff McKagan, further blurring the lines between literary launch and rock-world gathering. Held at Marc Jacobs’ West Village bookstore, the signing offered a fitting setting for a novel rooted in the intersecting worlds of high fashion, celebrity, and music.
Set during the early 1990s, “The Velvet Rose” follows Scarlet, a painter and high-fashion model working across some of the world’s major fashion capitals. Her life shifts when she meets Johnny, a musician in the emerging band The Westies, just as the group approaches superstardom. What follows is a turbulent journey through fame, addiction, infidelity, ambition, and the complexities of loving a musician whose career is rapidly taking off.
The novel draws authenticity from Holmes McKagan’s proximity to the cultures it portrays. Throughout her modeling career, she appeared on the covers of publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire. She also walked the runways of Paris, Milan, and New York for Chanel, Versace, Prada, John Galliano, Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Siriano, Armani, and more.
Holmes McKagan has been married to Duff McKagan—a founding and current member of Guns N’ Roses and founding member of Velvet Revolver—for nearly three decades. The book’s title offers a playful nod to the rock universe she has experienced firsthand, but its story ultimately centers on Scarlet’s determination to claim an identity and future of her own.
“Susan writes with such a vivid authenticity in ‘The Velvet Rose’ because of her history and in depth experience in the world of fashion and rock n’ roll,” actress Juliette Lewis said of the novel. “She offers such a unique and very rich perspective within the details of these worlds not a lot of writers can say they have.”
Beyond modeling and fiction, Holmes McKagan has written features and interviews for publications including The Huffington Post and PopWrapped. She hosts the weekly SiriusXM show “Three Chords & The Truth” and designs Susan Holmes Swimwear, with pieces that have appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and People. She also co-designs a capsule collection with her daughter Mae McKagan, a graduate of Parsons School of Design, and recently completed Harvard University’s Graduate Creative Writing Program.
The New York celebration continued the following evening, when Holmes McKagan invited an intimate group of guests to watch Guns N’ Roses perform from her VIP box at MetLife Stadium. Among those joining her were Cesarine, Siriano, Brill—who was dubbed the “Queen of the Night” by Andy Warhol—Maryanne Grisz, President and CEO of The Fashion Group International, Cutrone, and more. Following the show, the guests headed backstage to continue the celebrations.
The two nights offered an appropriately rock ’n’ roll connection between the real-life world behind “The Velvet Rose” and its fictional counterpart, bringing together figures from fashion, music, publishing, and New York nightlife.
A portion of the proceeds from “The Velvet Rose” benefits Wags & Walks, a nonprofit dog-rescue organization. Holmes McKagan has also supported Rise Above, Women Who Rock, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, and Project Angel Food.
