These days, Diddy is all business

By LUIS ARROYAVE

CHICAGO — Sean “Diddy” Combs was about to sit down for our interview at the Hard Rock Hotel recently when he noticed a poster for Croc vodka, the alcohol line he co-owns, in the corner of the room. Without saying a word, Combs drifted over to the vodka ad, stared at it for a few seconds like it was a piece of art and then quietly explained to an associate what sort of changes he wanted to see.

Combs was in business mode — or maybe it just seemed that way because of his serious demeanor.

The hip-hop entrepreneur, who I was told was feeling under the weather, has been in business mode a lot lately. Besides vodka, he is promoting male and female fragrances, I Am King and Unforgivable, respectively (maybe you saw his Nov. 30 appearance on the Home Shopping Network), and his new band, “Dirty Money,” which features Diddy, ex-Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper.

Then there’s his coming album, “Last Train to Paris,” which was supposed to come out in September but has been pushed back to 2010.

“I don’t know the exact month,” Diddy said about the release date. “We’re going to have it come out when it’s ready. We’re bringing everything together, editing it down. We did 60 songs. Also, we’re figuring out what’s missing.”

Combs wore a brown ribbed sweater, jeans and a New York Yankees baseball cap during the interview. It seemed almost dressed down by “Diddy” standards, but then again, he can’t always rock the suit-shades-and-a-toothpick look he’s become known for.

Combs admitted his suits haven’t always been so sharp. He feels the suits he wore in the early ’90s were his biggest fashion mistake to date.

“One time there was this style to have an oversize suit,” Combs said. “It was so disrespectful. Imagine a fine-tailored, double-breasted Ralph Lauren suit, but you buy it four times bigger. After that, I learned about suits and became a suit specialist.”

When asked which current fashion trend he would most like to see go away, Combs responded, “Those really skinny, tight spandex jeans for guys. I don’t like that. It’s too tight for a guy, man.”

On Nov. 19, Combs celebrated his 40th birthday with a lavish party at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

It was reported that the party cost him around $3 million (which seems believable, given Combs’ rep), but the New York native said the party wasn’t that expensive and that it was mostly paid by sponsors.