The Princess and the Queens

The very first shot of Oliver Hirschbiegel 's Diana, which opens in the U.S. tomorrow, doesn't feature the Princess of Wales. Rather, the frame depicts a tossed-aside Lady Dior bag—diamond quilted and instantly recognizable—providing the first of many sartorial nods to the late princess: It was Diana herself for whom the purse was named. Last night, too, there were plenty of fashion hits at the film's Cinema Society and Allure-hosted premiere in New York City. Lead actress Naomi Watts , for one, stole the red carpet in a Spring '14 Michael Kors stunner.



When pressed as to a favorite fashionable moment of Diana's, Watts replied: "The blue one-shouldered Versace dress that she wore in Sydney. It was very strong—and could still be worn today." Anna Sui 's? "That dress from when she danced with John Travolta. That was a complete 180 degrees away from her wedding—it was very sexy." Sui was referring to a velvet Victor Edelstein number, which Diana donned for a Washington, D.C., function in 1985; it would later go on to sell for $362,000 at auction.



Despite the quiet post-film mood (we all know how the story ends), moviegoers headed to David Rabin's brand-new jewel box in the clouds, The Skylark, for the premiere's after-party. "Endless Gotham!" proclaimed one reveler of the venue's jaw-dropping views. The night ended with a Halloween primer at the Maritime Hotel's Tao Downtown, where Marchesa threw a costume fete. "I was told to be extremely strict—costumes only," warned the doorman. Peter Brant II held court front and center, while Nicky Hilton partied at a table in the back, and Genevieve Bahrenburg sang along to rock anthems spun by DJ Nick Cohen. As far as getups, there was a Karl Lagerfeld and a Rodarte-clad Black Swan Natalie Portman, but, alas, no Princess Di sightings.

—Nick Remsen

Shakespeare in the Plaza

Between fashion weeks, Lincoln Center seems relatively desolate without the obligatory crush of photographers and would-be street-style stars. But last night the plaza came alive again, as paps and the smart set turned out for American Ballet Theatre's season kickoff gala. The annual bash (sponsored this year by Clinique and Badgley Mischka) offers ballet-goers a chance to sample the company's offerings in a condensed program. Though Balanchine and two world premieres made for a weighty bill, it was the debut of Alexei Ratmansky's The Tempest that was on the lips of everyone from Bebe Neuwirth and Sigourney Weaver to James Lipton, who reminisced about his own ballet studies.



Others were happy just to be there, no matter what the material, like Jessica Stam , who was preparing to jet off to China the next day, and Elettra Wiedemann , who confessed, "I love getting the Cliffs Notes version of a bunch of different ballets, and then I feel like I've done my cultural outing for a while!" Michelle Ochs was on hand with ABT soloist Isabella Boylston, one of the company's many dancers that Cushnie et Ochs has dressed over the past four years. As to how Ochs attributes the partnership's longevity? "What better way to showcase your clothes? It's unreal! If anyone can wear off-the-runway samples…"



Post-performance, guests retired upstairs for dinner and dancing (with tunes courtesy of DJ "Mad Marg" Gubelmann). The hall was decked out in on-theme finery, with columns transformed into whirling cyclones. Guests compared notes on the performance over something called Tempest antipasti. ;"



Alan Cumming , who dubbed his attire for the evening "dandyish," showed off his own dancing shoes (Louboutin) and an appropriately Shakespearean shirt with built-in cravat, the designer of which failed him, though he gamely offered up his collar for further inspection—as well as his thoughts on the evening: "I like seeing nubile bodies jumping around onstage." And who could blame him?

—Kristin Anderson

Board Meeting

Never ones to shy away from a splashy themed affair, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon hosted a dinner for their new Kenzo Kalifornia bag at The Berrics skate park in downtown Los Angeles last night. The just-launched design, equal parts Parisian heritage and West Coast cool, is a reference to the designers' adolescence among skate culture. Co-hosts China Chow and Rashida Jones arrived with artist Alex Israel and stylist Brad Goreski , respectively. And the dinner, prepared by chef Nina Clemente of Root of All Food, brought out the likes of Fergie , Jenny Lewis , Rose McGowan , Miranda July , and Jessica Alba . One and all were impressed by the coordinated and choreographed skate sets that took place throughout the indoor park—and down the dinner table. "For thirty-some odd years I've been trying to skate," Leon told Style.com. "I didn't skate as a kid, but I always did try."

—Alexis Brunswick

Give 'Em the Slip

—Brittany Adams

Little Italy

It was Sicily in Soho last night, with Dolce & Gabbana underwriting the 19th annual Artwalk NY soirée, benefiting the Coalition for the Homeless. A transformed Mercer Street space—cavernous, hot, chock-full of glittering donated art that could be had for a steal if you got lucky—saw a lot of the Italian label's ornate frocks. "It's a little heavy," said Hilary Rhoda of her bejeweled sanguine shift, "but it's just so fun to wear." Pretty fashion things aside, the party raised a huge amount of money for the coalition, a particularly resonant cause given the anniversary of a certain superstorm. Mid-evening, Bettina Prentice giddily let on, "You guys, we're almost at a million dollars!"



"It's such a great organization, such an important thing to support, and it's especially poignant considering today marks one year since Sandy," said the evening's artist honoree Roxy Paine . Famed for his dendroid sculptures (you might remember his installation atop the Met a few summers back), Paine donated an "overlay fungus drawing" to the live auction, which also included submissions from Chuck Close , Ed Ruscha, and Jenny Holzer. Dolce & Gabbana T-shirts printed with portraits taken on-site by artist Jessica Craig-Martin could be had for $350. Looking around, Rhoda remarked, "This is a really nice party, but out there, there's a real problem. I would encourage people to go out on the vans, deliver food, and get involved. People have to be sure to go full circle."

—Nick Remsen

Rank and Style

Food Fright

"You don't really feel like an American unless you've had one good Halloween party," explained Jason Wu from the entrance of Mister H, the site of Emerson and The Byrne Notice's packed-to-capacity (and delightfully unrestrained) Halloween bash. "I'm going to Europe tomorrow, so this is my only Halloween thing."



The party, themed "A Sick Halloween" (guests were encouraged to dress up as "Food Fright," i.e., "anything food-related, freaky, or gross"), was a smoky, boozy affair, complete with free-flowing Champagne and more than a few Heinz-inspired revelers moving to the beat of Harley Viera-Newton 's mix of classic and nineties hits. Derek Blasberg , Zachary Quinto, Andrew Bevan, and Atlanta de Cadenet co-hosted the gathering, and downtown staples Chelsea Leyland and May Kwok pitched in on the decks.



For many, it was the night to let loose—"I'm having fun, no work tonight," grinned Alexa Chung from the dance floor, with a hot pink-maned Joan Smalls and pirate Martha Hunt in view. Others saw the Sick Halloween as just the beginning. "I didn't want to go crazy with the makeup or the hair because it's only the weekend!" exclaimed Bryan Grey Yambao , in a Prada Spring ’14 headdress and en route to Susanne Bartsch's Buddakan-hosted fête with Wu. "I'm going to dress up like Anna Wintour for Heidi Klum's party."

—Ashley Simpson

RTRC

One and Only

"One Night Only," the invite beckoned. To be sure, Giorgio Armani 's retrospective in New York last night is not something easily repeated. Nor would just any ordinary pier quite contain it—and so the extravaganza went down at Chelsea's SuperPier, which had been dressed up for the occasion in acres of pristine beige walls and carpeting.



The proceedings began with a runway show that looked back through nearly ten years of Armani Privé collections and included his July Haute Couture show, Nude, in its entirety. "It was quite emotional; it brought back a lot of memories of girls wearing [the clothes]," concluded Bruce Weber , one of the 700 or so people in the audience. The only important New Yorker not in the crowd was Mayor Bloomberg, but he made up for it by proclaiming yesterday Giorgio Armani Day.



By the entrance—which is to say, nearly 1,000 feet away—the likes of Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close toured Eccentrico, a meticulously arranged exhibition of Armani's more daring creations from 1985 to the present. "He's a living treasure," Lauren Hutton declared. Guests including Renée Zellweger , Martin Scorsese , Naomi Watts , and Oscar de la Renta queued up for photos with Mr. Armani. And nearby, inside a purpose-built nightclub, Leonardo DiCaprio and some of the other A-listers mingled while Mark Ronson got a legitimate dance party going.



Linda Fargo, wearing a black-feathered Armani homage of sorts, pondered all the man-hours and resources that Armani (the designer and the company alike) had poured into the evening and into the clothes it celebrated. "I don't think he would enjoy living without working—regardless of the tan," she said. "I'm a little ruined. Things are going to look a bit shabby after this."

—Darrell Hartman

Pandemonium in Paris

"I don't want to be a rock star," said Isabel Marant at a private preview of her highly anticipated H&M collection several hours before its official launch party in Paris last night. Whether or not Marant craves the celebrity status (and signing autographs for the fans chasing her down in airports) that comes with a mass collaboration like this, the French designer's scope is unquestionably global now, and the soirée at the Tennis Club de Paris was fittingly epic. Freida Pinto , Audrey Tautou , January Jones , Olga Kurylenko , and Alice Dellal were just a handful of the starlets who trekked out to the 16th arrondissement site to celebrate Isabel Marant Pour H&M, and, naturally, they turned up on the red carpet dressed in already-recognizable pieces from the new range.



"I love Isabel's clothes. They're bohemian, chic, fun, and easy to wear, and I think it's really cool that she's doing a line that will be sold everywhere," Jones told Style.com. Alek Wek , who appears in the accompanying campaign, said, "My nieces are so thrilled because they are students and have always wanted to be able to afford Isabel." Pinto, who was sporting the standout shrunken embellished jacket and fringed booties from the capsule (a compilation of Marant's greatest hits) did a quick twirl for the cameras, then said, "Girls are known to wear the most uncomfortable shoes, but these are very comfortable—I'm going to be able to walk around a lot." It's a good thing her footwear was comfy because the evening ahead involved a whole lot of dancing.



H&M transformed the Tennis Club into a laissez-faire street fair, with a sprawl of food vendors and a roller derby rink as well as a hidden nineties-style nightclub complete with a smoking room in the back. Keeping up with the throwback theme, old-school hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Melle Mel took to the stage and had everyone vibing along to such hits as "The Message" and "Rapper's Delight" (not to mention an a cappella rendition of "Billie Jean"). After a quick presentation with models grooving on top of a bar underneath a giant disco ball, guests were invited to shop the collection early, and pandemonium ensued. One eager girl broke into tears while trying to writhe her way to the front of the line; racks of chunky knits, lacy tunics, skinny trousers, and oversize outerwear (for the first time, Marant also offered menswear and kids' items) were picked over in seconds flat and registers were ringing furiously.



Taking in the scene, model-of-the-moment Drake Burnette said, "I didn't quite get Isabel's aesthetic until I met her. As a Texan, I was like, who is this French chick creeping on American Western style? Now I'm totally down. Apparently, so is everyone else." Earlier in the day, Marant told Style.com, "This [collaboration] was a very good way to give back the love that I'm receiving from people. I know when I really make something that is desirable because I myself cannot wait to have it, and sometimes you have this magic moment when you really achieve something that is a hit." We'd say she's got another one on her hands.

—Brittany Adams

Is That a Wig?

Of Book Groups and Celebrity Groupies

Is there anything Miuccia Prada doesn't do? The designer is an undisputed force in not just fashion, but all aspects of contemporary creative culture, from art to filmmaking to—as was evidenced at last night's Prada Journal reading—literature. Hosted at Prada's Soho store, with Oliver Platt as MC, the event celebrated five writers (Mattia Conti , Leisl Egan , Angel Mario Fernández, Sarah Harris Wallman, and Peng Yang ) from around the globe whose short stories (all of which had to include something about glasses, as the occasion was sponsored by Prada Eyewear) were deemed outstanding. Actors and authors Jonathan Ames , Zoe Kazan , Anthony Mackie , Jay McInerney , and Gary Shteyngart read the winners' work aloud to a crowd that included Mamie Gummer and Helena Christensen . Of course, there were the requisite starving-writer jokes—Shteyngart said that as a writer, he can't afford clothes so he makes his from mail sacks he finds in the trash. "I believe these are called pants in the industry," he said, looking down at his Prada threads.



The authors—four of whom were in attendance—were thrilled with the soirée. "It was surreal. I was so honored to hear someone else reading my story—normally it's just a voice in my head," said Egan. "It was very emotional for me. I'm Italian, so this is very exciting. And it's my first time in New York!" added Conti. Shteyngart, for his part, offered some comical words of wisdom: "Writing is awful. I want to be an actor, or a comedian, or an air-conditioning repairman." Mackie, best known for his starring role in The Hurt Locker, concurred: "Yeah, they always have work. The only other people who have nonstop work are plumbers." We doubt that the actor will give up his part in the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier film to fix sinks, but there's something to be said for a steady gig.



Further east at Schapiro's, Topshop hosted a dinner to celebrate the launch of Kate Bosworth 's luxe winter line for the retailer. In stores today, the range comprises smartly cut, monochromatic, mostly leather wares, and is presented in a punk-meets-New-Wave-inspired campaign film directed by Bosworth's new hubby, Michael Polish . "There isn't enough time in this life for me to work with him," said Bosworth, who was decked out in red leather pants and a matching knit top from her collection. "She teaches me things I never knew," added Polish. But would the director, who met Bosworth on the set of their latest film, Big Sur, let his wife design his next ensemble? "Oh, my God," he said, "I'd love it."

—Katharine K. Zarrella

Premium Ruscha

The Whitney Museum of American Art is used to overcoming adversity. After all, it was born when the Metropolitan Museum declined a donation of 700 works of art from Mrs. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and she decided to open a museum of her own. At last night's gala, sponsored by Louis Vuitton and held at Moynihan Station, honoree Ed Ruscha made his allegiance known. "Well, there are a lot of ironies in this fire," he said. "The Met will now be renting rooms at the Whitney!" He wasn't the only one who saw the humor in the Metropolitan leasing the building now occupied by the Whitney at East 75th Street and Madison Avenue once the Whitney moves to its new space downtown in 2015. Talk about artistic revenge.



In museum years, that opening is just around the corner, but chairwoman Brooke Garber Neidich told Style.com she feels confident about how things are going. "We just did a hard-hat tour with the mayor yesterday," she said, adding that the honeybees on the roof of the current museum will make the trip to the Meatpacking District. Harley Viera Newton was pleased to hear it: "Maybe when the new Whitney opens I'll wear one of those beekeeper masks. It might be in 2015, but you have to plan these things out." After dinner, the studio party drew its usual blend of socialites and younger patrons of the arts. The Whitney has some glamorous pals in its corner, among them Michelle Williams , Taylor Schilling , and Zoë Kravitz , who spent most of the evening with actress Riley Keough , the eldest grandchild of Elvis Presley.

—Todd Plummer

SH

The Stars Align

"When I saw the invitation, I assumed I was receiving an award," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the Fashion Group International's Night of Stars last night. "After all, I created twelve years of mayoral outfits with just two pairs of loafers and two colors of business suits. If that doesn't qualify me for a lifetime award, I don't know what does." As it happens, our outgoing mayor was presenting an award to his friend and CEO of Coach, Lew Frankfort , but that doesn't mean Bloomberg can't relate to the fashion set. On the contrary, he knew exactly how to get the room buzzing when he announced that Hudson Yards—where Coach is set to be the first landmark tenant—will in fact be the new home of New York fashion week. When Frankfort took the stage to accept his award, he also announced that Coach will donate $15 million toward developing fashion week's new home.



Simon Doonan, who hosts the event every year, got the crowd going with sarcastic, highly editorialized introductory remarks for all of the evening's award winners: "Carine , you were once in the gutters of Montparnasse, hurling unsolicited fashion critiques… Nadja Swarovski , they called you the Shirley Temple of the Tyrol, the star of Toddlers und Tiaras…And Alexander Wang , thanks to Benjamin Button disease and that gender reassignment surgery, you are now a youthful man, and getting younger every year." Among the other honorees being gently roasted by Doonan were Angela Missoni , Deborah Needleman , and Christopher Kane , who would later receive his award from Alexa Chung .



And if that didn't get guests going, when it came time for Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy to receive their Superstar Award, not only did Miley Cyrus turn out to introduce them, but Aretha Franklin took the stage for a surprise performance of "Respect." Upon accepting his award, Jacobs thanked Duffy: "You are my partner in every sense, except the biblical one—we've never even kissed each other. But I look forward to our partnership continuing, as the most meaningful relationship I will ever know."



It's a poignant moment for Jacobs given his recent departure from Louis Vuitton. But as it turns out, unsurprisingly, the decision was a joint one. Duffy told Style.com, "I'm about to turn 60, so I just said to Marc, 'Listen, I'd really like to just have one full-time job.'"

—Todd Plummer

Trick or Chic

Pictures for Paz

"Bigger and better." That's how Project Paz co-founder Eugenia Gonzalez Ruiz-Olloqui described the organization's growth last night at its annual Project Art event, a benefit to support peacemaking in her native Juarez, Mexico. Co-chairman Adal Gutiérrez, who also spent formative years in the area, reminisced about the day Project Paz was founded: "I remember it was at Karla Martinez 's apartment. It was a random Sunday morning, we had a lot of ideas, and tonight is the result four years later. I never had the dream of helping other people, but it has become a reality."



The dream of Project Paz is to end violence by getting children off the streets and into various creative after-school programs. Co-host Sofía Sanchez Barrenechea said, "I come from Argentina, a not-so-safe area, so I can absolutely tell you there is value in helping children."



One such program funded by the Project is a photography workshop where children are encouraged to shoot Juarez as they see it. About a dozen or so of their pictures—images of other children running, of barren landscapes—were part of the auction last night. Struck by the children's photographs, Jason Wu told Style.com, "When I was young, I was involved in various art programs, and nowadays, I am a creative. This project is helping to cultivate Mexico's next generation of creative people, which is crucial."

—Todd Plummer

Waris Is In the House

In 1947, the Luxembourg-based diamond conglomerate De Beers coined the phrase "A Diamond Is Forever." Sixty-some years later, the group is making sure this "forever" is one that carries meaning, focusing on ethically sourced and produced jewels—and, in a new collection with Waris Ahluwalia 's House of Waris for Forevermark, some very special baubles that are much more than a girl's best friend.



The collection launched on Friday with a fete at the Upper East Side's Explorers Club. "The inspiration for years now is love and history. That never changes. That never goes away," said Ahluwalia from the stairwell of the storied clubhouse. "And I like to go to the source and see who's making it, who's behind it—the impact it has on the larger picture. I'd been wanting to go to Africa to visit mines for a long time now."



The jeweler at last made his way to the source this past year—to Botswana and South Africa, specifically—where he visited the mines and the polishing, cutting, and sorting facilities ("those are all skilled labor jobs that require education, so that's resulted in a growing middle class," he explained), as well as local schools and preservation-minded game reserves.



Friday's party, complete with a feast of South African specialties, took us into that world. "I've been told that [the diamond market makes a positive impact], but I wanted to see it with my own eyes," he said, as guests including the likes of Vanessa Traina and Maxwell Snow , Natasha Lyonne , Devendra Banhart , and Olivier Theyskens made their way to the second floor of the Jacobean mansion to drink a little wine, view the pieces up close, and trace the jeweler's journey to the heart of the diamond's southern African origins. "It was incredible," Ahluwalia continued.



As for the jewels themselves? "They're very delicate," commented model Kenza Fourati , with the Explorers Club's signature stuffed polar bear in view. "They're beautiful," added Johan Lindeberg . "It's Waris."

—Ashley Simpson

Oh, the Places They'll Go

RTRC

The Big Frieze

Just when London starts getting dark and cold and thoughts turn to nesting…bam! The Frieze Fair starts and everybody's inner party animal is freed. First up on Monday night was a dinner at Berners Tavern hosted by Jefferson Hack and Ian Schrager's new hotel, the London Edition, to celebrate the art of film—that is, the five Johnnie Shand Kydd -directed clips Edition created with online mag Nowness. Lily Cole , Jade Jagger , Lily Donaldson, Annabelle Neilson , and Bella Freud dropped by. Dinner was followed by a private view of the exhibition Brutal, held in the basement venue of 180 The Strand by the man who discovered Banksy, Steve Lazarides. On Tuesday, collector Valeria Napoleone invited Roksanda Ilincic, Osman Yousefzada, Mary Katrantzou, and Erdem Moralioglu to her place to celebrate the Judith Hopf exhibit—all this and Frieze hadn't even officially started. When it finally did kick off on Wednesday, the VIP preview attracted not just deep-pocketed collectors but models (Saffron Aldridge), royalty (Viscount Linley and Lady Helen Taylor), and pop stars (Nick Rhodes).



But the most elegant affair came last night. Together with the founders of Frieze, Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton hosted a candlelit dinner at the seventeenth-century Christ Church Spitalfields, where, poignantly, McQueen presented his epic Fall 1996 Dante collection. Instagrammers went nuts for the huge oak tables laden with crystal and exquisite floral displays, the majestic nave, and the paintings of Henry VIII. If the gospel choir didn't get you, the sight of Kate Moss palling around with Florence Welch , Rachel Feinstein Currin , and Tracey Emin did. "Frieze is an endless source of inspiration. I mean, just look around at the people in this room," Burton told Style.com. "It is a time, I think, when everyone's creative juices are turbo-powered, even if just by osmosis."



The party didn't end there, though, as many went on to celebrate the launch of Acne Paper's Issue 15 with editor Thomas Persson at Mr. Chow in Knightsbridge. Well past the witching hour, sleepy waiters tried to shuffle an energetic crowd out the door, but the likes of Christopher Kane , Louise Wilson , and Haider Ackermann were having none of that. "I don't think they know what they are up against with this crowd," Richard Nicoll said around 1 a.m. "Poor guys don't know the party hasn't even started for us yet."

—Afsun Qureshi

Command Performance

In May, Salvatore Ferragamo hosted a cocktail party to toast the fall opening of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Last night, the Italian luxury label swapped the cocktails for a black-tie gala to formally fete the center's debut. Roaming the halls of the new Beverly Hills cultural destination—which includes a revamped Depression-era post office and 500-seat theater—was a veritable who's who of A-list stars including Charlize Theron , a pregnant Gwen Stefani with husband Gavin Rossdale , Demi Moore , Tim Robbins , and Jodie Foster . "When Wallis [Annenberg] first told me about this idea for a cultural center ten years ago, I thought it would be the equivalent of a marionette theater, but it's obviously turned out to be so much more," the evening's co-chair, Jamie Tisch , told Style.com. "It's amazing to finally see it come to fruition."



Paying homage to the Annenbergs' post office past, stars Kevin Spacey, Diane Lane , and John Lithgow read letters written by Tennessee Williams, Peter Tchaikovsky, and other bygone artists. The night's performances carried over to dinner, with singing from Italian operatic tenor Vittorio Grigolo as well as a Ferragamo fashion show featuring catwalkers Alessandra Ambrosio and Karolina Kurkova . The fashion crowd was in full effect: Olivier Zahm , André Saraiva , Rachel Zoe , and Joe Zee. "Prior to its transformation, I used this lot as a staging ground for photo shoots. I mean, look how chic it is," said Zee. "It's steps away, right? You can shop and grab some culture along the way."



Shopping and culture in L.A.? Finally.

—Azadeh Ensha

What Lara Did Next

God's Love Kors Delivers

Anyone who still thinks Hillary Clinton isn't running for president in 2016 hasn't been to a party with her lately. Last night she was honored with the inaugural (coincidence?) Michael Kors Award for Community Service at a fundraiser for charitable meal delivery service God's Love We Deliver, and as Mr. Kors gave his introductory remarks, you could hear a pin drop in Spring Studios.



Earlier in the program, Iman had said, "Michael is a connector. He knows someone, who knows someone, and puts people together." Hence the diverse group of Team Kors in attendance, Hilary Swank , Olivia Munn , Sigourney Weaver , and Bette Midler included.



But it was all eyes on Clinton when she joined Kors and Anna Wintour onstage to accept her award. Said Clinton: "It's great being introduced by two of my fellow fashion icons…. Michael's generosity and enthusiasm are infectious. What he has done with his philanthropy is a great tribute to him, but also a challenge to the rest of us, to keep giving back."



Last year Kors donated $5 million to God's Love We Deliver. His donation certainly proved inspirational last night. Kors' longtime investor Lawrence Stroll made a singular $500,000 donation to the cause. And all in all, more than $3 million was raised, making the event the most successful in the organization's history.



As the evening came to a close and guests filed out, Kors told Style.com, "The best part of the night was hearing Mrs. Clinton speak—she's so captivating and energizing. And, of course, she was wearing Michael Kors, so it was heaven."

—Todd Plummer

Apartment Envy

"I would totally live here," said Joseph Altuzarra at last night's launch of The Apartment. Judging by the way other guests, like Alexander Wang , Reed Krakoff , and Kate Young , kicked back on the velvet couch, fox-fur blankets, and plush white bed, Altuzarra wasn't alone. Set on Soho's Greene Street, The Apartment is the material manifestation of TheLine.com —a carefully curated retail venture headed up by Vanessa Traina and Morgan Wendelborn . "The Web site is more of our storefront, so we felt like we could have fun with the physical space," said Traina of the loftlike shop, which boasts hardwood floors, white walls, vintage and designer furniture, and a shoppable closet fully stocked with wares from Reed Krakoff, Vince, and The Line's house label, Protagonist. "One of the main goals for us is to put things in context, and what better way to contextualize the product than to make it feel livable?"



Indeed, the space felt like someone's (albeit an impossibly chic someone) home—artworks were hung in all the right places; bookshelves were lined with tomes on architecture, painting, and horses; and a chaise with fuzzy throw pillows seemed the perfect place to curl up and read. From the sound of it, the project's co-founders have, in fact, done a little living in the store: Protagonist designer Kate Wendelborn (Morgan's twin sister) told us that she finished her Spring lookbook while sitting in an ornate stone chair by the window. Meanwhile, Morgan—who formerly worked with Shopbop and is in charge of editorial merchandizing—admitted to falling asleep on the bed more than a few times.



"I want to live in any apartment that Vanessa designs," offered Proenza Schouler's Lazaro Hernandez , who recently opened his label's new flagship a few doors down. "This girl knows what she's doing." Traina's husband, artist Max Snow, agreed on that fact. "We just moved into our new place a few months ago, and it's getting there. But if I did more of what my wife told me, our apartment would probably look like this."

—Katharine K. Zarrella

Messages Are The Message For Spring '14

Bridal

Underground Society

New York's philanthropists always seem to have a new, inventive cause to get behind and an inventive party to throw for it. So when do-gooders were invited to a saloon-themed shindig in New York's oldest surviving synagogue for the unbuilt, underground Lowline park, nobody so much as batted an eye.



The dream of co-founders Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, Lowline will become the world's first underground park and public space. For now, it's an abandoned trolley terminal underneath what is roughly Delancey and Essex streets on the Lower East Side. Barasch told Style.com: "At this point it's about working with the incoming mayor's administration, raising private capital, and making it happen. We're probably about five years away from a Lowline existing."



The station dates back to Prohibition, so last night's party at the Orensanz Center was a throwback of sorts, complete with saloon girls, sideshow acts, and bathtub gin. One period-dressed porter approached every guest during cocktail hour and whispered that it was time for dinner. When he got to Karlie Kloss , the man considered her height and found a valise to stand on so he could reach the model's ear.



The Lowline is a cause exciting enough to get Diane von Furstenberg , Edward Norton , and Mark Ruffalo on board. Lena Dunham 's enthusiasm was apparent: "I'm so excited, an underground park!" Opening Ceremony's Humberto Leon , a longtime resident of the area, added, "I can't wait. This is really going to change the landscape of downtown." If the results are anything compared to how the High Line has changed the West Side, Leon might just be right.

—Todd Plummer

Tommy Takes Tokyo

Feeling Warm and Fuzzy

Mules Rule

Direct From Dubai

As we arrived at the candlelit Armani Hotel Pavilion, an array of beautifully decorated tables offered the promise of a chic dinner under the stars and with a backdrop of dancing fountains and Dubai’s cityscape. Co-hosted by Vogue Italia and Emaar, the dinner attracted a powerful guest list with attendance from notable international press and legendary fashion icons. While digging into a starter of Canadian lobster, we listened to opening speeches by the evening’s hosts, Mr. Mohammed Alabbar and Franca Sozzani , along with models, Afef Jnifen and Naomi Campbell . Each reminded guests to partake in the evening’s charity auction, stating that the ultimate luxury was giving back; all proceeds from the auction went to the Dubai Cares organization to support education for underprivileged Ethiopian children. All the lots were fashion-focused, and while the auctioneer may have gotten off to a rocky start by interchangeably quoting prices in both U.S. Dollars and UAE Dirhams, soon enough the guests were generously bidding an average of USD $100,000 to purchase prizes from the likes of Chanel, Valentino, IWC, and Moncler.

Later on, Roberto and Eva Cavalli; Donatella Versace ; Miroslava Duma and Karolina Kurkova; Lapo Elkann ; Prince Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia and his wife, actress Clotilde Courau ; and Dsquared’s Dean and Dan Caten took to the stage to encourage the bidders. All in all, the event raised over USD $1.25 million. In between the auction, guests were treated to a performance by ballet dancers and Sozzani favorites, Roberto Bolle and Petra Conti. Italian tenor, Vittorio Grigolo , chimed in with soulful renditions of songs including "Maria" from West Side Story and Caruso. And in true artist’s style, Grigolo added to the auction by literally selling the shirt off his back—and for USD $40,000 at that. The well-dressed guests included representatives and VIP clientele of major luxury houses including Dior, Chanel, Mouawad, Fendi, Gucci, and Burberry, among others, who purchased tables to support the action. Other notable guests included Jonathan Newhouse , Condé Nast International Chairman and CEO; Ettore Mocchetti, Editor-in-Chief of AD Italy; and Luca Dini, Editor-in-Chief of Vanity Fair Italy.

See highlights from the Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience catwalks.

—Sofia Guellaty and Caterina Minthe

RTRC

French Barbecue

Fresh off her Paris show—and just weeks shy of her much-hyped H&M debut— Isabel Marant landed in Los Angeles yesterday for a barbecue celebrating the one-year anniversary of her Melrose Place store. "It's like my little house in L.A.," the designer said of her second Stateside retail location. "I get to welcome people into my home here." The party was co-hosted by Milla Jovovich , featured a live performance by Warpaint, and drew the likes of rockers Beck and Jenny Lewis. Dakota Johnson and Gia Coppola came to greet Marant, and stylist Cher Coulter arrived with client Rosie Huntington-Whitely .



"There's a hippie tone that Isabel does that's really great for L.A.," Liberty Ross told Style.com. Every new collection "is always so her." Joy Bryant had her own reason for loving the label: "When I was modeling in Paris, a friend of mine said, 'Hey, there's this designer over there and I think you'd really like her stuff, it's totally your style.' That was, like, the mid-nineties. There's something about Isabel, that as she's grown she's consistently been a trendsetter."



Over in Silver Lake, the cognac maker Martell used the historic Paramour Mansion as a backdrop for the launch of its new Caractère brandy. On hand to celebrate were Diego Luna, Rosario Dawson , Max Minghella , Kate Mara , and Andy Garcia , who collaborated with the company on a three-minute film that will premiere in early February. "They asked me to make a movie for them that focuses on men of character and vision," Garcia said. "And I happened to know such a man whose name was Israel "Cachao" López. I had a fortunate relationship with him for many, many years, first as a collector of his music, and then as a producer of his music. The movie shows our relationship, and who he was as a visionary and a man of great dignity—all the things I value."



Free booze and mambo legends notwithstanding, Mara showed up for the paranormal possibilities. "I've been super-curious to check out this house, because I've heard it's haunted," she said. As the evening went on, guests were treated to a performance by Lou Doillon as well as a sit-down dinner and tastings. No word on whether there were spirits present beyond the liquor.

—Alexis Brunswick and Azadeh Ensha

Of Lunchboxes and Lawyers

There were more than a few surprises at the Lunchbox Fund's Fall Fete at Buddakan last night. David Blaine wowed guests with card tricks early in the evening, REM's Mike Mills won a one-of-a-kind Chuck Close piece in the live auction, and R&B singer Emily King performed live. But the biggest of them all came when Buddakan owner Stephen Starr announced that all thirty-five of his restaurants would participate in Feedie, the Lunchbox Fund's new philanthropic app. Through the app, customers at participating eateries can share a picture of their meal over social media, and for every photo shared, the restaurant will make an automatic donation to help provide daily meals to at-risk children in South Africa. "I had no idea Stephen would announce that tonight," the Fund's founder, Topaz Page-Green , told Style.com.



Page-Green's co-hosts for the evening included Liv Tyler and Maggie Gyllenhaal , both of whom confessed to being serious lunchbox-packing moms. Although Tyler said that social engagements often take a back burner due to motherhood, hungry kids was a cause she felt strongly about. Gyllenhaal added, "I think making sure children have enough to eat is worth putting a dress on for."



Down at the Crosby Street Hotel, where the Cinema Society, GQ, and Emporio Armani screened Ridley Scott's The Counselor, Michael Fassbender was discussing clothes, too. "I wore pretty much all Armani in the film, but I especially like those tracksuit bottoms," said the actor, who plays a lawyer who gets into drug trafficking in the Cormac McCarthy-penned movie. Penélope Cruz, who portrays his wife, also wore Armani throughout, but she was in London last night promoting her lingerie line for Agent Provocateur. Other cast members, like John Leguizamo (who has a cameo), weren't quite as lucky with the designer threads: "I think all of my clothes were ripped off one of those bins for Salvation Army—very utilitarian, but, man, I made it sexy."

—Todd Plummer and Kristin Studeman

Eyes Wide Open

An American in Paris

Ralph Lauren is arguably American fashion's biggest Francophile: In 2010, his loving renovation of a landmark seventeenth-century hôtel particulier raised the bar for shopping in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. That same year, then-president Sarkozy awarded the designer with a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. What's probably lesser known is that, while the young Lauren may have nurtured artistic aspirations, his father, a painter, encouraged his children to opt for a steady job. Last night in Paris, Lauren came full circle in a way, reinforcing his ties to a city he loves and his love of the arts in particular: Over the next several years, funding from the Ralph Lauren Corporation will help restore the École des Beaux-Arts, located just a few blocks north of his Paris flagship, on the Seine. Lauren's largesse is specifically earmarked for modernizing the amphitheater and wiring it up for the twenty-first century. "One of the reasons I got involved with the Beaux-Arts is because I wanted to make sure I'd get a diploma," quipped Lauren in his welcome speech. "I was never sure I'd gain entrance, but now I'm guaranteed. I hope."



A glamorous roster of guests included Catherine Deneuve and Princess Charlene of Monaco, a strong showing of French aristocrats, top clients, and other friends of the house, all of whom attended the designer's first Paris fashion show—a full reprisal of the Fall collection—before moving on to a gala dinner in the Cour de Chimay courtyard, capped off by a special performance by Charlotte Gainsbourg.



"My father never finished college and he never became a painter, although his own father thought he had talent. So this project is very personal for him, just as the restoring of the Star-Spangled Banner was," noted David Lauren . "When my father walked through here and saw the students working, he just felt an immediate connection." Added his wife, Lauren Bush Lauren , "It's such a marvelous institution, and it's so important and inspiring to be able to give back." That giveback gene runs strong in the family: Next week, Lauren Bush Lauren will announce that her FEED bag project has just surpassed its sixtieth million school lunch for children around the world.

—Tina Isaac-Goizé

Exposed!

The New York Academy of Art took over Sotheby's on York Avenue last night for its annual Take Home a Nude fundraiser. After a silent-auction cocktail hour in the galleries with the event's now signature stilt-walkers came the live bidding. Last year, NYAA chairman of the board Eileen Guggenheim described the event as "the sample sale of art." This year she emphasized two things. First, the fact that the caliber of the art and the collectors involved is light-years beyond other fundraisers on the circuit. "I want to buy everything—it's really become a major auction," Guggenheim said. Second, she explained, she was excited about partnering with online auction house Paddle8. "This year, there's even a Buy It Now price for each lot, like eBay!"



The adults stayed for a seated dinner while the NYAA's younger patrons zipped downtown for a party at the still unofficially opened Bar Nana—despite hosting a bunch of events since fashion week, Nana doesn't open to the public until Thursday. Taking the stage, the evening's honoree, Walton Ford , said, "Tonight's not about the parties, and definitely not about me. It's about the Academy." Modest he may be, but there's no denying that Ford drew a crowd, one that included L'Wren Scott , First Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris, and Misha Nonoo with her husband, Paddle8 co-founder Alexander Gilkes. Daphne Guinness told Style.com, "Usually I'm a recluse. But Walton called me up two days ago and asked if I was coming, so I said, 'Of course!'" Having nothing to wear, the usually couture-clad Guinness designed her own dress and had it sewn up just for the occasion.

—Todd Plummer

Warning: Explicit Images

City of Angels

Though guests at the Hammer Museum's eleventh annual Gala in the Garden on Saturday night donned formal attire to fête the artists Robert Gober and Tony Kushner , the evening's celebrity presenters and chairmen set a more casual tone. Longtime Kushner friend Viola Davis ditched her heels before paying tribute to her former Juilliard classmate, co-chair Rita Wilson paired her Valentino dress with a J.Crew jacket, and for her part, the crooner K.D. Lang belted out a three-song set—including the hits "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray" and "Hallelujah"—barefoot. Before taking the stage (and still sporting shoes), Lang shared her thoughts on Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1993 play Angels in America. "That was a heavy year," Lang told Style.com. "The play was very important, because the late eighties and early nineties were wrought with homophobia, and Angels really helped to dispel stereotypes and got people to start shifting their outlook."



Spotted among the revelers were Diane Kruger , who arrived with longtime beau Joshua Jackson , co-chair Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta, Will Ferrell , Jodie Foster , China Chow , Richard Buckley , Band of Outsiders' Scott Sternberg , and Liz Goldwyn , who recounted a recent fashion week mishap. "I was supposed to attend Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent show, was packed, ready, and taking a bath when I looked at my Instagram account and saw a message from someone saying that they were waiting for the show to start. I was so overwhelmed with work that I got the date wrong! It was really embarrassing. But I sent flowers, and everything turned out just fine." As did the rest of the night's festivities—bare feet and all.

—Azadeh Ensha

RTRC

Ami's Amis

If they were tired, they didn't look it. With Paris fashion week barely over, a cluster of young designers, including Guillaume Henry , Ligia Dias, and Piece d'Anarchive's Priscilla and Deborah Royer , gathered last night in the Ministry of Culture in the Palais Royal to whoop and cheer their friend, Ami designer Alexandre Mattiussi , winner of this year's ANDAM prize. "I'm not just taking this personally; it's great recognition for my team," said the man of the hour after short speeches by the minister of culture, Aurélie Filippetti ; the minister for industrial renewal, Arnaud Montebourg ; and ANDAM president Pierre Bergé . Mattiussi has already used some of the 250,000-euro prize to redo Ami's Web site, prepare an e-commerce platform (launching this month), hire an assistant, and dream up a few capsule projects. As for his whispered-about women's line, he said, yes, it'll happen: "But not quite yet."



Christine Phung , Mattiussi's onetime classmate and winner of the 75,000-euro First Collections prize, was thinking along similar lines, and her research into new prints and fabrics is already under way. The ultimate dream: "We're a team of seven in less than 300 square feet—I'd love a bigger space at some point!" Elsewhere in the crowd, Renzo Rosso , whose mentoring is part of Mattiussi's prize, told Style.com, "[Alexandre] is very much like me. We're both Virgos, we even share a birthday [September 15], and we have the same mentality about creativity, democratic fashion, and supporting noble causes. I like building with people who share my mentality." So…might Rosso consider formalizing their friendship financially? "Ami is still very small, but never say never—and if the French don't get there first!"

—Tina Isaac-Goizé

Meow Mixer

Leave it to Miuccia Prada to do things differently, in parties as in fashion. Rather than occupy the latest hot boîte of the moment, the designer chose the once-opulent, decadent Le Carmen. Built in 1875, this rococo landmark was the Le Baron of its day—an after-show haunt for dancers from the Moulin Rouge and the men they favored (today, in homage, a golden cage is mounted near the entry and a daybed sits in the corner of one salon). It's also where Bizet is said to have composed his last opera. Ordinarily Le Carmen doesn't pack in the crowds; it's more of a discreet watering hole just a block south of Pigalle. "I love this place; it's beautiful and out of time," said Olivier Theyskens , who has been known to drop in when he's in town. Last night, though, he was ready to get back home to New York. "Our show was only three weeks ago but already we're on to winter, and I'm excited about all our great projects coming up," he said. One of those is in Paris: A Theory boutique will open on the Left Bank next month.



Although buoyant and crowded, the spirit of this last hurrah was laid-back. The hostess slipped in quietly around midnight, a handful of starry guests in tow, including Michelle Dockery , Rashida Jones , and Dianna Agron . Dockery reeled off some favorite looks from the show—"the red coat with black lapels, the red two-piece, all of the coats actually, and the cats…," the feline-printed items that were one of the sensations of the collection—before sighing and admitting, "I loved it all."



Not bad for a party that only took shape last week. "It's been a while since we threw a party," said a spokeswoman. "We just wanted to do something cool and different for friends and family."

—Tina Isaac-Goizé

C Wonder

"Fashion is fun, you can't take yourself too seriously, and true friendship is possible." There, in a sentence, was Carine Roitfeld 's summation, for a bank of French TV reporters, of the new Fabien Constant documentary about her, Mademoiselle C, which premiered in Paris last night. And those friends were out in force, both for the screening—where Karl Lagerfeld sat front-row—and the after-party at the Pavillon Ledoyen.



Roitfeld's bashes have become PFW's most reliable power magnet: Lenny Kravitz , Katy Perry , and Ciara all showed, as well as a slew of models (Cara Delevingne , Miranda Kerr , Magdalena Frackowiak) and designers (Riccardo Tisci , Haider Ackermann , Peter Dundas ). Everyone was eager to share their memories and favorite moments with Mademoiselle. ("Madame," to her granddaughter, apparently, but never mind that.) "When I first met Carine, we had a mutual love of eyebrows—hers are incredible," deadpanned Delevingne. "But seriously, Carine's just an amazing woman, in addition to being an incredible stylist." Longtime pal Tom Pecheux had one of his memorable Roitfeld exchanges memorialized in the film: The time he wished his best girlfriend fat ankles in her next life. "She was shocked at the time, but that day, like many others, she drove me crazy," he said, laughing. "She knew that one day it would come back to her."



Like Pecheux, many of those present reckoned that Roitfeld put "almost everything" into Mademoiselle C. But the hostess herself left a little room for mystery. "There won't be a follow-up, but I haven't said everything. You have to keep some things secret, non? We're not doing reality TV!"

—Tina Isaac-Goizé

Lady in Pink

"Literally, just about the only person not in black here tonight is Hillary," one male guest said to his tablemates last night at the inaugural Save the Children gala presented by Calvin Klein. He was referring to the one-and-only Hillary Clinton . The former secretary of state was sporting a bubblegum-pink number, but she was all business when she accepted her National Legacy Award from the children's rights and relief organization at Cipriani 42nd Street. As she made her way to the stage, the crowd, including Caroline Kennedy , Victor Cruz , Whoopi Goldberg , and Jennifer Garner (also an honoree for the evening), got to their feet to give Clinton a standing ovation.



"Whoopi Goldberg and I were just talking about how people in today's world know what their favorite celebrity wore to dinner last night because of social media," Clinton said. "Let's use social media in a more effective way, to convey what brain scientists now know about brain development. Help us to try to build the best brains we can in America's children, because there isn't anything more important than doing that."



She was followed by Garner (the recipient of the Advocate Award), who had brought her daughter Violet out for the first time to a public event. "I told my daughter that I was a little nervous to speak in front of a crowd like this, and she gave me a great piece of advice," said Garner. "She said to imagine that you are all our dogs, Martha Stewart and Gandhi, and to imagine that you are all wagging your tails waiting for a treat, and the treat is my speech. Thank you for that, Violet." The tails wagged—and, more important, the dollars of support came flooding in.

—Kristin Tice Studeman

Louis Vuitton's greatest hits

Milestones Measured in Millimeters

"This is a milestone. After tonight, I'm going to begin a new beginning," said Giambattista Valli at his book signing on Monday night. Hefty 400-page tome in tow, well-wishers including Angie Harmon , Clotilde Courau , and Bianca Brandolini d'Adda lined up at the Jeu de Paume, where the designer's photographs and recent film about Rome were also on display. This first book, Valli noted, is meant to be the opposite of self-celebration. "I wanted to do something more detached, but intimate. It's almost like getting naked about my private life," he said. The first chapter, Obsessions, for example, is about building a style (Lee Radziwill, who also contributed text, and Jackie O lead the way).



Olivier Saillard is clearly on a roll. For the exhibition Virgule, Etc.: In the Footsteps of Roger Vivier, which opened last night at the Palais de Tokyo—and is also available as an iPhone app—the star curator delivered an exercise in free association, mixing 170 vintage and contemporary Vivier creations in displays with tongue-in-cheek names. Take, for example, a seventies-era silver shoe labeled "A fragment of a statue of Cleopatra in porous schist" in the "Department of Egyptian Antiquities"; other display cases were called "Pop Op Art" and "The Gallery of Grandiloquent Footwear."



"I've been at Vivier for twelve years and I'm surprised," said hostess Ines de la Fressange in between greeting guests including Leigh Lezark, Alber Elbaz , and Mario Testino . "Now I finally have proof that beauty, creativity, and eccentricity can all go together. They're timeless. People are always talking about 'modern,' but that's boring. Beauty means something. So does talent. Modern is bullshit!"



"The shoes are like jewelry, or maybe patisseries," remarked Didier Ludot, who lent many items for this show. The vintage guru recalled the moment he began collecting Viviers, more than thirty years ago: "One day a wealthy client sent her chauffeur to me with maybe fifty pairs," he reminisced. "She just gave them to me because she knew of me. I never did figure out who she was." Neither does Ludot know how many Viviers he owns now—he quit counting. But in any case, they're not for sale.

—Tina Isaac-Goizé