New York’s winter gala season was off and running once Chanel hosted its dinner for 300 in the renovated ballroom of the Plaza. Every social worth her standing—plus a handful of TV actresses—turned out for the glittering affair celebrating the French fashion house’s fine jewelry.
The star of the evening, of course, was the restored ballroom. “Frank Sinatra used to get down in there,” said Erin Wasson excitedly, before the lavish dinner began.
“The last time they redid it, Ivana [Trump] did it, and we all came,” reminisced Jamee Gregory. “It was covered in gold.”
“I used to come here to have tea and visit Eloise,” said Ellen Pompeo, who made trips to New York from a Boston suburb as a young girl.
In Paris a week later, designers, movie stars and supermodels mingled at the annual Sidaction AIDS benefit gala and auction.
Everyone broke out her best frock, some barely off the runways. Tilda Swinton was in gold lamé prefall from Lanvin; Alek Wek in Dior prespring; Daria Werbowy in Balmain spring runway; and Devon Aoki in vintage Chanel couture (well, from summer 2007 anyway).
Adding more seasonal confusion, Alber Elbaz sported a black ski toque—in spite of it being a mild January evening. “I haven’t had time to get a haircut,” he explained.
Jeweler Fawaz Gruosi triumphed in a heated bidding war for a racy photo of Dita Von Teese, but Natalia Vodianova refrained from making any purchases. “We have a Dalí at home,” she said. “I’m more interested in surrealist art.”
The evening offered scads of speeches, with Pierre Bergé admonishing attendees to pay attention. Catherine Deneuve ducked outside several times to puff on her trademark ultrathin cigarettes. “This smoking ban is ridiculous,” she groused.
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