When Lanvin presented its FW13 Runway and SS14 Pre-Collection at the home of Audra Baldwin; a number of the city’s most stunning stylistas came out to support the Nevada Ballet Theatre. I always have a good time, high-kickin’ it with Madeleine Andress, Sheryl Goldstein, and Jane Schorr. Nancy Houssels is just heaven on a Triscuit; and Sonja Saltman is one of the smartest, most well-spoken (and well-accessorized) people in town. Mother-daughter duos like Susan and Kristin Graves and Wendy and Jillian Plaster embody multigenerational fun. Lanvin was represented beautifully, by Cecile Andrau (Executive Vice President, Lanvin USA), Meg Heinzer (Director of Store Operations, West Coast Region), and Julie Sirianni (Director, Lanvin at The Shops at Crystals). The dynamic duo of Farid Matraki and Judy Stone, were on hand, since Lanvin’s Las Vegas home is The Shops at Crystals. Glamour gals like Nancy Grounds, Rochell Montana (whose fabulous pointy-toed Ralph Lauren spectators were, in my opinion, the fiercest shoes of the day), Jessica Nordling, Stella Roy and Jessica Wooden made the scene; with Wooden (whose hubby, Maurice is President of Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Resort) winning the day’s raffle prize – a trip to NY for the Lanvin FW14 Pre-Collection press presentation, with a special meet-and-greet with Artistic Director, Alber Elbaz.

At lunch I was delighted to find that not only had I been placed at Mrs. Baldwin’s table (front-and-center), but I was seated between Susie Molasky (who’ll gladly tell you that she’s a “dame” and damned proud of it), and Christos Garkinos – co-Owner of Decades, and well-known authority for modern luxury consignment. As soon as we were seated, I looked at Garkinos, and playing a hunch, asked if he knew my pal Bryan Rabin, who – with dapper disco-head DJ Adam XII – throws the uber-glam weekly party Giorgio’s each Saturday, at The Standard, Hollywood (inside the best-named venue in the world, mmHmmm). “Sure I do. He’s a really good friend of – OH MY GOD: You’re Torn-Meniscus Guy!!” – referring to the much-hyped DRI (Disco-Related Injury) I sustained while dancing at Giorgio’s with Garkinos’ gal-pal, Jody Watley and the fabulous Kathy Jeung; that resulted in my recent surgery. Needless to say, we both fell-out laughing. Great guy...

Anyhoo, I digress. Now, onto the fashion! If his Fall Winter 2013 collection for Lanvin is any indication, Alber Elbaz is not one to suppress his feelings; opting instead to wear them on his sleeve – or rather, drape them from the necks of his models, who glided down the runway in an almost ethereal manner, wearing big, bold, shiny golden necklaces with words like “Hope” and “Love” and “Happy” (written in Elbaz’s own handwriting), suspended from gold chains.

As for the clothes, themselves, they represented a timeless aesthetic of meticulously-tailored style, more than they did any particular era. There were thematic allusions to the femme fatale, the girlie-girl, the vamp, the flapper, the silver-screen siren, the sexy librarian, and the boardroom badass. Nature was everywhere, from the beetles climbing on the satin pajamas, to the large embroidered flowers, to the butterflies that were woven and silkscreened into the very fabrics and were themselves a representation of the happiness and joy that was imbued into Elbaz's entire collection.

I had two favorite looks, from the collection. The first was an ivory blouse that was an airy confection of pleating, where the sleeves gave way to black leather over-the-elbow gloves; playing with the contrasting notions of light and dark, soft and hard, the feminine and the masculine. The other was the aforementioned beetle-print duchess-satin pajamas styled-up as particularly fabulous eveningwear. Learn it.

LANVIN – Fall Winter 2013/14
Available in stores, now
Click HERE for info

Get into it!