Chanel's New Look
(LOS ANGELES) Chanel showed off a few new classics inside its Beverly Hills flagship store Thursday night, but they weren't the cash cow bags and shoes. To complement a Peter Marino-redesign of its Rodeo Drive location, the French fashion house commissioned a set of artworks by six world-renowned artists that were unveiled to a gaggle of celebrities, including Amanda Peet, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Beckinsale, Rachel Bilson, Lisa Kudrow, Cornelia Guest, and Jennifer Morrison, who, following her stunning turn at last Sunday's Emmy Awards, declared, "The honor of wearing a Chanel dress...honestly, I don't care how tired you are, you pull yourself together!" Tatiana Sorokko, stunning in a vintage Chanel blouse and accessories, suffered a chic spill when a glass of champagne was overturned on her. "I should have worn a Chanel raincoat in anticipation of my champagne shower," she laughed.
Peter Dayton, Francois-Xavier Lalanne, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Paola Pivi, and Alec Soth were some of the artists who created new site-specific pieces for the brand's new shop, designed to mimic the iconic Chanel No. 5 bottle, strengthening the brand's long-running commitment to the arts as the evening benefited P.S. Arts. Among those getting glam in Chanel and ogling the artwork, not to mention the fall ready-to-wear and fine jewelry on display, were Shiva Rose McDermott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Kelly Carlson, most of whom later retreated to the post-party dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Cut, followed by a special performance by Karl Lagerfeld fave Cat Power.
Kerry Washington, clad in a satin dress from Chanel cruise, was one of few guests with an intimate connection to the event's beneficiary. "I really like to write, so I do a lot of that and I sing as well, and I would also like to take a photography class," said the actress, who's not only a P.S. Arts host committee member but also quite capable of artistic expression. "Chanel is such a classic, traditional, fantastic, and inventive house," she recited. "Who doesn't love Chanel?" Also experiencing a fashion epiphany that night was Rachel Zoe, who modeled a rare look even by her standards: pants. "It's my own personal Chanel," she purred. "And I grabbed this vest I've never worn and just ripped the tags off tonight."
Kathy Hilton, meanwhile, was especially loving her new Chanel purse, which she picked up in Paris--and not from daughter Paris--over the summer. "I just got this, it's vintage," she said of the classic quilted number, found behind the Plaza Athénée. "I remember this bag from 20 years ago and they did a new classic six months ago but it's not quite as big as this. The great thing about having it now is that I couldn't get one 20 years ago!"
That was about the time that Hilary Duff was born and her mother started collecting her own Chanel that her daughter would later borrow. "The first fragrance I ever had was Chanel No. 5 and I loved it," she gushed. "And my mom has Chanel from over the years so it was nice to steal a bag every once in a while, but now my sister and I are huge fans ourselves," added Duff, who slipped out of the outfit she wore to the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood bash across town and into her Chanel ensemble, which she accessorized with Lanvin shoes and a black knit cap that friend/stylist Jessica Paster called one of her "Hilary-isms." "Taking the following that Chanel has and incorporating art into it just helps get people interested," the actress rationalized.
The indefatigable stylist, meanwhile, always one to take advantage of a shopping opportunity, pondered adding a little something different to her outfit: a silver purse. "I've been wearing my Balenciaga for the last eight months, and it's time for me this season to find a new one and I think I'm finally grown up enough to have a Chanel," she laughed, before stopping to admire the marble torso that Johan Creten encrusted with hundreds of hand-modeled camellias. "That beautiful bust of a woman; I love that," she marveled. "I know L.A. has an arts scene, but it's not on par with other cities. Here it's more about wannabe artists who go downtown and live in lofts and who put a sneaker on a canvas and think it's cool. And it's not."
CHRIS GARDNER
