FIT’s Couture Council Honors Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz

Congratulating Alber Elbaz

Am I in Paris or New York?  After moving to New York in 1985 with only $800 to his name, Alber Elbaz began working as an assistant to designer Geoffrey Beene. Twenty-two years later, he is the chief designer for the House of Lanvin and is at the top of his game. This has been a watershed year for Elbaz. He created a couture diamond ring for Van Cleef & Arpels (see my post: Van Cleef & Arpels in New York: Une Journée à Paris), got pinned with France’s prestigious Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, joined the TIME 100 Club (with an accompanying profile by Natalie Portman), and is now prepping for his Fashion Group International Award in October. Long gone are the days of 1985…

With Demi Moore at the Couture Council Luncheon

Yesterday, lovely, adoring Lanvin devotees and yours truly gathered in New York at the Rainbow Room to witness another wonderful tribute to Alber by FIT’s Couture Council. The event was touching and fun, attended by a notable fanclub which included, among others, Demi Moore. We had a few moments to catch up about our kids, yoga (we met on a Rodney Yee yoga retreat at the Parrot Cay) and balancing our lives between work and children.  Iman, Linda Evangelista and Chloe Sevigny were also in attendance and had the honor of giving away the door prizes. It was great to see each of them.

Linda Evangelista and Susan

Iman                                                  Chloe Sevigny

Simon Doonan

Glenda Bailey

Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York, was engaging and witty as master of ceremonies and Glenda Bailey, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar, delivered a touching introduction of Alber…

Alber Elbaz

When Alber went up to the podium, I couldn’t imagine the emotions that were running through his body. His speech was so moving and so on point. As he was speaking I found myself nodding my head “yes” to his every word. I so related to what he said about women and fashion. He spoke about how Chanel gave women freedom and how Yves Saint Laurent gave women power. But for Alber it is all about seeing the strength in a woman. Maybe that’s why he is the perfect designer for me.

I am often asked: what is the difference between the French and American woman? When posed with the same question, Elbaz’ definition was definitely one with which I identified. He noted that fashion is not global – it is universal – and that there is no difference between French and American women. We are all alike with respect to the idea that we are expected to be perfect in every aspect of our lives: as mothers, as daughters, as businesswomen… all at the same time!

He spoke about a woman’s age and he mused that a woman at 70 can look as if she is 40… and a girl of 18 can look 35 – so what does age have to do with fashion? When Alber goes to the drawing table and begins to design, he first sees the dress. After the collection is finished and he gets to see women from all over the world in his creations, he realizes that they all look different. He sees their individual faces and beauty – not the dress. He sees the woman. It is ultimately about the individual – and this is MY raison d’être as well. What is important is for you to feel good about YOU, to be who you are and to enjoy life. While his garments may be expensive – he is creating a dream, and dreams can be had by all.

The Rainbow Room

Fabiola Beracasa and Linda Fargo Rosemary Ponzo and Iris Barrel Apfel

Left Photo: Becca Cason Thrash, Blaine Trump and Cece Kieselstein-Cord
Right Photo: Michele Herbert and Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos

It was also great to see Kim Hastreiter, Editor in Chief of Paper, who was sitting at my table.

The event was concluded with a raffle prize of three necklaces, presented by Chloe, Iman, and Linda. The final winner just happened to be a man – the irony of which wasn’t lost on me. It was a surprising and amusing conclusion to an event which was no less original than Alber Elbaz, himself.

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