Love for Lanvin

I know that I promised in yesterday’s post to write more about the amazing vintage shop in Nolita called Frock, but I wanted to get a little more information from owner Evan Ross, so that will have to wait for now. Look for that in a couple of days. But, don’t fret my taffetadarlings, I’ve got some good stuff today!

Rachel Mabel (left), Stacy Lomman (right) in Lanvin Fall 2010

here are the same pieces on the runway, Lanvin Fall 2010

(remember, these models are 6" taller than us!)

I met up with my friend, accessory designer Rachel Mabel, this afternoon to view and try on the new Lanvin collection at a trunk show at Barney’s. Rachel is a total Barney’s girl and a very loyal Lanvin customer. I, on the other hand, am a very loyal Lanvin FAN. Customer? Not at the moment. Let’s see what happens with the economy this year… Anyway, it’s still a total blast trying on the pieces from the runway (or squishing into them in my case).

lace dress on me

same dress on model in Lanvin's Fall 2010 show (why can't I have her legs?)

The Fall 2010 collection that Alber Elbaz created for Lanvin is magnificent. To actually see the dresses in person, feel the fabrics, look at the detail, admire the workmanship… ah… it’s indescribable. The color choices are dark and saturated; aubergine, slate and green so dark it looks black. Even though there is stretch built into most of the fabrics, the qualities are so heavy and so tightly knit that the elastane offers little help in terms of getting the garment onto the body, but it does allow for movement once you’re in it! I happen to love the heavy fabrics. I feel securely “tucked in” – kind of like a little sausage! Also, the fabrics lend themselves to the raw cut edges that Elbaz is fond of using.

Lanvin feather trim dress on Sasha Pivovarova and on me (right-- obviously)

Rachel tried on a couple of spring pieces as well and fell in love with one of Lanvin’s bags. I had my eye on a giant Celine bag on the main floor, so I stopped to show Rachel on our way out. We scanned some of the jewelry displays and made our way toward the exit. Then we spotted her… Donatella… in the flesh! Ms. Versace is so tiny, it’s a wonder we even noticed her at all! She is like a little doll and I contemplated putting her in my pocket and taking her home. I pulled out my camera and her P.A. (or Barney’s personal shopper… who knows) caught my eye and shook his head when I asked if I could snap a photo. No problem. I put my camera away. He then felt compelled to add, “She’s shopping, just let her enjoy her day.” Oh snap!

Rachel looking sweet in Lanvin

"Rotten Tomatoes"

I had a gift certificate to what I thought was going to be a lovely restaurant called Rouge Tomate. It’s located directly across from Barneys (on 60th St.), so I assumed it would be just as good. Wrong. You know that old adage about assuming?

Rouge Tomate selects local ingredients and focuses on preserving nutritional integrity, but as I learned, they don’t preserve taste. I checked out the menu online before making reservations and I already knew what I was going to have – the food sounded amazing. You can imagine my disappointment when they informed me that the Peekytoe Crab appetizer had just run out. It was only 8:45. I overheard the waiter apologizing to the table next to us because their choice had run out as well. OK, it happens. No big deal. So, I reluctantly ordered the squash soup. It was average at best, but it was certainly edible. However, my undercooked Cod (and that’s pretty hard to do) did not sit well atop the equally undercooked white beans and the other bland and crunchy vegetables. While the veggies had no flavor, the brothy sauce in which they were bathing may well have been the saltiest thing my taste buds have ever encountered. I will say that my friend Tatyana was pleased with her beet salad. Besides the less than edible food, the poor service made the overall experience fairly painful. At least we had good conversation!

at The Plaza

Tatyana (in her custom fur) and I (in my puffy jacket -- I don't care -- it's too cold!!) 

Since we were not about to risk trying a dessert, Tatyana and I headed to the Plaza for some extremely overpriced after dinner beverages. It was too cold to walk more than a couple of blocks! We warmed up with their “Central Park” drink (Kahlua, Bailey's, Grand Marnier and Hot Choclate) and quickly forgot about the disastrous dinner.