Last night may have been only the second Vogue Paris Foundation gala at the Palais Galliera, but for head curator Olivier Saillard, it marked a milestone in the form of about 30 acquisitions, including seven important dresses by Madame Grès from the ’40s, ’50s, and ’70s and a series of Deborah Turbeville photographs. Further donations of pieces by Balenciaga, Anrealage, Hermès, Schiaparelli, and Chanel, some from as recently as last January’s haute couture, rounded out the new additions. “Some of the Grès pieces are from collectors, others from former colleagues; it really took quite awhile to put together,” Saillard conceded.
Further along the columned gallery, Paris Vogue editor in chief Emmanuelle Alt welcomed guests including rock icon Johnny Hallyday and his wife, Laeticia; the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo; and designers including Alber Elbaz, Marc Jacobs, Anthony Vaccarello, and Isabel Marant. “Everyone’s here, c’est merveilleux!” she said.
For several of the younger set, the evening was a first. “Everyone is superchic,” noted Courrèges codesigner Sebastien Meyer, who hesitated about his Vans for a split second, then let it go. “It’s so glamorous, I’m speechless. I’m just trying to stand as tall as I can under these columns,” offered Anna Cleveland. Observed fellow first-timer Guillaume Henry of Nina Ricci, “There’s a really nice spirit here. Fashion people rarely have a chance to all get together and celebrate as we are tonight. It’s an exceptional moment.”
Naomi Campbell and Sasha Pivovarova slipped in just as guests were migrating toward their assigned tables in the tented courtyard. “I ran here from Giambattista’s show,” Pivovarova said a bit breathlessly. Playing a bit coy, dancers and models Laurent and Larry Bourgeois—aka Les Twins— allowed that they were going to spin some classic Michael Jackson and Beyoncé for their performance. After a few numbers, it didn’t take much convincing for everyone in the courtyard to get up and join them.
—Tina Isaac-Goizé
