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Haute Couture is in full swing this week in Paris. Apart from all the actual looks on the runways, one of my favorite things is observing the iconic groupings of people everywhere—be they at the actual shows or at the parties after. At Dior earlier this week, for instance, Rihanna was caught fan girl-ing over Natalie Portman. “I am a fucking fan,” the musician-designer reportedly told the actress, “You are one of the hottest bitches in Hollywood forever.” I love when icons collide. Pop culture gold!
In this spirit, I’ve been revisiting runway after parties in my spare time online, and one particular Gianni Versace Haute Couture Atelier late night event from 1995 has since stayed in my mind. Versace’s party was held at the iconic Chez Régine in Paris, whose owner claimed she invented the term “discotheque.” Equally iconic was the designer’s guest list, which included Naomi Campbell, Nadja Auermann, Helena Bonham Carter, Rupert Everett, Carlos Leon, Madonna, and Karen Mulder.
In particular, I loved seeing Bonham Carter, who I don’t typically align with Versace’s specific brand of sexiness. But there she was in all her glory chatting away to living legend Bryan Ferry! I do always wonder about these infamous encounters and think about what these people must have said to one another at the time. Did they fan out over each other like Rihanna and Portman? Or did they stop, pose for the pic, and move on? In 1995, no one had cellphones with cameras so I guess we will never know exactly went down. Unless you were there… or have time to fantasize about it after.