CFDA New Member Party – A Family Affair
Photo: Patrick McMullan
Class picture: CFDA's New Members smile for the camera.
While the environment was completely Zen, the mood was more high-fashion family gathering.
The CFDA celebrated its 33 new members on the evening of October 25 with a reception at Donna Karan’s sprawling Central Park West abode. Diane von Furstenberg welcomed the class of 2011 with her traditional “we are a family” speech that clearly resonated with many of the new members.
Newbies—all wearing little green flowers on their lapels—include:
Alexa Adams and Flora Gill from Ohne Titel; Miho Aoki and Thuy Pham from United Bamboo; Kip Chappelle and Sonja Rubin from Rubin & Chappelle; Rogan Gregory and Scott Hahn from Rogan and Loomstate; Nine West’s Fred Allard; Tucker’s Gaby Basora; Christian Cota; Number:Lab’s Luis Fernandez; Tess Giberson; Gryson’s Joy Gryson; Prabal Gurung; Mara Hoffman; Jen Kao; Cynthia Steffe’s Shaun Kearney; ALC’s Andrea Lieberman; Fenton/Fallon’s Dana Lorenz; Melissa Joy Manning; Barkers Black Unlimited’s Derrick Miller; Ruffian’s Claude Morais and Brian Wolk; Barton Perriera’s Patty Perreira; Charlotte Ronson; Ippolita Rostagno; Theory’s Olivier Theyskens, and Haute Hippie’s Trish Wescoat Pound.
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Only Alice + Olivia’s Stacey Bendet, Eddie Borgo, Toms Shoes’ Blake Mycoskie and Gregory Parkinson missed out on their big night.
“I feel like such a debutante with my little boutonniere,” Fenton/Fallon’s Lorenz shared with FashionEtc. “We’re all saying that it’s like this amazing club that we’re all initiated into. The day after I was told [I was accepted], I got an email saying do you need a place to stay in Paris?, we have a car service, there’s this attorney ... there’s so many services and accommodations that make your life easier.” Adding, “It makes everything so much less daunting and allows us to really focus on the creative side of your business. Diane was saying we’re family and we’ll take care of you, I truly believe that.”
“This is amazing because I get to see all of my old friends, it feels like coming home and I feel honored,” ALC’s Lieberman told us. “Whatever it is, it feels very right, she said, “And Diane [von Furstenberg] is amazing. I saw her at another event and she’s so charismatic and beautiful and vivacious. I would like to have dinner with her one day.”
Christian Cota likes the security aspect of CFDA membership. “They really support you and for me it’s a safety net. I think that’s what I like the most, like, if you need advice. It’s amazing how people are so welcoming,” he said.
Prabal Gurung was humbled. “I was at the Ralph Lauren Oprah Winfrey thing last night, and seeing the magnitude of his work and how humble he is still, Donna [Karan] was my first internship in New York ... Marc [Jacobs] and Narciso [Rodriguez]—all of these designers that I admire and respect and now I’m part of the family,” he revealed to Fashion Etc. “It makes me more aware of the responsibility that comes with it.”
And now that she’s in, Charlotte Ronson is hoping it leads to something a little more, well, meaty, “A little Bar Pitti with Calvin Klein? I always see him there,” she admitted, adding, “I’ve been in the business for years and it’s such an honor to be a part of it.”
