FashionEtc.com April 23rd, 2024

Attendees were advised that Lanvin’s Pre-Fall showing on Monday, January 10, would start promptly at 5 p.m., and it did—afterward, mingling with the crowd at New York City's Bowery Hotel, W’s Stefano Tonchi told us he missed it entirely.

But it was worth rushing: not only were the clothes beautiful, but the intimate setting—a fire blazing; trays of spiced rum, Hot Toddies, and Kir Royales; and cute waiters serving fudge bars, lemon bars, and pink macaroons with raspberry jam—was perfect for a cold winter afternoon.

Tina Brown hosted the launch party for the widely anticipated Piers Morgan show Piers Morgan Tonight, and the guests who came to cheer him on did not disappoint.

"Not only can he hold up Larry King's suspenders, but he can hold up his own and everyone else's in this room," our hostess said upon introducing the guest of honor.

True to form, Morgan proceeded to give a speech that was at once articulate, wry, warm, funny, moving, and showed a healthy competitive spirit.

"He wants to be as good as he can, he wants to win, and it will make the show great," said CNN executive vice president Ken Jautz.

I asked Morgan's manager, John Ferriter, who the dream guest list would include. "Piers made a list of five people, and we've already booked three," he said proudly. "Oprah, Howard Stern and George Clooney."

Most celebrities—the smart ones—are still in warmer climes in early January, but we managed to find a few shivering around New York this week.

On Thursday the New Group “celebrated” its new play, Blood from a Stone—which stars Ethan Hawke—even though they’d pushed the official opening night back by a week. The guests had already been invited, and the party was booked, so what the heck? They could all have fun and not have to worry about reading the reviews in the morning.

The play is a dark comedy about a highly dysfunctional blue-collar family in a rapidly deteriorating house, complete with rainwater gushing through the leaky roof.

George Farias and Anne and Jay McInerney gave a fabulous holiday cocktail party at the 21 Club. Everyone was there, from Candace Bushnell to Susan Stroman. The brilliant and beautiful conservative pundit Monica Crowley was having a meeting of the minds with Governor David Paterson while the Salvation Army band played.

The room was decorated in snowy white, filled with votive candles that made everyone look like movie-star versions of themselves.

“Something smells like burning,” whispered our worried host, and indeed, the fur hem of a guest’s dress had brushed against a votive and started to smolder.

Luckily, someone acted fast and put it out, and no one else noticed, as we were all having too much fun. Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia had a hard time prying Ivana Lowell away from fans of her book, Why Not Say What Happened?, to make it to dinner downtown.