A Vogue Birthday Party
PARIS — What does one do in Paris when one turns 95? Party, of course.
At least that’s what French Vogue did to celebrate its 95th anniversary on Saturday night as seemingly all of fashion descended on a private mansion just south of the Arc de Triomphe.
“Drinks!” bellowed Kanye West when asked what he was looking forward to most. The rapper and designer, who attended several Paris shows last week, had completely ignored the black-tie dress code and arrived with his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, as his accessory.
“Drinks, drinks and more drinks,” he said. “That’s what I’m feeling tonight. Let’s get on with it. It’s time to get this party started.”
Upstairs, wave upon wave of fashion executives, editors, stylists and guests mingled in a series of candlelit chambers, the walls lined with magazine covers. Natalie Massenet, the founder and recently resigned executive chairwoman of Net-a-Porter, rubbed shoulders with the Vogue Japan editor-at-large Anna Dello Russo, while Mario Testino, camera seemingly permanently in hand, announced: “I’ve grown up with Vogue. The Vogue world and many of the people within it feel like my family, I wouldn’t have missed tonight for the world.”
The Scottish designer Christopher Kane was also in the mood to celebrate. “I just feel this huge sense of relief that my collection is done, although I’ve already started working on pre-fall,” he said as guests continued to file in. “I thought this was be a perfect night off.”
Roughly an hour in, the D.J. duo Vladimir and Agathe, who until that point had been gently warming up the crowd with a series of old-school ’80s favorites, issued a loudspeaker rallying cry: “Supermodels to the dance floor, please!”
On they came, lured by the strains of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits. Doutzen Kroes and Isabeli Fontana took the stage after boogieing their way down the sweeping marble staircase, alongside Lily Donaldson, Stella Maxwell, Barbara Palvin, Lindsay Wixson and a tuxedo-clad Ruth Bell, the all-but-shaven-headed young British model who appears to have walked in virtually every show of the week.
“When I got into the pages of Vogue I knew I had made it,” said a beaming Ms. Fontana, in a shiny burgundy leather shift dress with gold buckles up the thigh. “It was the turning point of my career, and I know many of the other girls feel the same way.”
As if on cue, Madonna’s “Vogue” started to play, and a deafening cheer erupted. It was so loud that Rihanna, closely followed by a magenta-coiffed Jared Leto and with a dozen-strong entourage, slipped through the main door virtually unnoticed just after 11:30 p.m. — initially at least.
Having jetted in for the Dior show the day before, Rihanna went straight to her own table in a smoky back room.
“Even here at a Vogue party, people get a bit crazy and its kind of overwhelming,” she said. “I’m just here to have fun,” she said, settling back on a couch.
Later, she jumped up to greet the French Vogue editor-in-chief, Emmanuelle Alt, co-host of the night.
“I love this outfit — it’s just amazing,” Rihanna said, gesturing with a cigar in one hand and satay stick in the other at Ms. Alt’s metallic-silver jumpsuit.
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