BEVERLY HILLS — Paris-based designer Andrew Gn made his first visit here, and vowed it wouldn’t be his last.
Gn took part in a whirlwind of events on the weekend of Nov. 13-14. Most benefited the Joan English Fund for Women’s Cancers, an arm of the nonprofit Step Up Women’s Network, an organization dedicated to providing resources, mentoring and a range of services for girls and women in need.
Among its mentoring supporters is actress Jessica Alba, one of 350 guests at the main event at the landmark Greystone estate. It wasn’t the usual scene of Westside women, either, with Xan Cassavetes and her seven-year-old, Veronica Ross; Dita Von Teese, and Courtney Love.
“Andrew got me into this cream coat,” Love said of her stone-edged tweed, “but with my luck, a Diet Coke will fall from the sky and hit me.” The rocker’s look was on loan for the day, but she’ll have plenty of her own soon: Gn is designing pieces for her next tour.
Alba, after apologizing for wearing such a short Gn dress (James Caan dutifully hoisted her up onto the stage), delivered a tearful speech after lunch in support of the group. Both her mother and grandmother were afflicted by cancer.
Before and after the live auction and fashion show, 10 high-end vendors — from fine jewelry designer Loree Rodkin to vintage resource Decades — hawked their wares with proceeds going to the fund.
Gn had gotten his bearings the night before at an intimate supper at the decadently eclectic Tony Duquette estate of Dawnridge. Duquette’s over-the-top jewelry inspired Gn’s spring 2005 collection, and many archival pieces appeared on the runway here as they did in Paris last month.
Lively as it was, it didn’t compare with the all-out disco-thon Gn joined in Saturday night at Crystal Lourd’s “almost-40th” early Eighties-themed birthday bash, in the very campy penthouse restaurant at the Brentwood Holiday Inn. His clients, current and future (according to their promises that night over Crystal-tinis) included Angela Janklow, Colleen Bell and Jamie Tisch.
Gn set up shop on Nov. 14 with his spring collection at Tracey Ross in West Hollywood. It was like the party had never stopped from the night before during the bustling afternoon trunk show that continued on Monday. The two days generated sales of more than $100,000. Bestsellers were a $1,749 beaded floral halter top and a $2,490 cropped tweed jacket trimmed in pearls.
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— Rose Apodaca