Social set turns out for Fendi boutique fete.
If you’re not lolling aboard a yacht anchored near the Blue Grotto of Capri in Italy or lounging in one of two $35Kplus per night Karl Lagerfelddesigned suites in the lavishly refurbished Hotel de Crillon in Paris, perhaps you’re simply savoring a glass of rosé by an inflatable pool.
Or, if you’re Chris Mocko ,a former tech worker who quit his job at Square to devote his life to running, you were recently in Ireland as the surprise winner of the Cork City Marathon.
The 31-year-old was recently honored by Mayor Ed Lee (along with Protocol Chief
Charlotte Shultz, Olympic Club President Dan Dillon and San Francisco-Cork Sister City Committee Chairman Diarmuid Philpott) at City Hall to celebrate his June win in the Cork race where, dressed in American-flag shorts, he limbo-danced across the finish line — a feat, Mocko said, that is a lot easier if you haven’t just run 26 miles.
Cork is one of San Francisco’s sister cities. And back in March, at the annual Irish flag-raising at City Hall — which kicks off St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the city — Lee had announced that Mocko, an Olympic Club runner, which sponsors him, would represent San Francisco in the Cork marathon.
Technically speaking, Mocko is no longer an EssEff resident. He quit his job Feb. 17 to focus on running and quickly realized city rents are rather pricey. So he now lives in the basement of a friend’s Mill Valley apartment.
“I had a very nice job at Square, we’d just IPO’d, the stock was doing pretty well. I was getting a decent salary,” he recalled, joking. “And I was like, ‘Making money isn’t really for me. I’m going to do this running thing, entering races to win $100 or a free pair of shoes.’ ”
He regaled fans at City Hall with exuberant marathon bon mots, sharing that he’d felt some animosity from the local Cork crowd, which was cheering on one of their own. And although Mocko had high expectations of an easy day, he ended up pushing himself the entire race.
“I was saved by a 6-year-old who handed me some Haribo candies that brought me back to life,” Mocko said. “And all I thought was, ‘I’m representing the city of San Francisco; I’ve got to win.’ ”
But post-race, the people of Cork responded, reaching out to Mocko on Facebook with offers of a free pint at a local pub.
“I even got a free latte at a coffee bar, which has never happened before,” he said. “And it turns out a free drink in Ireland is actually a Jameson and Guinness, together. And then several more rounds of that.”
Until Dillon’s email about joining the marathon, Mocko was trail-running. He was worried the marathon didn’t fit his training plan and the conditions would be difficult.
“But I followed my passion and said ‘yes’ to everything. I wasn’t expecting the marathon to be the biggest highlight in my first four months out of the tech community,” he said. “But it’s the greatest experience I’ve had so far, and it was an honor to represent San Francisco. So say yes to everything, quit your job today and move into the basement of your friend’s apartment.”
Fashion date: Not only did the first Fendi boutique in San Francisco open in late July, but the fashion fete celebrating its arrival also yielded the first save-the-date of 2018.
Yep: We just inked in the San Francisco Opera Ball that heralds the fall social season on Sept. 8. But now Fendi reminds us to start plotting out the new year, too.
The luxe Italian line serves as lead sponsor for the annual Fog Design + Art Fair that runs Jan. 10-14 at Fort Mason Center for the Arts. The opening-night preview, led by honorary cochairs Abigail Turin and her husband, Jonathan Gans, benefits the exhibition and education programs at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Also featured: Culinary queen Alice Waters will be honored at Fog’s vaunted Innovator’s Luncheon.
Returning to real time (or, rather, recently past time) local swans (including Yurie Pascarella, Cecilia Harris, Barbara Brown, Chrisa Pappas, Deepa Pakianathan, Alison Pincus, Farah Makras) alighted at the Grant Avenue boutique (formerly home to Prada) for a lunch (hosted by Allison
Speer) where they dined on a Taste Catering lunch that starred a raspberry panna cotta dessert perfectly matched to the boutique’s pretty-in-pink palette.
And if you can land one, the Fendi line (long designed in collaboration with Chanel couturier Karl Lagerfeld) includes the whimsical Karlito charm — a coveted accessory that’s a furry homage to Lagerfeld that attaches to a handbag. Or as one wag describes it: a $1,200 purse pompom “impulse” purchase.
Anyhoo, the Fendi fall line, a Technicolor floral fantasia titled Haute Forrure is so popular that no one minded arriving at the boutique lunch wearing identical pieces. And hopefully, enough pieces remain so we’ll see Fendi fashion twins and triplets, next year, at Fog.