Loewe and Mytheresa Bring Ibiza to L. A.
The night’s dance and dinner party was held to celebrate the Paula’s Ibiza collection.
Mytheresa knows how to throw a party.
The luxury German e-commerce company was back in Los Angeles on Friday night, this time to celebrate Loewe and its Paula's Ibiza collection. Curating a setting — and guestlist — that's on brand, the two brought out the L.A. cool kids for a club night inside the Sheats–Goldstein Residence in Beverly Hills.
The likes of Gracie Abrams and Omar Apollo roamed the concrete-covered space to the beats of DJs Pascal Moscheni, Marea Stamper — better known as The Blessed Madonna — and duo Steven and Chris Martinez of The Martinez Brothers. Among those lighting up the dance floor were photographer Gray Sorrenti, daughter of Mario Sorrenti; skateboarder-actress Ajani Russell, and music artist Daniel D'artiste. Everyone wore their best Loewe; Gabrielle Union and husband Dwyane Wade stood out in head-to-toe ensembles from the brand. Union wore its familiar ombré, yellow-orange “fennel” cotton tank with baggy black trousers, while Wade sported a “daybreak” blue pocket shirt and matching split hem pleated pants.
The couple were among the VIP guests at a private dinner — alongside Ali Wong, Dan Levy, Kit Connor, Kaitlyn Dever and Camila Mendes — held atop the estate's tennis courts. The carpeted grounds overlooked a twinkling L.A. skyline.
“I'm delighted to welcome you to this wonderful evening and this breathtaking view behind me,” said Mytheresa chief executive officer Michael Kliger at the dinner table.
He was across from Loewe's creative director Jonathan Anderson, who sat next to campaign face Taylor Russell. As brand ambassador, the actress has her pick of looks; she went with the $2,350 white spaghetti strapped dress, adorned with a fringed macramé hem, from Loewe's newest drop.
“First of all, let me thank you, Jonathan, for partnering for tonight's event,”
Kliger continued. “We are celebrating our longstanding partnership. We are celebrating Paula's Ibiza.”
With the success of the line — an ode to Armin Heinemann's Spanish boutique on the Balearic island — Loewe has seen a “meteoric rise” on Mytheresa, added Kliger.
He went to explain the history behind the residence, a story known to most
L.A. scenesters: Designed and built by American architect John Lautner for Helen and Paul Sheats in the early '60s, manabout-town James Goldstein purchased the residence in 1972, commissioning Lautner to rework the property. In 2016 Goldstein revealed he would donate the entirety to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Since then, he's made it available for a series of industry dinners and bashes.
“It's not only an architectural landmark, it is actually also a landmark in popular culture,” Kliger said. “Many movies had their setting here, and one of my favorite movies had their setting here, `The Big Lebowski.'”
Ethan and Joel Coen's 1998 crimecomedy starring Jeff Bridges was filmed in the home.
“I want to close with quoting ` The
Big Lebowski,'” he said to laughs. "' The dude abides.'"
Kering will award this year's Women in Motion Emerging Talent prize to “Thunder” director Carmen Jaquier.
"I am very grateful to receive this award, especially from a visionary and inspiring director like Ninja Thyberg. Thanks to Women in Motion, I have a feeling of sorority, which touches me and gives me hope in this desire I have for reflection, rebellion and transmission. I have special feelings for all the people — technicians, producers, screenwriters, actresses and actors — who fiercely committed themselves to my side for my first feature film, ' Thunder,'" she said.
The Swiss director was chosen by last year's honoree, Swedish director Thyberg. It is a Kering tradition for the Emerging Talent Award to be selected by her predecessor.
“' Thunder' is an incredibly beautiful, life- affirming and innovative film that challenges conventional ideas of sexuality, God, pain and redemption. Carmen Jaquier is 100 percent loyal to her female protagonist and this film has a truly female gaze. It is a great honor to pass on this award to her,” said Thyberg about choosing to pass the honor on to Jaquier.
Jaquier will take to the stage with Michelle Yeoh, this year's honoree for the Women in Motion Award, and she will receive a 50,000 euro grant earmarked for her next film project.
Jaquier graduated from École Cantonale d'Art in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she studied photography before moving into film. Her student film “Le Tombeau des Filles” won a prize for emerging talent in the Locarno Film Festival.
She has directed several short films since then to wide acclaim and other awards.
Her first feature film, “Thunder,” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and took home the best director award at the Marrakech
Film Festival. The story centers on a teen who returns to her village from a convent after learning of her sister's mysterious death, and the tumult around the reunion with her childhood friends.
Kering is an official partner of the Cannes
Film Festival. Its Women in Motion program was founded in 2015 and has grown to a series of talks focusing on female filmmakers, actresses and film executives that takes place during the festival.
The gala awards dinner will be held at Cannes' Musée de la Castre overlooking the view of the Mediterranean on May 21. Kering chairman and chief executive officer FrançoisHenri Pinault will present both awards alongside Cannes Film Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux. “Welcome to the City of Angels,” Karla Welch told
Nili Lotan.
Welch was tapped to cohost Nili Lotan's dinner at Gigi's in Los Angeles on Thursday night alongside the brand founder.
“Nili and I met six or seven years ago, maybe eight,” explained Welch. “We were on a panel together talking about the modern woman's wardrobe. I basically sat there and was so in awe of Nili. I called my husband after, and I was like, ‘I met the coolest woman in the world.'”
The Israeli- born designer, who founded the namesake New York- based label in 2003, was in town to celebrate the brand's 20th anniversary, as well as open her first West Coast store on the same block — buzzy Sycamore Avenue. Located at 927 North Sycamore Avenue, the 1,242- square-foot boutique carries women's and men's ready-to-wear, handbags and small leather goods. The shop was designed in collaboration with Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis of Objects of Common Interest ( who previously worked on the brand's Palm Beach and Meatpacking locations) to create a "minimal, serene and introspective" space.
For Lotan, opening in
L. A. — her second- largest market after New York — was "a longtime vision come true." She shared her excitement with the crowd, which included
Welch's celebrity clients like Olivia Wilde, as well as Michelle Monaghan, Adwoa Aboah, Zoe Lister- Jones, Stephen Galloway, Luke Gilford, Whitney Port, Clara McGregor, Nick Wooster, Nikolai Haas and Djuna Bel.
From the start Lotan's aim has been to create timeless pieces for today's woman ( and now man), focused on tailored suiting, silk dresses, denim and accessories like calfskin belts and bags. Working in earth tones, with rich pops of color, the well- crafted collections are full of easyto-wear staples.
Moving to New York in 1980, after graduating from the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Tel Aviv, Lotan led design teams at Ralph Lauren,
Liz Claiborne and Nautica before branching out on her own. Her first launch was a six- piece capsule with three pants — including the bestselling Cropped Military Pant — two jackets and a skirt.
Welch said learning about Lotan's design process was “just eye opening,” referencing Lotan's DNA of providing luxury and functionality of an everyday uniform.
“You can see it around the room,” Welch said of guests, all wearing Nili Lotan.
Cocktail hour had extended by then, and the bunch was ready to sit for the meal — starting off with shellfish towers, steak tartares and gem salads, paired with wine and vodka martinis.
“Now let's eat!” exclaimed Lotan.