They may have only had the weekend to recover from the endless whirlwind that is fashion month, but the industry’s brightest still came out in droves to celebrate Seventh Avenue legend Donna Karan at Tutto il Giorno last night. The reason for the Monday evening bash? A celebration hosted by Anna Wintour and Pierre-Yves Roussel on the release of Karan’s book, My Journey. “I don’t want to say it was cathartic, but I wanted to look back,” said the designer, author, and philanthropist at her daughter’s Tribeca eatery. Dressed in her signature one-shoulder look, Karan was the recipient of praise and congratulations from industry heavy hitters including Calvin Klein, Derek Lam, Iman, and John Demsey.
Andy Cohen, Hamish Bowles, Virginia Smith, Kelly Klein, and Karan’s right-hand woman, Patti Cohen, enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and flipped through the book. “I skipped the parts I knew and read the parts I didn’t know,” laughed Gabby Karan De Felice in an Urban Zen dress. Was there anything the designer’s daughter found surprising? “I really think realizing how she balanced working and being a mom [was interesting]. She was always there for me as a mother [when it came to] the important parts of my life. She did it both.” And did Karan impart any motherly wisdom? “She never stops reinventing the wheel,” said Karan De Felice, “and how each year she tries to do something new and different.”
The new direction of Karan’s sportswear line, DKNY, is helmed by Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne with Donna Karan International CEO Caroline Brown. All three were there to take part in the festivities. Meanwhile, Eva Chen snapped away at the elegant decor to no doubt post on Instagram.
As the evening drew to a close, a few friends lingered, and Karan jokingly invited guests back for dinner when it was set up properly. Does she have any regrets upon reflection? “Oh, God, yes! Well, my plan was not to be a designer.” We’re glad she chose to ignore her plan.
