Dinner Time! Chanel Celebrated the Première Galon Watch at SoHo’s New Chateau Royale
“I hate being late, but recently I’ve been underestimating New York traffic,” admitted Midwest-born Sarah Pidgeon. Surely, her new role—no, not as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, but as a Chanel ambassador for its watches and fine jewelry—will keep her on track.
“My blonde hair feels like a new accessory,” she told Vogue, channeling CBK timeless minimalism in a crisp white shirt and black tailored trousers. “I’m usually a jeans and t-shirt girl, so it’s been fun being more expressive and playing with this side of my identity.”
Her fellow Chanel Ambassador Riley Keough has a tip for being present at a dinner party that we could all abide by: she leaves her phone in the car. “I wear a watch instead so I’m not looking at my phone constantly. I don’t like to take too much time to get ready either. I’m very punctual, I don’t want to waste people’s time,” the actress said, as the black lacquered dial of the Première Galon glinted from her wrist.
Keough activated her phone’s do not disturb mode to join Pidgeon and friends of the house at a candlelit gathering on Wednesday evening. “It’s a nice, slower time for me right now—the perfect amount of rest really,” she added, settling into a curved scarlet booth. Although not for long it seems, as she’s preparing to direct her second feature film in the not too distant future.
The evolution of the ultra feminine Première, Chanel’s first watch that dates back to 1987, sees a reinterpreted braided bracelet. Twisted in Coco’s signature, time-honored style with leather and gold detailing, the Première Galon comes in three iterations. “It’s like an elegant bracelet on your wrist,” Pigeon said, admiring the delicate diamond accents on her one. “Being able to read a clock is becoming a lost art. There’s something very chic about checking the time using a watch.”
“I’m always in a rush,” said booked-and-busy model Paloma Elsesser, pausing to hug Justine Skye. “I give myself about two hours to get ready, but thankfully my glam tonight only took 45 minutes. I like to put on some R&B and Janet Jackson to keep the mood right too.”
Lucy Boynton was in town from London for the soiree—a trip that will conveniently coincide with one of her favorite times of the year. “To be in New York for Halloween is the best,” she said. “Then I just can’t wait to be at home for the holidays to take a break.” After the pause, she s got some new roles lined up. With any luck, they will have as meaningful and profound an impact on her as her recent turn in A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story. “It was incredibly formative, that role very much changed me,” she mused.
After cocktail hour at the recently-opened SoHo haunt—a set-up that looks as regal as its name implies—a family-style feast of French fare followed. Steamed artichokes and garlic butter-soaked escargot preceded dry-aged American steak (Paris meets Manhattan, non?). Winding down the night, waiters delivered silver coupettes with champagne-soaked sorbet to finish.
Sean Zanni1/13Sarah Pidgeon and Annie Hamilton
Photo: Tyrell Hampton2/13Riley Keogh
