Moda Operandi (Fittingly) Chose Hotel Chelsea to Fete Ludovic de Saint Sernin and His Robert Mapplethorpe-Inspired Collection

No designer is hotter than Ludovic de Saint Sernin, whose New York City debut remains the talk of Fashion Week. No one recognizes a brand’s potential more skillfully than Lauren Santo Domingo, who, along with Moda Operandi, celebrated the designer and his recent collection (much of which is available for pre-order on the platform) with a cocktail party last night at Hotel Chelsea. A dizzying array of artists, performers, socialites, and writers came to toast the occasion—Poppy Delevingne, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Fernando Garcia, Sarah Hoover, Derek Blasberg, Chris Appleton, and other tastemakers of all types.

“Ludovic was one of the shining stars of the Paris Fashion Week,” said Santo Domingo, co-founder and CBO of Moda, as she sprawled on a low velvet sofa. “Every city has its moment. You had Antwerp. You had New York. You had London. Right now, we are seeing so much excitement in Paris. We were thrilled to take some of that and add it to our own fashion calendar in New York.”

The work of Robert Mapplethorpe inspired de Saint Sernin’s collection. The photographer, who died of AIDS in 1989, ranks among New York’s most famous artists. Like the designer, Mapplethorpe challenged notions of sex, beauty, and masculinity.

“Reading Patti Smith’s Just Kids changed my life,” de Saint Sernin said. “I referenced Mapplethorpe throughout my career. When I reached out to the foundation six months ago, they loved the idea.”

The resulting collection balances beauty and provocation. Hand-cut velvet flowers adorn sheer organdy shirts. Leather harnesses and already-viral “bikini briefs” evoke the BDSM clubs, so ferociously captured by Mapplethorpe. In the past few days, critics have hailed the show. Eight pieces are exclusive to Moda, which hosted a trunkshow right before the party.

“Even the most sophisticated pieces have a certain dirty sexiness,” said Santo Domingo. “The Moda customer loves anything new and there’s nothing like this out there.”

In her memoir, Smith recounts the time she and Mapplethorpe spent at Hotel Chelsea, long home to the city’s beautiful and damned. Andy Warhol immortalized the address with his underground 1966 film Chelsea Girls, which recorded his “superstars” as they pranced down the corridors and writhed in the beds. Jackson Pollock, on sleepless nights, splattered the walls of his room with paint. Bob Dylan recorded his most famous records while a resident. In Room 100, Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious murdered his girlfriend, while in Room 105, Edie Sedwick set fire to her mattress. The venue captures New York in all its glamour and grit.

Decades later, a suite would host de Saint Sernin s muses Paige Reifler, Zeke Lindsey, Drumaq, Jake Fleming, and Alioune Badara Fall as they readied themselves for the party with 111Skin and Surratt. By the time the beautiful gaggle descended down to the Piano Room, the party was in full swing.