On Friday evening, Denise Bauer, the United States Ambassador to France and Monaco, hosted a glittering cocktail party to celebrate the return of “Americans in Paris.” As part of Vogue and the CFDA’s long-standing collaboration, “Americans in Paris” creates a global showcase for emerging designers. For all of the importance of Milan, London, and New York, Paris remains unmatched in its influence on the global fashion industry. The showroom (with a Supima Cotton-sponsored cafe) provides exposure to international retailers, the press, and clients. This year marks the revival of the initiative, which has been made possible with the support of Meta since 2019.
Editors, designers, philanthropists, and tastemakers gathered at Hôtel de Pontalba, the ambassador’s official residence on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Vogue’s Anna Wintour and CFDA’s Steven Kolb greeted attendees as they moved through the Baroque salons. Established designers, including Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry and Thom Browne, came to support the young creatives. The eight brands of honor—Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Christopher John Rogers, Diotima, House of Aama, Judy Turner, Kim Shui, Tanner Fletcher, and Zankov—represent the best of American fashion. As rain showered the formal gardens outside, the mood inside was vibrant. Guests like Derek Blasberg and Eva Chen congratulated the designers.
“I must first thank Anna Wintour,” Bauer said upon taking the podium. Wintour’s commitment to nurturing fresh talent is the heart of everything Vogue does. Over the past twenty years, the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund—of which all eight brands were finalists or winners—has produced some of the country’s best commercially and critically successful labels.
The mansion, which glowed in candlelight and filled with fragrant blooms, boasts a dramatic history. Henri François d’Aguesseau, chancellor of France under King Louis XIV and Phillip II, purchased the massive lot in 1710. The estate passed between several owners during the decades of uncertainty and violent Revolution. In 1836, the New Orleans heiress Micaela Almonester, Baroness de Pontalba by marriage, bought the house and commissioned Louis Visconti, the Italian architect responsible for the Palais du Louvre and Les Invalides, to expand it. Her heirs sold the property to Edmond James de Rothschild, one the chief architects of and advocates for the modern state of Israel. When Hitler’s armies took Paris in 1940, Nazis used the magnificent home as an officer’s club for the Luftwaffe. After the Allied victory, the United States purchased the property, originally used as an Information Agency, and later made official ambassadorial residence in 1971.
The evening also served as a reminder of Paris’s unique position to attract international talent. The city in which Louis Vuitton, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, Christian Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent first opened shop now hosts designers from around the globe. Friday alone marked the release of collections by designers from Georgia (Guram Gvasalia of Vetements), Japan (Yohji Yamamoto, Satoshi Kondo of Issey Miyake), Italy (Giambattista Valli), Colombia (Johanna Ortiz), the United Kingdom (Victoria Beckham, Jonathan Anderson of Loewe), and the United States (Harris Reed of Nina Ricci). Thanks to Vogue, the CFDA, and Meta, eight more brands experienced that opportunity.
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