“I got the sneaky stuff,” said Sarah Paulson at the doorway of the grand Beverly Estate in Los Angeles on Thursday night. She was wearing an upcoming look from Loro Piana, including a gorgeous pair of black high waist cropped pants with a curved silhouette, and a white organza blouse with seed beads nestled into the folds on the cuffs. “See?” she said, relishing the details.
Geeking out over touch, materials and details was what it was all about when the LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned Loro Piana touched down in L.A. with an event so starry, it proved what a major luxury fashion player the brand is becoming.
“You don’t understand, I don’t know how they made their shoes soft…the inside of the shoe is soft, how do they do that? Could it be cashmere inside of the shoe?” said Rashida Jones, dressed “head to toasty,” as she said, in Loro Piana, down to her Viola wedges.
Rashida Jones
Sela Shiloni/WWD
“This is the softest denim I’ve ever felt,” said Zaya Wade, wearing the brand’s cotton and cashmere true blues.
The Hollywood fan club, including Michelle Williams in the brand’s jaunty pillbox cap, Kit Harrington, Ewan McGregor, Kerry Washington, Rob Lowe and son John Owen Lowe, John Mulaney, Rick Caruso and Elizabeth Olsen, stopped first at the new Rodeo Drive store, which is four times the size of the last one, including a VIP lounge and terrace.
Then they made their way up to the 1926 Beverly Hills party palace that was the home of actress Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst, and is now owned by French philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen. An Italian dinner catered by superstar chef Evan Funke was served outside, overlooking the estate’s magnificent pool. Just a few months ago, Tiffany & Co. hosted a Blue Book extravaganza in the same spot.
Dwyane Wade and Zaya Wade
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“It’s quite emotional for me because this was the first big decision I made as the CEO of Loro Piana,” said Damien Bertrand of the L.A. move. “The U.S. was the first market the brothers Pier Luigi and Sergio entered after Italy, but they started in New York. For me it was important as well to develop another part of the U.S., L.A.. So we started two years ago with Palo Alto, then last summer with Montecito, and Rodeo Drive today,” he said of the North American expansion.
“There are a lot of values of Loro Piana that are perfect for here…People want something that’s chic and sophisticated but at the same time relaxed, comfortable…That doesn’t shout a label but shouts quality and it’s exactly us. We knew because we were already doing good business here, but with this store, it’s a home.”
Amanda Peet, Sarah Paulson and Elizabeth Olsen
Sela Shiloni/WWD
Loro Piana doesn’t spend on celebrity ambassadors or campaigns, or even have a designer to speak on behalf of the brand, but it had no trouble engaging celebrities for this event.
“I want to keep the discretion but we have some friends of the house because they love and understand Loro Piana,” Bertrand said, singling out Jeremy Strong, the “Succession” scion who with his cast mates helped platform the quiet luxury trend.
Jeremy Strong, Damien Bertrand, Michelle Williams and Kit Harrington
Sela Shiloni/WWD
“I met Jeremy two years ago…He wrote me a lovely letter because he loved the brand. Our common dream is to go see the vicuna in Peru and we’ll do it. So it’s not just celebrity strategy and being on the red carpet. Many brands are doing that well but I want to develop relationships with people who love the brand and are ready to go 5,000 meters [high] to see the vicuna.”
As if on cue, Strong was nearby, evangelizing about the brand’s proprietary “fiber of the gods” to his fellow guests. “The sheep are in Peru,” he said of the vicuna fabric. “Ask Damien, he has it in his wallet. He can take it out and show it to you.”
