Elegance, All That P’zazz Is for N.Y. Designer Karan
Casablanca lilies flooded the P’zazz yacht when New York designer Donna Karan and her husband, artist-sculptor Stephan Weiss, were feted at a private Newport Bay supper-cruise by the Nordstrom family.
The snow-white lily is Karan’s favorite bloom and the top-note of her new fragrance, Donna Karan New York Parfum.
In town for the West Coast launch of the fragrance at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza, the couple joined Hollywood producers, fashion industry leaders and local gentry for cocktails, a formal supper and jazz fest at sunset on Thursday.
“Donna Karan has done so much for Nordstrom we wanted to do something for her,” said party host Jim Nordstrom, co-chairman of the Nordstrom board.
Peter Nordstrom, the store’s regional general manager, was also aboard the yacht that features a formal dining room with gold-leaf walls, a living room set with antiques, a disco lounge and fountain-equipped Jacuzzi.
Karan--whose sophisticated rags are worn by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barbra Streisand and Candice Bergen--sported an ensemble from her spring collection.
She wore a loose-fitting ivory silk georgette blouse, black wool-crepe flare bottom pants (so new) and a black rayon knit beret, her trademark.
Her fashion mandate for spring: “Soft, feminine forms. Clothes that flow . . . make you feel a gentle wind is about to blow,” she said. “You don’t have to wear a power suit to feel powerful.”
Also among guests roaming the 127-foot yacht’s three decks were Hollywood producer Bruce Gilbert (“On Golden Pond,” “The China Syndrome” and the soon-to-be-released “Jack the Bear” with Danny DeVito); Cliff Faulkner, scenic designer for SCR; Charles Desmarais, director of the Laguna Art Museum and P’zazz owners Bob and Beverly Cohen.
Other guests included Richard and Jolene Engel, Tom and Elizabeth Tierney and David Wilhelm with Sally Ver Vynck.
Four years ago, the Cohens bought their Newport Beach bay property--formerly the home of actor John Wayne--to accommodate their luxury yacht.
“Yes, that long dock was the driving force,” said Bob Cohen, owner of the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills. The couple’s main residence is their hotel penthouse. They hole up in Newport Beach on weekends.
Sweeping through the bay-side manse on her way to the yacht, Karan’s eyes grew huge when she spotted an enormous rock-crystal sculpture in the living room. “Does all that crystal give you tremendous strength here?” she asked.
Speaking of strength: Where does Karan get the energy, the vision, to dream up silhouette after silhouette, year after year?
“It comes from somewhere inside me,” she said, enjoying the sit-down dinner--grilled sea bass on rosemary skewers, chocolate mousse tulips with raspberries and Grand Marnier ice cream--with designer pal Patti Cappelli. (Top-deck on the P’zazz, it was hard to believe you were anywhere but the Palm Court at New York’s Plaza Hotel. Chairs were of the gold-leaf bamboo variety and palms were everywhere.)
“I begin with fabric,” Karan said. “I visualize designs created from certain fabrics, create the fabrics, and go from there. Yes, it’s a challenge, but so rewarding. I love people.”
Weiss, who was born in Anaheim (“I can still remember being in an earthquake there,” he said with a shudder) designed Karan’s fragrance bottle.
“Rather than form following function, I chose to go with function following form,” Weiss said of his curvy, black and gold creation.
The fragrance is soft, subtle.
“It’s made for you and the one you’re with to enjoy,” Weiss said. “It’s not meant to brighten up an entire room.”
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Roxbury sneak peek: The main buzz at the preview party that christened the new Roxbury nightclub in Santa Ana on Friday night? The celebs who will appear on Friday at the grand opening benefit there for Young Professionals Against Cancer.
“Julian Lennon, the Stray Cats and Tia Carrere are going to perform,” said an insider as Whitney Houston’s “Nothing” blared in the disco.
Carrere, the stunning co-star of “Wayne’s World,” was at the opening with her husband, Roxbury owner Eli Samaha.
There were also whispers that Sly Stallone, who will soon be filming in Orange County, will attend.
The other buzz: the nightclub’s dress code. “No torn jeans,” said a security guard minding the club’s new ruby-red entrance ropes. “We’ll be welcoming people who look like they’ve made an effort to look nice.” Carrere looked funky-chic in a head-scarf, white collared body-suit and denim overalls.
First impression of the club: “The entrance reminds me of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland,” piped one guest. “When does the floor move?”
Foodies loved the appetizers served up at the bash: pot stickers with plum dipping sauce, wood-oven pizza and blinis with caviar.
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Magic Johnson at Planet Hollywood. The invitations have arrived for the benefit for the Magic Johnson Foundation at Planet Hollywood on March 16. The invitation cover shows the Laker legend tossing a world globe instead of a basketball.
Price tag of the bash: $150 per person. Dress code is casual. There is limited space available. Call (714) 785-0201 for tickets. Committee members include Orange County Supervisor Harriett Wieder, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Jim and Patti Edwards, Frank and Janice DiBella, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone.
