DANDIES AND EYE CANDY
When Vogue magazine and Oscar de la Renta get together to host an event, you know you’re going to have a seriously chic crowd. Such was the case last week at a party celebrating the release of “Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People.”
Hamish Bowles, the fashion world’s favorite dandy, set the sartorial bar for the evening, dressed in a purple Dries Van Noten jacket, Ralph Lauren floral pants and a contrasting floral Zegna sport shirt. As a contributor, he signed copies of the book for guests, while commenting on how lovely they looked in Oscar, Lanvin, Dolce & Gabbana, Zara, even flea market finds.
The lavish book takes readers inside Christian Louboutin’s houseboat on the Nile, Sofia Coppola’s unkempt Los Feliz office, Madonna’s English country retreat and Eva Chow’s epic Beverly Hills temple. Bowles, Vogue’s European editor at large, is spending more time here in his new role as editor in chief of Vogue Living magazine. So just how do people live in L.A.?
“Very well,” Bowles said with a laugh. “It’s a very seductive place -- the climate, the houses, the stars, the lifestyle. I think it’s the idea that you never really know what lurks behind that door -- it could be Tony Duquette fantasia or a Provencal chateau or an English country house. And I find that so deliciously appealing, the idea that you are creating your own fantasy.”
A renowned vintage collector, Bowles tries to sync his visits with the Rose Bowl flea market. But his biggest L.A. treasure came from the Santa Monica Vintage Fair -- an Adrian dress. “They actually used it in the Adrian show at the Met, so that was a happy find and of course very appropriate to find out here.”
