Gucci’s Gem of a Night, Oscar Buzz at Armani

PARIS JEWELS: Lou Doillon was easy to spot at the Ritz in Paris on Tuesday night. Attending the lavish dinner Gucci hosted in honor of its Hortus Deliciarum high jewelry collection, the singer and actress topped her pantsuit with a wide-brimmed, two-toned hat that was visible across the crowded cocktail party.

She described her look, accessorized with wrist ruffs and a handbag shaped like a strawberry, as a melange of Elizabeth I, Jade Jagger and Right Bank Parisian chic, with a soupçon of magician.

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Doillon said she’s working on a new album and readying a Paris exhibition of recent drawings, all self-portraits, but without her face.

“I call them visions from above — it’s a strange thing where I draw my own body, from my own point of view,” she explained. “I just had a baby and I did it through the whole pregnancy on the strange transformations of the body, and ending up the whole story with breastfeeding.”

Sienna Miller was easy to spot because of all the diamonds glittering from the three necklaces from the Hortus Deliciarum collection filling the V neckline of her gossamer dress.

“More is more,” the English actress declared.

In November, she wrapped filming “Horizon,” the first of four Kevin Costner films about the American Civil War.

The period costumes, she enthused, are as dazzling as the script. “Actually my favorite part of the costumes is the undergarments. If I could only wear the corset and the long johns and the little blouse I would. I might actually start running around the world in that,” she mused, noting she returns to Utah in April to start work on the second chapter of the epic Western.

Gucci chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri also welcomed the likes of Carla Bruni, Tina Kunakey, Diane Kruger and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to the party, which climaxed with a lavish dinner in the gilded rooms that will eventually house the gastronomic restaurant L’Espadon, slated to reopen later this year. — MILES SOCHA

OSCAR BUZZ: Giorgio Armani was the draw, but a little gold statue named Oscar was the man of the hour.

The buzz in the front row of the Armani Privé show Tuesday night was about the morning’s Oscar nominations, with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Michelle Yeoh, “Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann and costume designer Catherine Martin among the guests.

Yeoh received an Oscar nomination for best actress and her film received 11 in total, while Luhrmann got a nod for best director, Martin for best costume designer and the biopic scored a total of eight nominations.

“There was a little bit of screaming, we did a little dance,” Luhrmann said. “I think he fainted,” he joked about star Austin Butler, who also received a best actor nomination back in Los Angeles.

Luhrmann said it was an early present for Martin’s birthday and their 25th wedding anniversary, both of which will be celebrated on Thursday.

“It’s just really great because we’re a team. We’re very collaborative. And it’s just such a great win for that,” Martin said. The pair congratulated Yeoh and the group hugged and took photos together.

Yeoh, a haute couture regular, had spoken to WWD last year when she wrapped the film . “Actually even I’ve done the movie and I’m wondering what it’s all about,” she said at the time, calling the directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert “evil geniuses” for their multidimensional storytelling. A year later, it had special significance.

“You imagine we’ve been promoting the movie for over a year. But you know, when you have something so precious and something that people can relate and resonate so much with them, it’s so precious,” she said.

“When you have people coming up to you and saying, ‘You’ve healed our relationships, I’m talking to my daughter again, I’m talking to my husband,’ then you feel very gratified, then you feel like you’ve done not just a movie, like we’ve done a little to change the world and hopefully made it a better place.”

“Emily in Paris”‘ actor Lucas Bravo revealed he is about to announce his first leading role, but couldn’t share any details. It will be a big step for the star who shot to fame as a love interest for the main character.

Despite three seasons on the Netflix hit, he joked that it hasn’t rubbed off on his personal life. “I’m still trying to find out what my style is in terms of, you know, stepping outside of my apartment,” he said, adding that he appreciates Armani for his classic, timeless style.

Juliette Binoche made the front row as well, alongside a cold Carla Bruni who had to curl up in a security guard’s coat inside the chilly venue. If stylist Law Roach had his eye on some dresses it was hard to guess, as he remained mysterious behind sunglasses.

Binoche talked about the costumes for her upcoming role as Coco Chanel in Apple TV’s “The New Look.”

“What you’re choosing has to be related to the inside, so it’s never to put something that looks good for yourself but that tells the story,” she said.

Armani showed an extensive collection of red carpet looks in sequins, pastel harlequin patterns and a good dose of Old Hollywood glamour with fascinators and face nets. — RHONDA RICHFORD

LET THERE BE LIGHT: The fashion world has been watching Clara Daguin for a while, but with her innovative designs combining technology, esoterism and couture, perhaps she is the one with the all-seeing eye.

She brought in a full house Tuesday evening for her presentation at the Maison Baccarat, her first to resemble more of a runway showcase than an art installation, albeit combined with an element of performance thanks to the work of choreographer Mariana Benenge and models including Montenegrin singer Vladana, whose Eurovision costume Daguin created last year.

Custom work for artists and performers is a growth area for the tech-savvy designer.

Her collection drew on the figures from the Marseilles Tarot deck, characters like the Empress, the Star and Death dressed in elaborate creations with thousands of integrated LEDs and fiberoptics, from shimmering fronds to pulsating neon piping, demonstrating the breadth of her creativity.

The most challenging, she said, was the final look, a leather minidress embroidered with 300 flashing Baccarat crystals and metallic branches like a chandelier, paying tribute to the venue and the brand, with which she already collaborated in late 2021 for the 180th anniversary of its Harcourt glass. — ALEX WYNNE

NEW LOOK: Bottega Veneta has reopened its 3,350-square-foot boutique in Dallas NorthPark. The shop features men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes and leather goods.

The Dallas store was designed and developed around a palette of materials and colors inspired by the Veneto region. The location features handmade Palazzo Morelli terracotta tiles finished with colored glazes, dry set and sealed with a thick coat of resin, meant to give a 17th-century material a contemporary feel.

Door handles are a hand-forged brass, nodding to the handle of the Sardine bag designed by creative director Matthieu Blazy, who took over the role in November 2021 after the departure of Daniel Lee.

Color plays an important role in the store’s design, with Cassina chairs in cob Bottega Veneta leather and plush Merino-wool carpeting. The deep-pile hand-tufted rugs are vegetable-dyed to match colors from Bottega Veneta’s permanent collection.

The shop was closed for four months during construction, though a temporary shopping space was available.

The Italian brand, founded as a collective of artisans in 1966, opened its very first store in New York’s Madison Avenue in 1972, a time when the brand was gaining popularity for its distinctive leather weaving and its tag line, “When your own initials are enough.” — LISA LOCKWOOD

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