Edited by Adrien Field
Some expeditions are so rare and fantastic that they merit a huge celebration forty years later—as was the case for last night’s Louis Vuitton party honoring Buzz Aldrin (above left) and the first successful voyage of man onto the moon. My own expedition—across the park to the Upper West Side to the Museum of Natural History—was decidedly less buzz-worthy, but I can almost guarantee my destination was more fashionable than Neil Armstrong’s forty years ago.
Because Louis Vuitton is one of the few luxury brands surviving—and thriving—during the recession, it is to be expected that they throw over-the-top, lavish parties that compete with the bacchanals of ancient Rome—after all, who’s left to do it?
I arrived early and the atmosphere outside was unexpectedly calm—no ravenous party crashers frothing at the mouth for their free Moët. Usually I walk the step-and-repeats, but I took one look at the gigantic carpet with a cluster of video crews at the end and decided to pass. I imagined later that it would have been one small step for me, and one giant rattling of my fragile nerves.
Downstairs was still mostly empty and so the full selection of hors d’oeuvres could be enjoyed without the terrible despair that ensues after you trail one of those handsome cater waiters, only to find that their silver platter has been pillaged. Food, however, lost all value when I spotted Bill Cunningham in his signature blue windbreaker, darting rapidly around the room with his camera like a lone ranger. I positioned myself strategically and waited. Sure enough, my outfit was blessed with Mr. Cunningham’s approval in the form of a few camera flashes and I quietly checked off another achieved goal on the running list I keep in my mind.
The first celebrity I spotted was Cassie—immediately recognizable by her half-shaved head, which on one side makes her look like a glamorous goddess and on the other, like a Thai lady-boy. I assumed from the star shape etched into Cassie’s bald side that she was she was celebrating the celestial occasion in her own special way.
Shortly after, Whitney Port arrived. Almost immediately, a steady stream of strangers approached Whitney—all wanting a piece of the reality star. I was guilty of this as well—but at least I was fabulously dressed, so it was excusable in my mind. I went up to the delightful Ms. Port, who’s bubbly and beautiful in person. I asked if she ever had dreams of being an astronaut while growing up.
“You know, I think everyone somehow thinks in one way or another that being an astronaut is so whimsical and amazing, but I don’t know, after fourth grade, learning about the whole solar system and doing a report on Venus, I was fine just settling with that.”
I couldn’t bait her on what she’d do if she were locked in a space shuttle with her City
co-star, Olivia Palermo. “I’d make it work,” she said. “I’m not like that; I’m not territorial.”
The most interesting interaction that night I had observed was not Buzz with the president of Louis Vuitton North America on the grand staircase, but rather between Whitney and Jessica Szhor (Gossip Girl) when the latter had arrived. Despite having ostensibly never met before, Jessica made her way over to Whitney and introduced herself. It made me wonder whether the famous share some sort of supernatural bond with one another.
Jessica was wearing Louis Vuitton Fall 2009 shoes—the ones with the sky-high crazy heel that looks like an hourglass—and that, come to think of it, wouldn’t look out of place as moon shoes. I posed the same question to her.
“I think I was always a little bit too scared of what would happen, but I think it would be amazing to go to the moon and that’s the one place I’d want to go to that’s crazy and far away because people have made it back.”
“If you could go to the moon, who would you take with you?” I asked her. “My mamacita!” she cooed.
–Adrien Field
www.AdrienField.com
