Edwing D’Angelo truly treated his guests to A Night of Extravagance at Molton Brown on Monday, Oct. 25. Broadway actors Saycon Sengbloh and Kevin Mambo were there with other cast members of Fela!, and everyone was so intent on getting their complimentary hand and arm massages that I had plenty of room to admire Edwing’s work on display in the front. I was absolutely mesmerized by the black ostrich feather dress! But the real show-stopper was the gown Saycon wore to the 64th annual Tony awards in June (in which Fela! was nominated 11 times and won three awards).
It was my first visit to this particular Molton Brown store (515 Madison, entrance on 53rd between Madison and Park). The scent of peppercorn is a rich, mysterious addition to several of their skincare products, which I love, but the warming eucalyptus bath & shower therapy was a sensual experience that completely won my heart. I only had to uncap the bottle and I was whisked away in spirit to a private spa, inhaling the sweetness of essential oils as my skin tingled under an imagined massage.
A highlight of the event was the display of Murano Artisans jewelry and watches, which Armand Gokhan Altan explained in detail and let us feel for ourselves the diamond-cut texture of certain glasswork pendants. Whether the designs were intricate millefiori medallions or splashes of 24-karat gold within the glass, each was handcrafted by experts on the Italian isle of Murano, off the coast of Venice. As with Champagne, true Murano glass comes from one place only! (Apparently the rulers of the Venetian Republic decided the glassworkers’ intensely hot furnaces were too dangerous for a city built mostly of wood, and banished them to Murano in 1291. Where they’ve remained ever since, passing down jealously-kept trade secrets from father to son.)
I was looking forward to trying the Ty-KU green sake cocktails, but missed my chance while snapping pictures. I did not, however, miss my chance to tell Edwing how much I agreed with his recent remarks in Newsweek (The Color of Fashion, Sept. 29, 2010). Fashion designers and publications need to wake up and learn that variety is the spice of life — blonde after blonde can get tiring (and I’m speaking as a blonde). How refreshing it is to see Hispanic, black, white, Asian models at his shows — a true representation of fashionable society. I’m hoping to see more of this in the future.
thank you