"There's something old-fashioned about it," says Helena Christensen. She's talking about Rouje's spring collection—a line of chic separates with a campaign fronted by the supermodel, celebrated Wednesday night in Soho—but the comment applies to the festivities as well.
No crowded, buzzy restaurant. No crass shopping event at a boutique or hotel suite. Just dinner (by star chefs Tara Thomas and Hannah Musante)—light, easy, and passed—at a private home. The event took place in the Tribeca loft of Constance Govare, founder of creative consultancy Clqssique and friend to Rouje's designer, Jeanne Damas. There was nothing ostentatious or formal, rather a near-casual sense of refinement and fun. Govare's adorable children emerged from time to time to hug their mum like a scene from The Sound of Music—the only thing missing was a song.
Except there was that too. A string trio, accompanied by a vocalist, played intermittently from a corner of the open dining room and kitchen area. Nearby, on a sofa, a murderer's row of international beauties held court for much of the evening, including Christensen, actors Julianne Moore and Famke Janssen, and Damas.
"For Rouje, we never used personalities, stars, or musicians. I always used some friends, some Girls Next Door, my sister, or me as a model," says Damas. "Helena was wearing Rouje in her own life, and I saw it on Instagram and we started chatting. One day she told me, 'We should work together.' And I was like, 'Uh...yes.' Dream come true."
"She's always had a fantastic taste, as a model, as a photographer, and as a furniture curator," said Olympia Gayot, the women's creative director of J. Crew, no slouch in the taste department herself. "It's amazing." Gayot was one of many talented luminaries floating in and out of the seating area between bites of chicken liver mousse atop fried sourdough, oeuf mayonnaise, and pink moon oysters with rhubarb granita. One could spot amongst the crowd the likes of Ivy Getty, stylists Brie Welch and Elly McGaw, actor Blue Lindeberg, DJ Leigh Lezark, and models Devyn Garcia and Grace Burns (a force in her own right, and the daughter of fellow super, Christy Turlington).
"I also hope that [Christensen] had an input on the campaign since she is a photographer and a multi-faceted badass woman," said Burns. "Not only is Helena a supermodel, she's a true artist. She has an eye," says Damas. Christensen sees her own aesthetic and appreciation for shape and color in Rouje designs. "There's something very personal and intimate about what Jeanne designs. It really spoke to me on a level where I felt connected to the person behind the brand by even just wearing the pieces," she explains. "It's almost like you have a little love affair with what you wear." Is she having an affair with anything in particular at this moment? "Yes. Right now, I'm very much in love with these green shoes," she says, pointing to her feet. "So I'm dating them right now."
Christensen brings a genuine appreciation of Rouje to the campaign and the evening and a level of experience and creativity that would be difficult to find in a younger model. "It's not a question of age," says Damas. "My office is above a Rouje Boutique in Paris, and you see mothers come in with their daughters. Rouje is for all women." Burns agrees. "It's now easier to find what Helena's wearing and to copy her, and we all want more of that," she says. "We all want ways to be more like her."
