Valentino Celebrates Fashion and Fragrance

Valentino’s cocktail in the sumptuous Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris on Tuesday night was a non-stop photo op.

Guests at the fete, dubbed “The Valentino Tribe Party,” stepped daintily over animal pelts (mind the tiger’s head!) to sit in a similarly clad nook draped in straw in a side room and smile for the camera.

The house, whose spring 2016 collection shown earlier in day also had an African theme, was celebrating both its fashion and a new fragrance, called Valentino Donna.

Astrid Berges-Frisbey, the face of the perfume who also stars in its film advertising lensed by Louis Garrel, is a fan of fragrance. “I think perfume is something which you should be loyal to. You should find one that fits you the most,” she said.

Kiernan Shipka  said she just was on a project called “February,” which was purchased by A24. In the movie shot in Ottawa, she plays the role of Kat opposite Emma Roberts and Lucy Boynton. Otherwise, Shipka is focusing on balancing studies and work.

“I’m in French 1, taking a sociology class and music appreciation,” she said. “It’s a fun little lineup.” Alber Elbaz is taking no time off before launching into his next collection. As for scent, “I make my own,” he said with a mysterious smile.

“I wanted to become a nose all of my life,” revealed The Webster’s Laure Heriard Dubreuil. “I did so many internships – everything in the fragrance world – and then I realized it took so long to make a fragrance, and so I went into fashion.”

Betony Vernon just designed the first home scent for Fornasetti. “I want to do my own now,” said the jewelry designer, who was wearing pieces from her new collection, called Noble Knots.

Valentino Garavani, sitting on a couch in one of the vast reception rooms, shared he is very happy to soon be working on costumes for “La Traviata,” set to be staged in Rome.

Upcoming for Ellen von Unwerth is a book coming out in February with Taschen, which she has worked on for three years. “I don’t want to say the title yet,” she said. Mum’s the word, too, on details pertaining to her feature film.