DINNER WITH DEMI: The restaurant was aflutter: Demi Moore had just entered the room.
“She’s a very good friend of mine — all the people here tonight are,” said New York-based designer Eli Mizrahi. “I wanted all my friends and family to be here.”
On Saturday night, Mizrahi unveiled his first full collection for Mônot, the ready-to-wear brand he created in 2019 and debuted with a “collection zero” in September, at Michelin-starred restaurant Apicius in Paris.
Guests including Moore, Shailene Woodley, Joey King and Amber Valletta sat down for an intimate dinner as models walked through the carpeted rooms wearing Mônot fall 2020.
The collection, which was inspired by artist Lucio Fontana and architect Eero Saarinen, was pretty evening focused. It featured a long black jersey evening dress with a circular front opening, revealing a matching bustier bra underneath; a purple cocktail dress worn with red tights; and long-sleeve dresses with a high-side slit trimmed with rhinestones.
“I find inspiration just walking down the street,” said Mizrahi, who prior to creating Mônot worked in “connecting talents with brands.” His self-confessed obsession with architecture was visible in the graphic cutout shapes that revealed hips and naked backs in his designs, which were styled by Carine Roitfeld, the designer’s mentor, for the show.
So what can be expected from Mônot? “I don’t want to play by industry standards,” said Mizrahi when asked if he was going to keep his collections seasonal. “As you can see, this isn’t a regular show. Who knows what we’ll do for next season.”