Baccarat Celebrates Starck, Dee’s New Nest, Tiffany Lands on Moda

Aug 24, 2023

FACET TIME: Guests at Baccarat's dinner Monday night in honor of Philippe Starck sat in a pitch black room while waiters — dressed all in black like ninjas with tiny lamps on their foreheads — scurried to and fro, plucking placement cards, adding candles, wine glasses, vases and long-stemmed roses.

Before exiting the room, they rang a small crystal bell with a red pendant clapper to indicate that the meal was about to commence. When the lights came up, the likes of Farida Khelfa, Emmanuel Perrotin, Elie Top, Jean-Baptiste Mondino and Charles de Vilmorin gasped in wonder at the sparkling table setting and the ballroom's Rococo splendor, its chandeliers duplicated to infinity in the mirrors.

Hoisting one of Starck's newest Baccarat designs, a slender Champagne flute with a pinched rim, Baccarat chief executive officer Maggie Henriquez proposed a toast to Starck's creative prowess, which has propelled some of the French crystal firm's most successful objects for 20 years.

"The love is there, and absolute respect," she said. "He is truly an extraordinary person."

Starck confessed awe for the raw material Baccarat employs, marveling at how sand and fire can produce such a magical substance, cooled by water and willed into shape by skilled artisans. "All the same, there is poetry in there," he concluded.

The event was held at Maison Baccarat in Paris, which boasts a monumental staircase under a massive, rotating chandelier that leads to a museum of crystal creations, including figurines, jewelry, vessels and glassware galore.

As a parting gift, guests were handed a small book of quotes and aphorisms by 18th-century French statesman Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, whose surname has become a byword for crafty, cynical diplomacy.

Starck named his latest Baccarat collection Talleyrand, the chef of the evening piling crabmeat into the new range's crystal caviar dish, wild strawberries and tiny meringues into a Champagne coupe. It also includes a votive and a jewelry tree. Prices start at 550 euros for a flute and run up to 4,500 euros for a large vase. — MILES SOCHA

NESTING TIME: Dee Ocleppo and Nest New York have teamed up for a limited-edition silk pajama and Balinese Coconut perfume oil collaboration. The gift bundle launches online on Wednesday, and will be available online at the Dee Ocleppo and Nest New York websites.

Inspired by Nest New York's bestselling Balinese Coconut Perfume Oil, Ocleppo has designed a limited-edition printed silk pajama to reflect the relaxed spirit of Bali. The newest addition to Nest New York's Perfume Oil collection, Balinese Coconut features the essence of fresh coconuts, combined with notes of tropical tiare blossom and salted musk.

Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, founder of Dee Ocleppo, and Laura Slatkin, founder of Nest New York, are longtime close friends.

"Partnering with Laura, who is such a wonderful friend and accomplished businesswoman, is an honor. I’m so proud of the brand she has created and being able to work together on this collaboration is so special. Our pajamas are ultra comfortable and beautiful so you can wear them from day to night. Paired with the Nest New York perfume oil, there is nothing else you need for a chic evening in or out," Ocleppo Hilfiger said.

Slatkin said she's a big fan of the brand that Ocleppo has created and called her "an amazing entrepreneur."

"I know Dee is a big fan of Nest as she uses their products in all her residences," Slatkin said. "This exciting collaboration between two close friends was inspired when Dee sent me her luxurious silk lounging pajamas at the very same time I set her my new Balinese Coconut Perfume Oil — it's then that we discovered our creative worlds collided. When two girlfriends collaborate, magic happens."

The pajamas are available in sizes XS to XL. The limited-edition gift bundle is priced at $398. — LISA LOCKWOOD

TIFFANY AND MODA: Tiffany & Co. homewares have launched on Moda Operandi as the collection's exclusive wholesale partner.

Lauren Santo Domingo, Moda's cofounder and chief brand officer and Tiffany's artistic director for the home category, was eager to bring her spin on Tiffany home goods to the Moda shopper.

The website is offering a curated selection of Santo Domingo's Tiffany tableware designs to start, including the Tiffany Berries, Tiffany Wisteria, Tiffany Toile and Tiffany Valse Bleue collections. There's also a selection of sterling silver flatware, and serving pieces, as well as a wider gift and baby product offering — including blankets, pillows and silver hair combs. Prices range from $85 to $20,000.

"Moda Domus grew out of an absence of elevated pieces for casual dining. The market is now incredibly crowded, but there is a void in newness in formal dining. I have many options for entertaining alfresco, but had so few fine silver or porcelain options for my dining room in the city. Most of the formal dining assortment available today are the exact same patterns I chose from when registered for my wedding 15 years ago," Santo Domingo told WWD of the launch.

Most items will ship from Moda Operandi's warehouse, while still packaged in Tiffany's famous blue boxes.

Moda began to dip a toe into the home category in 2015 with select trunk shows. Those efforts ultimately led to the official launch of its in-house Moda Domus homewares label in 2018. Ever since, the site has been focused on offering luxury homewares with a contemporary spin to accompany its selection of clothing and accessories that reflect a similar taste level.

"Moda Operandi is a lifestyle brand and our assortment reflects the lives of our customer. Adding fine jewelry, home, beauty and gifts were natural extensions of our brand and we will move into home furnishings and children's in the seasons to come," Santo Domingo said. — MISTY WHITE SIDELL

MORE THAN TWO: Farfetch and New Guards Group's created brand There Was One, or TWO, has launched a collaboration with Nigerian fashion designer Lisa Folawiyo, available Wednesday on Farfetch.

The collaboration features an eight-piece womenswear capsule and marks the first partnership for TWO, fusing classic Folawiyo pieces and prints with TWO's contemporary designs.

The collection showcases summer designs with a mix of the signature Ankara fabric and custom prints, including the custom "hearts intertwined" print that originated from Folawiyo's spring 2017 collection titled, "She wears her heart on his sleeve," which celebrated the bond between two individuals. The print has been reimagined and incorporated into the capsule collection, adding a touch of romanticism to the design.

Prices range from $140 to $520.

"So thrilled to have collaborated with There Was One on creating this collection," said Folawiyo, who launched her fashion label, Jewelry by Lisa, now widely known as Lisa Folawiyo, in 2015. "That each piece made was a revisit to a most loved Lisa Folawiyo print and to have worked with my favorite fabric, Ankara, the process for me was not only enjoyable, but also endearing. The ease and lightness of the styles and the choice of prints and colors make for such a sweet summer collection. One that I absolutely love."

Heavily influenced by her West African and Caribbean heritage, each of Folawiyo's collections weave together culture, tradition, history and childhood memories of her own African experience. Originally trained as a layer, Folawiyo has a penchant for print, color and embellishment.

It's been a busy time for New Guards Group, which last week had a management shuffle. As reported, the New Guards Group founders, chief executive officer Davide De Giglio and executive director and Off-White CEO Andrea Grilli, stepped down from their roles. Stephanie Phair, who was promoted to group president of Farfetch last September, was appointed chair of New Guards Group. Farfetch acquired New Guards Group in 2019 for $675 million. NGG is home to 11 international brands, which in addition to There Was One, includes Palm Angels, Heron Preston, Unravel Project and Ambush. It is also the licensee of Off-White. — L.L.

Sign up for WWD news straight to your inbox every day