The Tamesis
The night before her traditional power moment for female Academy Award nominees, Diane von Furstenberg had an epiphany: These stars who need to know need to Star. A quick trip to the craft store saved the day. “Next year, we’ll have something better,” the Belgian designer promised the audience. In the meantime, the little gold stickers visible on the printed wrap dress did the trick.
When guests arrive at Trousdale Estates, the patriarch’s lush oasis in Beverly Hills, the first thing on the agenda is clear. A small queue formed as the nominees dutifully accepted markers and signed a large scroll listing the 76 women recognized for their work this year.
Since 2014, von Furstenberg has marked a moment on the awards show’s social calendar, raising a glass not only to film producers and actresses, but also to producers, makeup and hairstylists, costume designers, casting agents, sound engineers, set designers and special effects professionals, who deservedly received flowers. “Connection is everything,” von Furstenberg tells us Fashionwhile basking in the sun. “What could be better than this?”
Case in point: During a leisurely afternoon outdoors, guests sit at picnic tables with intentionally open seating arrangements. “I try to create a miracle every morning by introducing someone to someone who can change their life. All you have to do is write a thoughtful text or email and make the introduction. By creating these miracles, you feel the kindness,” von Furstenberg said during her remarks.
Co-hosts include Jane “Bad” Fonda in a leopard-print coat (to borrow an introduction from DVF), Demi Moore, Nicole Avante Sarandos and Tracee Ellis Ross, whom DVF has known since childhood. “Diane’s kindness extended far beyond days like today,” Ellis Ross told Fashion. “I’m so excited to celebrate women here. Three of my favorite photos from this year –Hamnet, I’m sorry baby, and emotional values— all centered around women. They may not have all been created by women, but they were about female. These are the stories that have always fascinated me. “
At the center of the party, a scrumptious meal prepared by von Furstenberg’s long-time chef Jane Coxwell awaited us. “I met Jane when she was having trouble swallowing [post-cancer]. She creates these delicious organic vegetable blends that I can eat with confidence and now her brand OKO is about to launch in Erewhon. “While everyone is eating, DVF is proud to announce. To give people something to add to their next grocery list, many dishes, such as za’atar salmon and green tabouli with chicken, tomato and radish salad, feature OKO’s carrot-turmeric flavor. The buffet-style setting is a huge hit. This is real bread,” said actress Lisa Ann Walter, arm in arm with Fran Drescher.
Over iced lattes with rose syrup and glasses of wine, everyone listened intently to von Furstenberg’s pearls of wisdom. “As women, we know two things. We know the solutions, and we know the temptation. I’m not talking about showing your legs, but giving other people the benefit of the doubt,” she said.
While there’s no shortage of star power and villains among the arguments, DVF pauses to turn its focus to Anita Hill, the prolific attorney who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991 and accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in a watershed moment for women around the world. “Anita talked about penises on TV and in front of the Senate. You have to be brave to do that,” the designer said, prompting a standing ovation from everyone in the garden.
