SUR-REALITY CHECK: Daniel Roseberry, who has put ears and noses on the accessories he designs for Schiaparelli, has tried his hand at table dressing, designing a menu and even a dessert with an offbeat face centered on a fishbone nose.
The occasion was the annual Friends of the Centre Pompidou gala last week, which had a surrealist theme.
After giving a speech in her Schiaparelli gown with a keyhole detail, Floriane de Saint Pierre, president of the organization, repaired to her table, christened “Elsa” and dressed by Roseberry with a shocking centerpiece: a golden woman in repose amidst assorted greenery.
Naming the tables after surrealist artists or artworks instead of assigning numbers made it a chore to for guests to find their sets, but it was a good excuse to take in the exceptional art collections — and the wackadoodle interpretations of the dress code: surrealist black-tie.
There was a man with a Dalí-esque mustache and a dripping clock painted on his face, and another with slim baguettes in lieu of a pocket square. Wolfgang Tillmans wound some bubble wrap and packing tape around his neck, turning himself into a ready-made.
Simon Porte Jacquemus had ticking stripes on his shirt, tie and blazer, and was deep in conversation with Tina Kunakey. The French designer recently became a father, to Mia and Sun. “They’re home sleeping,” he said, voice full of relief.
The annual event raises funds for acquisitions, and a hardcover book detailed 200 recent acquisitions. Luxury houses Cartier, Delvaux, Diptyque, Versace, Jacquemus, Chanel and Dior all took tables at the sprawling event.
Guest also struggled to decode the menu, which had to be read via one of the round mirrors used for the table settings, forks placed upside down.
Consider it a warmup for the major exhibition “Le surréalisme d’abord et toujours” (Surrealism first and always, in English), which is slated to open at the Pompidou in September.
