Over the din of merengue music at the Oscar de la Renta party during Fashion’s Night Out, we overheard Sarah Jessica Parker saying she planned to attend the Oscar de la Renta show — “Signed, sealed, delivered, done,” she said emphatically to an Oscar staffer — and Thursday evening we learned that she is a lady of her word. Clad in a flattering black-and-white print skirt suit, SJP arrived at the front row with plenty of time to spare and whiled away the wait by chatting with seatmate Grace Coddington — and eventually La Wintour, whose arrival was delayed by gnarly traffic. Parker also stopped to greet other front-row denizens, sharing tidbits about her outfit (“It’s going back in the morning,” she confided) and her perfume, which she said she’d gotten in the gift bag at that same Oscar de la Renta event. “Isn’t it great?” she asked, offering them her wrist to sniff. She ought to get a commission, because by the looks of things, she may have made Oscar a few sales right then.
Then again, she seems so amiable, she could probably sell us salt in a desert. After a few moments, SJP was approached by a tween, who we suspect was attending the show with her mother, and asked for an autograph. She gave it, taking great care with the message as the girl glowed; the kid then scurried back to her seat to bounce in celebration with her mom. Traditionally, a lot of celeb guests at Oscar spend some of their time backstage, so it speaks highly of Parker that she willingly hung out in her seat, approachable by the masses. Not to be all gushy, but hey: Credit where credit is due.
Indeed, when the tide of humanity surging toward the exit placed us in Parker’s path, she effusively gave us permission to chat her up as we were all jostled on our way outside. “It was so beautiful,” she said of the show. “I loved the polka dots, I loved the final look — I loved it all. He is so special. Every woman should get to see it, feel it, breathe it.” Given how great she looked at both Oscar events this week — her gold-sequined number from Friday has made recurring appearances in all our dramatic Looking Fabulous As We Are Reunited With a Loved One in Grand Central daydreams — we wanted to know how it all works, because we imagine truckloads of clothing racks arriving at her apartment, stuffed with offerings to keep. “No no no, and nor do I ask for that,” Parker averred. “I borrow them, and then return them within hours in the condition in which they were given.” She said she and Oscar will confer about the general direction of each look, but that’s it: “I like to leave it to his discretion. What better counsel is there than Mr. de la Renta?” We have to admit, that sounds awfully nice. We wish he’d been around this morning to help us figure out what to pair with the only shoes we can still put on without weeping, but apparently he had other things on his To-Do list.
As the crowd motion started to separate us, we quickly wondered how SJP handles all this with a son and twins. “I am hurrying home right now,” she called out as we got farther apart. With nervous smiles we wished each other well in the evening’s sudden deluge, and then she was gone. Here’s hoping the rainstorm didn’t damage her outfit. Though we can’t imagine Mr. de la Renta would hold a few water marks against her. Sarah Jessica Parker may be charming, but not even she can control the weather.
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