Picture this: Central Park in late summer. Boats drift across the lake as musicians from Carnegie Hall, themselves perched on floating vessels, scatter across the pond to deliver a live performance. The scene has a cinematic quality, heightened by the sight of Julia Roberts and Emma Roberts, Solange Knowles, and Charlotte Le Bon among the crowd - all gathered to celebrate their friend, designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, who has just unveiled his reimagined bottle for Veuve Clicquot’s La Grande Dame 2018.
The event, fittingly titled Le Pique-Nique Sur L’Eau, is the fruit of a partnership quietly in the making for two years. The bottle, wrapped in linen and starched with Marseille soap, is quintessentially Jacquemus - a blend of artisanal whimsy and Gallic precision. ‘La Grande Dame 2018 is the outcome of simple materials, meaningful gestures, and strong women’s stories, yet it is ultimately a celebration of - and for - optimistic and memorable moments,’ says the designer.
To mark the occasion, the iconic Central Park Boathouse was swathed in a wash of Jacquemus-and-Clicquot yellow, lending a sun-kissed glow to the evening’s dinner and setting the tone for what felt like an unofficial but unforgettable opening to New York Fashion Week.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Jacquemus soirée without the guest list to match. Julia and Emma Roberts, Solange Knowles, Charlotte Le Bon, Imaan Hammam, and Toby Wallace were among those who toasted beneath the golden-hued awnings, joined by Veuve Clicquot’s CEO, Jean-Marc Gallot. ‘Central Park felt like the perfect place to celebrate the shared values of Veuve Clicquot and Simon Porte Jacquemus, a landmark in one of the most vibrant and creative cities in the world,’ Gallot noted, as guests dined on inventive dishes from French chef Alexia Duchêne.
Champagne and Jacquemus: two emblems of French chic that require little embellishment. Yet in combining them, he's proved once more his deft touch for branding - turning a bottle of bubbly into an objet d’art. Not that La Grande Dame needed much help in the chicness stakes. And for those who missed the lakeside spectacle, the collaboration continues: from September 10-14, New Yorkers and visitors alike can experience Le Pique-Nique Sur L’Eau at the Central Park Boathouse and at premier locations across the city.
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Henrik Lischke is the senior fashion news & features editor at Grazia. Prior to that, he worked at British Vogue, and was junior fashion editor at The Sunday Times Style.