“After three years of COVID, it’s been so long since I’ve been in heels,” said Regina King on Thursday in Los Angeles at the John Sowden House, toasting Schiaparelli and Neiman Marcus’ recent boutique opening.
King made a vibrant arrival in a lipstick-red ballooned bustier with black trousers and pointed-toe pumps that peeked out from under its hem. “I’m ready for the wedge to come back,” she said while taking a seat along the edge of the estate’s planter.
Compounding matters further, the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike in July put to a halt red carpets and entertainment industry events. Indeed, muscle memory is key for a night on your feet, and the night’s guests might agree with King — Angela Bassett, Taraji P. Henson, Olivia Wilde, Gabrielle Union and Jennifer Lopez were among the revelers.
King recalled her first time at the soiree’s venue, a Mayan temple-inspired design by Lloyd Wright that has been the filming location for “L.A. Confidential,” “America’s Next Top Model” and “Ghost Hunters” (the property is the alleged location of the 1947 murder of “The Black Dahlia,” Elizabeth Shore). “The first time I was here was for an event with Tom Ford,” King said, adding, “I joked that I would marry him, this was before he was married.” (Ford wed Richard Buckley in 2014, who died in 2021.)
Jennifer Tilly also recalled her introduction to the Sowden House. “When I first moved to Hollywood, I lived across the street and I’d look at the house all of the time,” she told Paul Duclercq, Schiaparelli’s haute couture and ready-to-wear client manager. Tilly, who is a fan of the brand’s gold-toed shoes, said she recently made a size conversion error on an order of the footwear. “I’m a size nine,” she said, adding that she ordered a 39. “I didn’t realize nine American was a size forty.”
Tilly will be able to do her Schiaparelli shoe shopping in-store. Creative director Daniel Roseberry’s expanded collaboration with the retailer will soon carry footwear. The boutique opened over the summer featuring ready-to-wear, evening-wear, handbags, jewelry and accessories.
“Over the past few years, the House of Schiaparelli has fostered such a special relationship with celebrities and stylists, contributing to unforgettable red-carpet moments,” Roseberry said in a statement. “Entering Los Angeles holds great significance, and we aspire to transform this momentum into genuine success among our American clients.”
