Did you know that Roland Mouret has a peacock named Mario? Neither did we.Did you know that Roland Mouret has a peacock named Mario? Neither did we. Apparently, he lives at the designer's home outside London, along with a Jack Russell terrier called Dave. "He's a very vain bird—he loves looking at himself in the windows," said Mouret at a cozy dinner in New York's Wallse restaurant last night. Unfortunately for us, Mouret didn't bring the pets along for his whirlwind three-day trip to the Big Apple. But the jaunt, he explained, served as homecoming of sorts.

"I had my big success in this city with the Galaxy dress, and it's nice not to forget it," recalled the French designer, referring to the curve-enhancing Fall 2005 frock that he showed at New York fashion week—it was widely regarded as the "dress of the decade."

"I was so sure that that was going to be the dress," said Mouret's stylist of twelve years and the evening's co-host, Ten magazine's Sophia Neophitou. "I love being right," she laughed.

Indeed, Mouret's come a long way since that career-defining moment, what with the growth of his brand, his glamorous London store, his recent launch of handbags, and, of course, the move to Paris fashion week, where he showed his Spring '14 offering in September. Suffice to say, a party across the Atlantic isn't the most obvious way to unwind after sending one's collection down the catwalk. But the designer insists that he's got relaxation down pat. His secret? "A little red wine," he whispered—with a glass of vin rouge in hand. And while he and Neophitou took a trip to Greece before the Spring season kicked off (apparently, the beach culture there influenced his latest lineup—particularly the runway music), he's not a supporter of post-fashion month vacations. "It's not the eighties. We can't do that anymore!" he offered, continuing that the fast paced Internet culture requires designers and industry professionals to work 24/7. When asked if he missed the good old days, he replied, "I prefer it now—I prefer it now because everything feels new."
POST: 2024-11-24