Matthew Williamson did his part to inject a little bit of old school celebrity action into an otherwise frenzy-free Fashion Week Sunday night when he celebrated the opening of his first U.S. flagship store in the Meatpacking District. "It's time for joy," he smiled, recovering from the flu. "It was just the right thing to do."Heidi Klum, Mischa Barton, Joy Bryant, Katherine McPhee, Trish Goff, and Lindsay Lohan all made cameos, sending photographers into what I call "Marc Jacobs mode" (translation: screaming, popping flashes, carousing for the best shot). Safely tucked inside the store, the celebs remained fish in a very big fishbowl. At one point, Williamson offered Lohan a glass of champagne but she demurely-and somewhat uncomfortably-refused. She was, however, in great spirits.
Here's how our conversation went:
Me: Hey Lindsay, how's it going?
"Oh my God I haven't seen you in so long! How are you?"
Me: I'm great. How are you? What do you think of the store?
"I love all the pinks. And I love that pink dress hanging in front."
Me: So what brought you out to Matthew's party?
"Good people attract good people. I was with him in Dubai and we talked about coming to the opening. I first met him over New Year's Eve at a party in Miami and he's so genuine."
Me: You've been known to change multiple times in one night. Ever have a memorable fashion moment with Matthew's clothes?
"Actually, I have this fur vest of his that I once wore all week and the tabloids ended up running one of those 'repeat wearer' headlines."
Me: You told me at the Charlotte Ronson show that you had an earache. How's that going?
"I still have it. You can't tell?"
Me: No.
Lohan then dashed off to join a new posse of friends that quickly surrounded her. On her way out, she barely made it to her SUV before running back in. Turns out she had forgotten her purse. The disappointment from the tabloid reporters that someone else did not find the purse and put its contents online was palpable.
Jim Shi was born in Brussels, Belgium and grew up in Paris before moving to New York City. For the past four and a half years, Shi was fashion news editor of IMG's fashion and media industry publication The Daily and editor of its sister web site, Fashion Week Daily. He has covered Fashion Weeks in New York, Milan, and Paris.
PHOTOS BY PATRICK MCMULLAN
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