Last Thursday evening a cocktail reception was held at Gallery Aesthete for Diane Pernet, the fashion world’s first blogger, renowned fashion critic and video journalist. She was in Chicago to receive the SAIC’s 2015 Legend of Fashion Award at THE WALK, a fashion show gala benefit supporting student scholarships at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago held the following day.
Diane Pernet also made this special appearance to introduce her namesake fragrance collection of four scents now available at Gallery Aesthete: To Be Honest, In Pursuit of Magic, Shaded and Wanted. Guests sampled the amazing fragrances and caroused the racks of perfectly curated men’s apparel.
Spider pins like the ones Diane wears in her veil are designed by Mario Salvucci. They were on display and are available for purchase at Gallery Aesthete.
On each of the solid black fragrance bottles dangles a spider charm by Mario Salvucci. “To Be Honest” mixes myrrh, black pepper, cedar wood, patchouli, vetiver, leather and amber. “Wanted” is a blend of clove, juniper and nutmeg with a musk accord. “In Pursuit of Magic” is a tart, clean citrus mix, while “Shaded” is inspired by salty seaside memories and combines vetiver, musk and guiac wood.
I had the opportunity to meet Diane Pernet. She was very approachable and warm and more petite than I perceived. I asked her a few questions. “What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?” She asked “In life?” I nodded. She paused for a moment and said “Feel passion, give it your all and cling to nothing.” Then I rather boldly asked, “Do you feel you may be clinging (a little bit) to your look?” Luckily, she laughed and said “I suppose so.” My last question was, “What advice would you give to students, regarding fashion, film or art?” and she answered “To do something personal, and don’t start until you have something to say.”
On Sunday there was a special presentation A Shaded View On Fashion Films with a Q&A with Diane Pernet at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
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– Carol Calacci
Photos: Matthew Reeves
