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“Guys, have you seen Eli?” asked Dove Cameron.
He was looking for the man of the moment, Eli Mizrahi.
“Oh, look at it,” she smiled, spotting designer Mônot on a couch curled up with Natasha Lyonne.
“Everyone has been with me since day one,” Mizrahi said of her intimate dinner at the Chateau Marmont penthouse in LA on Sunday.
Everyone wore her designs – a sea of black and white cutout dresses – her guests included Teyana Taylor, Ciara, Zoey Deutch, Demi Lovato, Normani, Christine Quinn, Elsa Hosk, Alessandra Ambrosio, Emma Myers, Tiffany Haddish, Olivia Culpo , Sami Miro , Cindy Bruna, Kat Graham, Kristina Romanova, Nausheen Shah and Rose Bertram.
“And we had a lot of requests from people who wanted to participate,” he continued. “But, you know, it’s not about getting credit from anyone who comes to my dinner. Yes, I received the award, but it’s more about appreciating who has been a part of it since day one, and they’re all here with me tonight.
Mizrahi was in town for the Daily Front Row’s 7th Annual Fashion LA Awards, where she took home Emerging Brand of the Year. Taylor had presented the trophy earlier in the day.
“Everyone can be cute in their own way, but for me it takes a lot more than just the physical aspects,” he said of his woman Mônot. The designer, who launched the brand three years ago, created 29 looks for the awards ceremony. “It’s more about personality and attitude and confidence… But you know what’s fun? When Teyana presented the award, she said, “Listen, I’m a mom with my sweatpants and baggy clothes, but when I put on a Mônot dress, I turn into this creature.” I don’t know who I am.’ This makes me happy, actually.
Mizrahi, who hails from Lebanon, explained that he originally wanted to produce his collections in the United States when he moved to New York.
“The New York factories didn’t want to work with a young brand,” he said. “I had no choice but to look at alternative options.”
Turning to his home country, working with the Syrian refugees he trained, he explained: “They are still part of Mônot.”
These days he is in Lebanon once a month, more often in Paris, where he recently moved.
“Yes, the brand is growing,” he continued. “Yes, it is present in Paris. Yes, it is present in New York. But I am not giving up on Beirut. Beirut has been my home, it will always be my home.”
In Los Angeles, he’s testing the waters, and the city may see him soon.
“If you look at 10 years ago when you said LA, people think Juicy Couture,” he said, when asked about the fashion scene. Now he’s being taken more seriously, he added. “For me, I’m loving the whole shift. There is a big movement going on. And oddly, I’m talking about having a little more presence in LA, possibly doing a show in the future. We will see.”
For now, he planned to extend the trip: “I was supposed to leave at midnight tonight. I probably won’t take that flight and will stay for two more days.
New York is her next destination, for meetings and “something big, potentially, that’s still in the works, TBD.”
Also in the pipeline? Mens, which he plans to unveil later.
“We will launch it soon.”
An hour into the event, most of the guests were still mingling as they sipped champagne and cocktails on the terrace. Some sat down at the outdoor dining table, ready for their first course.
“Chop chop, I’ve got a big chop,” Haddish announced, her finger twirling in the air.
Opposite her was Lyonne. With her familiar laugh, she chimed in, “Chip Chop, okay?”
