Capri, Italy - Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Show Autumn/Winter 2014

Paris Fashion Week has NOTHING on the Italians. Last Friday evening Dolce & Gabbana showed their Alta Moda A/W14 collection in a dramatic Fellini-esque staging on the rocks of Capri.

Guests were shuttled by boats garlanded in lemons to the Fontelina Beach Club, where they sat in striped lounge chairs and were provided with fans depicting tourist scenes of the island. Pavarotti and Boccelli music began to play as little boats started to appear from behind the famous Faraglioni rocks, carrying the models that would walk the show.

"On Capri, a woman doesn’t live the seasons," wrote Stefano and Domenico in the beautiful little book they produced for guests, filled with images of the island and the legendary women who have fallen in love with it through the years—Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Maria Callas, Rita Hayworth, Elizabeth Taylor, and Ingrid Bergman among them. "She lives life, love and passion."

After the show, guests sat at tables covered in traditional, embroidered pale tablecloths and rustic arrangements of red peppers, lemons, tomatoes, and bougainvillea blossoms. Traditional local delicacies were served—perfect zucchini blossoms, spaghetti alle vongole, and deadly rum babas among them—and another flotilla of boats appeared, lit by garlands of light bulbs and serenaded by musicians. 

The grand finale: the Dolce & Gabbana bride, illuminated as a figurehead, sailed by in the dark sea below and a fireworks show kicked off over the Faraglioni ... a true masterpiece of Italian drama. 

The party continued into the wee hours of the night at the famous Capri disco Anema e Core as revelers danced until the sun came up. 

London, England - The Serpentine Pavilion Opening Party 2014

One of the highlights of the London summer social calendar is the party to introduce the Serpentine Pavilion in Hyde Park. You might remember my post from last year's pavilion.

While many of us thought a spaceship had landed from Mars, this creation was actually the brainchild of Chilean architect Smiljan Radic who was chosen as the 14th architect to design a temporary structure for the grounds of the London gallery. 

There is a café and seating area inside and, from July to October, there will be various art, film, music and poetry events held there as part of the galleries’ Park Nights series.

Previous architects have included Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Oscar Niemeyer and Rem Koolhaas.

Here I am at the party with fellow American girlfriends, including the Serpentine Galleries' Head of Events, Michelle Anselmo, on the left.

At night, the semi-transparency of the shell, together with a soft amber-tinted light, draws the attention of passers-by.