Loris Diran prides himself on the application of demi-couture to suit an individual, and decidedly New York, clientele. There is something alluring about Manhattan, where women and men must anticipate every permutation of evening plans when deciding what to wear.
“No one does it like New York,” Loris explained,
“maybe Paris, but even then, no. It’s all about running around; one minute, you’re at a party in Bowery, the next you’re having cocktails on Park Avenue. New Yorkers elevate movement to an art form. I design for these people. I’m not a Tom Brown; I try to make my fashions appeal to every sector, for every possible occasion. Great style always transcends time. Well, it should be timeless,”
he corrected himself with a swat of the hand, “but fashion should always appeal to current trends.”
To further illustrate this point, he excitedly grabbed a copy of Hip Hop weekly. Flipping to the desired two page spread of his latest show, he held it aloft, for all to see, oscillating in the center of the room for maximum effect. The variety of the crowd was further exhibited by unique outpourings of admiration. Golf-claps, hurrahs, Bravo’s and carefully spelt profanities (My favorite: man, once you’ve made Hip Hop Weekly you know you are the S-H-I-T) pierced the air. Loris is a man whose successes instill an indefatigable vibrancy that has a palpable effect on an entire room.
“We are encountering a shake-up of the industry,” explained Mark Sage, Loris’ business partner, as a new round of cheers bounced from the color-splashed walls.
“There’s a specific degree of personalization and customization in our product. I really think we are the brand of the future.”
With this parting thought to ponder, I could only stand and stare, left momentarily immobile. I stopped, not because my shoes were painful, or because I was tired, but because I knew that Mark was right. As I surveyed the scene once more, I noticed that nothing was lost in my being there. This was not a major press event; rather, it was, first and foremost, a birthday party. The attendees were, first and foremost, friends and well wishers; their status as clients was unabashedly secondary. This was a gathering in celebration of Loris’ achievements, and I could not but feel that I was really at a birthday party. A diverse family unit had materialized around Loris’ vision. Each member is encouraged to discover their own unique beauty in a collection where nothing is lost in translation, as all is infinitely translatable. I left with hope and cake— a perfect ending to an evening out in New York.
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