On Saturday evening in Paris, fashion designers, industry executives, and top models gathered at the Ritz to raise a glass to two of the town’s newest editors: GQ France Head of Editorial Content Claire Hazan, and Vogue France Head of Editorial Content Claire Thomson-Jonville. The cocktail party was hosted by Anna Wintour and Will Welch. Said Wintour in opening remarks, “Will and I absolutely did not mandate that our new heads of editorial content should share the same first name. But what we do know is that they share a thrillingly original approach to fashion journalism and to culture.”
There were plenty of thrillingly original talents in the room to give bisous to the Claires—and to each other. After greeting Hazan and Thomson-Jonville, local hero Simon Porte Jacquemus hugged New York’s Willy Chavarria, who made his Paris Fashion Week Men’s debut the previous night. Mike Amiri, also fresh off a starry runway show, congratulated Porte Jacquemus on a new store opening in London. Guests all around gave Jerry Lorenzo daps for his own runway debut—the Fear of God designer made a surprise cameo walking in Chavarria’s show.
The glass-canopied room quickly filled up with a buzzy cross-section of the world both Claires have stepped into with poise and style: Other designers like Jan-Jan Van Essche, Courrèges’s Nicolas Di Felice, Marine Serre, Zac Posen, and Bianca Saunders rubbed shoulders with the likes of Paloma Elsesser, Alex Consani, Jeremy O. Harris, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, and Léna Mahfouf.
Needless to say, the guests knew what Welch meant when he raised a glass to Hazan, who joined GQ France from her post as head of podcasts at Spotify. “I keep telling Claire that actually fashion is very warm and welcoming. As long as you are really cool, and smart, and stylish, and really sophisticated, and it’s good too if you have great taste… and also fashion really loves anyone if they’re kind—but not too kind, you know?” Welch remarked to laughs.
“Luckily Claire is all those things and more—I have no doubt you will soon love working with her as much as I do,” concluded Welch, noting that though Hazan might be new to fashion, she’s already a pro at its high-wire juggling act, having pinged back and forth between fashion shows and her first cover shoot this week. Hazan’s first issue of GQ France is out in March.
In her remarks, Wintour praised Thomson-Jonville for bringing a fresh perspective to Vogue France—and for being the “absolute embodiment of French chic, even if she was born in Scotland!” Most importantly, Wintour noted that the time calls for bold ideas and innovative leaders: “Now, more than ever, we need editors who are fearless in their risk taking, and embrace being as creative as possible.” In Paris, the Claires have answered the call. Bienvenue!
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