Cameron Silver, that suave salesman of sumptuous schmatte, is aptly named. Not only for those silver coins he so gently coaxes out of our minaudieres, or for his sage authority on the history fashion, but also for his hair. Cameron Silver now has gorgeous, glimmering, silver hair. Talk about eponymous! Here is a man who fashions himself with elan, and he hopes you will, too. His new book, Decades, A Century of Fashion takes the reader on a deluxe rail-car journey through the major fashion movements of the 20th century, and peeks into the high speed train of the 21st.
Silver admits in his introduction that he first became intrigued with fashion in college, when he worked, "earning an obscene amount of money simply by charming the pants off famous people, and then selling them new ones." That began a lifelong relationship with fashion, which he now applies to his Los Angeles shop and his Bravo reality show. Deftly written with Rebecca DiLiberto, the lavishly illustrated large-format book explains the contrasting trends of each decade -- the 60s offers Mrs. Robinson/Mia Farrow, Old Age/Space Age, Pillbox Hats/Pills -- and selects the 'Designer of the Decade' as Rudi Gernreich, maker of the topless swimsuit.
The book provides an essential overview for anyone who cares about fashion, as did the vast majority of guests at Vanessa and Billy Getty's book party in his honor. The swell soiree was held at the elegant home of Peter Getty, Billy's brother, decorated in high style by their mother Ann, whose equally instructive decor monograph was also recently published. Dressed in a form-fitting, fringed flapper-style frock (from Decades, natch,) Vanessa Getty set the festive tone at the door, warmly welcoming her couture coterie. "This is a book party, but we are definitely supposed to be celebrating, not reading tonight!" A grand ballroom layered with tapestries and plush sofas barely contained the youngish crowd, who donned their best present and future vintage finery for the occasion. A DJ spun on the Juliet balcony which once held chamber quartets, and bartenders from Rye rhythmically shook up quietly lethal concoctions that made the evening swim by on fins and tins of caviar. Downstairs, a small dining room was laden with gems to reintroduce Marina B, the Italian jeweler, (with a percentage of sales going to Vanessa Getty's beloved pet charity, SF Animal Care and Control.) Silver sat nearby in the Biedermeier library, graciously greeting and lavishly personalizing his opus with, yes, a silver pen. Seated magisterially against a wall of wooden mycological specimens, dressed in a burgundy velvet Westwood jacket, vest and bow tie, Silver appeared from another decade himself. But his razor-sharp memory of people, places and possessions remained up-to-the-minute, even as he was deluged by a constant stream of friends and fans eager to chat, pirouette, and receive a lovely inscribed book, compliments of Marina B. As these parties go, this was definitely one for the books.
Vanessa and Billy Getty Host Book Signing for Cameron Silver's "Decades: A Century of Fashion"
Among the sterling: Courtly coiffeur Alex Chases, Tatum and Alex Getty, understated host Peter Getty, Stanlee Gatti, Michael Bauer and Michael Murphy, Seth Matarasso, Nicola Miner, Summer Tompkins Walker, Vandy and David Boudreau, Ali Speer Vanessa's parents Maryann and Jack Opperman, Nadir and Sobia Shaikh, shakin' it in mile-high ruby slippers and short-shorts, Stefanie Coyote, Zem and James Joaquin, Maca and Agustin Huneeus, Kate Harbin, Alexis Traina, Brian Wilsey, Gina and Stuart Peterson, a leopardlicious Jenna Hunt, Connie Nielsen, Leslie Thieriot, Ricky Serbin in seasonal plaid, Alyson and Brad Harrington, Ali and Alex Turner, Kathryn and Bill Freeman, Jonathan Moscone, Francesca Applegarth, Megha Tolia, Stephanie Ejabat, James Krohn, Suzanne and Carson Levitt, Susan Dunlevy, Mary Beth Shimmon, Lauren Goodman in emerald Alaia, everyone's favorite restauranteur Anna Weinberg, Denise Bradley Tyson, Jennifer Nagle, Carol and Shelby Bonnie, Erica Tanov, Coralie Langston-Jones, Joel Goodrich, Damion Matthews, Nina Stanford, Stephan Brady, Gina Pell, Troy Griepp, Lindsay Bolton, Leigh Matthes, Victoire Reynal Brown, Kim and Brad Gilbert, Soledad Alzada, and many more of the gilded set who might be tempted to count the Silver.
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