Celebs Toast Launch of Interior Design Guru Jonathan Adler's Clothes for 7 for All Mankind

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed)
May 13th 2010 at 6:02PM

Any wagers as to whether "Gossip Girl" hunk Penn Badgley can discuss denim intelligently? Read on.

As if the uniquely energetic interior design godhead Jonathan Adler didn't have enough to do decorating houses, appearing on cable TV, and designing home furnishings, on Wednesday, May 12, he launched a quirky-fun line of clothes for 7 For All Mankind, better known as 7 jeans, in New York.

Yes, the author of the hilarious interior guide and coffee-table book "My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living"; the pop-inspired interior guru who designed The Parker, a hip hotel in Palm Springs and designer Nanette Lepore's townhouse in Manhattan; and the man who, meanwhile, hawks his own furniture, campy-unique pottery, retro lighting, and fun, bright rugs at 12 eponymous stores from Boston to Miami to Santa Monica, has now designed an abbreviated line of upbeat clothing for 7.

At the 7 For All Mankind store in SoHo, Adler debuted polo shirts with funky logos, striped and pink gingham dress shirts, and countless variations on the skinny jean. "I love 7," said Adler. I wanted to make the line accessible. A lot of the inspiration and icons came from my interior collection: the little pipe, the rope heart (both emblems on polo shirts).

Adler's jeans philosophy: "They need to make you look taller and thinner," he says. "The fit people at 7 helped." Adler, who also designed cords for 7, tells Luxist, "I rock a white cord from 7 every day." Numerous celebs stopped by to pay homage to Adler and to his husband, Simon Doonan, the hilarious author of "Confessions of a Window Dresser" and "Wacky Chicks," as well as the creative director of Barneys New York. Naturally, all discussed their jeans preferences. "I have one pair of 7s I wear every single day," offered Abigail Breslin, of "Little Miss Sunshine" fame.

Doonan quipped that his husband's line for 7 was a windfall. "I'm a very messy eater," he told Luxist. "I've reached that stage in my life where food is just flying everywhere. So now I can get lots of white jeans to wear." Doonan's strategy for stocking up on denim: "If I find a pair that fit, I buy like ten," he says. Other brands he favors: Naked and Famous and Acne jeans.

Kelly Bensimon, of Bravo's " The Real Housewives of New York City" fame, wore short AG jeans with three tiny tears in the fabric on the left leg and two on the right one. "I love the AG boyfriend jean," said Bensimon. "But to be honest, I've always been huge fans of 7 and of Jonathan's signature quirky sensibility."

"We love Jonathan's work," agreed Susan Kellogg, VP of the 7 parent company VF. "We love collaborating with somebody outside of fashion. I love that he's witty, clever . . . fun."

While "30 Rock"s Katrina Bowden admitted to having piles of jeans at home, she told Luxist, "I always end up wearing the same five pairs." Another brand in Bowden's rotation: Genetic Denim.

"Gossip Girls" father Matthew Settle, wore a looser fit by 7. As stylish as the character he plays on the show, Settle maintained, "I know how clothes are supposed to fit now. You need to look like you're comfortable." Another denim brand he favors: G-Star.

Towering supermodel Sessillee Lopez, who also donned 7s, concurred that denim fit is essential. "Especially in the booty area," she said, "whether you either want to enhance it or hide it. I have about 15 good pairs that I can rely on."

As booty-enhancing mini-cupcakes from Crumbs Bakery circulated, "Gossip Girl" heartthrob Penn Badgley offered this exclusive comment on denim. "I normally wear skinnier jeans," said the buff, cleanly groomed actor. He wore a V-neck white T-shirt, and a smallish maroon and black-checkered wool coat. "But today I decided I hadn't worn baggy pants in three or four years. And these 7s were a more relaxed fit." Nod to the hunk: he knows his jeans. And does Badgley, who presumably gets much free denim, keep an Everst-scale stockpile of denim? "I don't actually," he told Luxist. "I only have four or five pairs that I really wear. Yes, I get a lot . . . but I don't wear them all."

Note to rep: May we be included in any regifting initiative?

Tags: 7 For All Mankind, jonathan adler, kelly bensimon, Penn Badgley, Seven Jeans, simon doonan