Beyonce Launches Lorraine Schwartz "2BHappy Collection" at Lavo
On occasion, we've all felt beaten down by a demanding business trip. But, believe it or not, one low travel moment inspired a sparkling new line of jewelry from designer-to-the-stars Lorraine Schwartz. "I was out of the country one day, working really hard," Schwartz recently told Luxist. "I was bitching . . . and all of a sudden, I thought, 'Lorraine, you need to be happy!'"The epiphany sparked a line of jewelry crafted with diamonds. The bracelet is made of back-to-back capital Bs, "2Be" or "To Be"; a happy face, "Happy"; and a repeat of the Bs, or "To Be Happy to Be," explained Schwartz.
The designer's friend Beyoncé Knowles, known as Queen B to friends and family, was enamored of the double-B concept. "She's B-squared," said Schwartz. In fact, Monday, Knowles, right, hosted the launch of the new Schwartz line at Lavo, Manhattan's hottest new club, on East 58th Street off Madison.
"Lorraine is the most generous, wonderful, talented jewelry designers I know," designer Tina Knowles, Beyoncé's mother, told RSVIP on her way into the soiree. "She can come up with a concept and put it together . . . like that."
Tina Knowles created fun costumes for models dancing at the fete with bikini tops made of two sparkling happy faces. "Beyoncé has never done anything like this before," said her doting mother. "She did it for Lorraine, because we love her. She's family." Gayle King, who wore a large heart-shaped diamond hanging from her neck, also lauded the celebrity turnout. "This is a testament to Lorraine," she said. "People came out to say 'Congratulations, we support you.' This is a school night . . . the 'Dancing with the Stars' finale!"
What is it about the work of Schwartz, center, that King admires? "She manages to find something unique to fit your personality," she said, "to fit what you're wearing, something different. And she tops herself every time."
"Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively, second from far right, wearing three-tier drop earrings, was equally enthusiastic. "It's special, because it's beautiful, but it also has meaning," she said. "It's so nice to have something that sparkles, but also that means something to you."
"My bank account decreases when I go up to her offices," said Ashanti, below, right, bound in a pink tourniquet gown.
"Did you see the earrings?" asked Mary J. Blige, below, left, on her way into the club. Blige wore thick, circular earrings, veritable constellations of bling.
Simon Huck of "The Spin Crowd," a reality show produced by Kim Kardashian, offered his own spin. "Lorraine is the queen of glamour," he said. "At every awards show, so many stars wear Lorraine Schwartz. Kim adores her. She's flying in from Los Angeles just for this. She just landed."
Wearing Balenciaga, sexy Brazilian Lavo hostess Jayma Cardoso, the current den mother of night life in New York, led RSVIP by the hand down the stairs into the elegantly appointed underground club with giant red lampshades hanging down from the ceiling. Women in colorful tutus lined the stairs, and a lithe trapeze artist gyrated overhead. DJ Cassidy, who has spun for both Oprah and the Obamas, worked a turntable. At a booth to his left, Beyoncé swayed her arms in the air in concert with a dancer in a skimpy happy-face bikini.
Estelle, a Brit pop star, commanded a table against a side wall. Kim Kardashian's booth faced Beyoncé. As trays of gourmet pizza circulated, above the din of a throbbing rap beat, stylist Phillip Bloch, who has dressed both Halle Berry and Samuel L. Jackson, glad-handed RSVIP and offered this choice recommendation: "Don't miss the mini-burgers!"
