Ralph Lauren's Evening in Paris - Women's Wear Daily

PARIS — What does Ralph Lauren have in common with John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas and Henri Matisse?

Besides an artistic bent, the American designer now also shares a connection to the famous Paris school those painters attended, the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.

On Tuesday night, Lauren hosted a black-tie event at the sprawling site on the Left Bank to kick off a two-year commitment to help restore and modernize the Beaux-Arts’ historic amphitheater. The evening included his first runway outing in the French capital, reprising his fall show for 250 journalists, clients and VIP guests, who were mostly from the ’hood. Charlotte Gainsbourg performed “Heaven Can Wait” and “The Songs That We Sing” after dinner.

“It’s more than 30 years I’ve been living here,” said Catherine Deneuve who, like Charlene, Princess of Monaco, wore an off-the-shoulder dress.

Asked her favorite thing about the area, actress Alice Taglioni purred, “Just the name is enough — Rive Gauche.” She said she’s writing her first screenplay, a romantic comedy.

Other VIPs in attendance included Arielle Dombasle and Lambert Wilson.

After watching models including Daria Strokous and Anna Selezneva parade in Lauren’s jaunty peacoats, Cossack pants and velvet dresses in a collection that nodded to Russia and Parisian chic, Wilson said, “It’s nice to see when it’s consumable; so realistic.” The actor was alluding to the fact that the clothes are actually in stores, and not just runway razzle-dazzle.

Dombasle seconded the notion, confessing that she had already tried on some of the runway looks at the boutique (though she wore Lanvin to the party).

“This is another exciting moment for me, and a first,” Lauren said in an interview Monday, seated on a wooden bench in the semicircular lecture theater he’s restoring. The central feature of the soaring space is a 90-foot Raphael-esque mural by Paul Delaroche representing 75 great artists across the ages. “It’s very impressive,” he sighed, craning his neck to take in the panoramic painting.

Thanks to Lauren’s largesse, the room is to be equipped with modern stadium seating and state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, while restoring its cupola and other period features. Construction work should start in early 2014.

Ralph Lauren Corp. has also earmarked funds to modernize the school’s Web site with digital content, along with online classes, workshops and symposiums.

The designer’s appetite for restoring the architectural splendor of Paris — and deepening affection for the school’s Left Bank environs — was ignited during construction on his European flagship on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, which involved a painstaking restoration of a 17th-century town house.

“When we did that store, it was quite an amazing thing because there were so many things buried below,” the designer said of the 23,000-square-foot unit, which opened in 2010, complete with a 128-seat Ralph’s eatery in its leafy courtyard.

While Ralph Lauren Corp. has not disclosed financial details, it is understood the improvements to Beaux-Arts will represent a financial commitment of several million dollars.

“This place really needed work so I feel really good about what I have done,” Lauren enthused, lauding the institution’s “amazing history.”

The origins of the school stretch back to 1648, when King Louis XIV was said to have recruited architecture graduates to decorate the royal apartments at Versailles. Its mission has long been to educate the most talented students in drawing, painting, sculpture, engraving and other media.

“And it’s right around the corner from where I have my store,” Lauren noted.

The designer, who famously started out selling men’s neckwear out of a drawer in the Empire State Building, said he relates strongly to the Beaux-Arts, given that it provides opportunities to students wishing to express their creativity.

“I know what it was like for me starting out. I didn’t have the money, nor the wherewithal to do all the things I wanted to do,” he said. “To help young people going through [school] is a very wonderful thing. To help one of the most culturally important places in France was also very important. And it’s badly in need of help.”