Fatigued Fashionistas Slumped on Sofas at Zara Home Paris

BE OUR GUEST: Inditex executive Marta Ortega Pérez took advantage of Paris Couture Week and invited the fashion crowd to come check out Zara Home’s sprawling new flagship store at 117 Rue du Bac, which opened last month across right across the street from Le Bon Marché.

Guests oohed and aahed over furniture by the Belgian architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen, who designed his third collaboration with the Spanish brand, while some lamented that the sofas, however comfortable, seemed a tad big for most apartments.

“They come in smaller sizes,” Ortega Pérez assured the likes of Harper’s Bazaar editor in chief Samira Nasr, who slumped into a grand, green model and sighed with delight.

Or there are always stools, of which Van Duysen is an unabashed fan, suggesting they may be used as seating, a side table or even a centerpiece.

Pierpaolo Piccioli, Pieter Mulier and Elie Top were among designers who attended a dinner to celebrate the launch of the homewares collection, and a boxed set of collectible books about Van Duysen’s life and work. Other attendees included photographer Craig McDean, model Liya Kebede, Balenciaga chief executive officer Cédric Charbit and Australian actor Joel Edgerton.

The new Zara Home Paris store, which spans more than 17,000 square feet and three floors, houses all of the brand’s collections and product categories, limited-edition capsules and a personalization area.

Among the special features of the store is the Apartment, now dedicated to Van Duysen’s “collection 03,” and the site of the dinner at one long table.

Zara Home was launched in 2003 and is part of the Spanish Inditex group. The brand is present in more than 60 countries and has more than 400 stores around the world. There are currently eight Zara Home stores in Paris and 15 in all of France.