There is a man from Brussels whose artistic vision is so critical to fashion, beauty, and luxury goods world-wide, every major designer utilizes his company, Villa Eugenie, to produce their fashion shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Etienne Russo is the ringleader behind this circus of style, where he- along with a team of four hundred- designs and stages more than twenty per season, which begins at inception and finishes with sizzling fanfare. Collaborating with labels such as Hermes, Lanvin, Chanel, and Dries Van Noten- whom he modeled for, twenty years ago- over a period of months before for each show, Russo cranks out brilliantly executed performances, where there is no room for improvisation- similar to live theater.
With so many moving-parts that demand precise coordination and balance in order to pull off some serious high-drama, Russo constantly discovers new tricks and effects to enrapture the crowd each time, yet is not immune to last minute stress-outs from designers- however, being an astute master at this, he works flawlessly under pressure. At Lanvin’s recent spring show, Alber Elbaz decided just before midnight- with hours to go until vogue-time- to infuse a bit more romance, by weaving several thousand red roses into a garland framing the door to the runway…sending Russo to scurry off and nail down a florist in the middle of the night.
Nothing is above the pale for this maestro of glam, and his cunning expertise serves him well with the brigade of magazine editors who hold court, as he vies for their attention at each event. With the intention to placate these powerful dignitaries of savior-fare, he once summoned the entire baking crew of Magnolia Bakery- the cupcake haven in New York- to Paris, whereupon at the conclusion of the show, these divas could all be seen flocking to their town cars with those sublime treats in hand. That’s my kind of party favor… www.villaeugenie.com
