Frame Brings the Ritz Paris to Downtown New York
Frame transported its cast of friends and family to Paris, several weeks early, on Sunday night. The brand was toasting the second drop of its collaboration with the Ritz Paris with a dinner at The Nines, and had thoroughly transformed the restaurant for the occasion. A cart of luggage waited underneath the Ritz Paris x Frame awning on the sidewalk, and the immersion continued upon entrance, with guests picking up a key chain from the “hotel lobby” bellhop.
Frame cofounder Erik Torstensson credits friendship for the collaboration.
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“I did something small with The Carlyle when I moved to New York and lived uptown, and then Camilla Fayed, who’s a friend of mine and owns the Ritz Paris, was like ‘why the beeeep did you not call me?’ And I was like, I’m too humble to call you, because you’re the greatest brand in the world. She said let’s do something together, and let’s have fun together,” explained Torstensson as Frame’s first capsule collaborator — Karlie Kloss — posed nearby. “Everyone wants a strategic answer, but I do believe that everything around collaborations that are great happens when it’s friends having fun together,” he added.
Inside, the dining room was buzzing with the usual friends-of-Frame crowd: there was Justin Theroux chatting with Mel Ottenberg by the long bar as Colin Field, the head bartender at the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Paris, fielded drink orders; Frame cofounder Jens Grede and event cohosts Derek Blasberg and Camilla Fayed were making the rounds, catching up with guests including Imaan Hammam — who created a capsule collection with the brand in 2020 — Cindy Bruna, Jasmine Sanders, James Charles, Nicole Richie, and Noah Beck.
“In a world where everything is very big and very corporate, I think people feel when it’s genuine,” said Torstensson. “We never pay anyone to come to our parties, it’s very organic — this is my family.” The family metaphor was literal; his stepdaughter Isabella Massenet DJ’d the after party downstairs at Acme.
Dinner seating was demarcated by caviar spoons engraved with guest names and embroidered sleep mask pouches (available as part of the Frame x Ritz Paris collaboration). Based on the crowd’s delight, many were looking forward to putting the accessory to good use.
Launch Gallery: Inside Frame’s NYFW Dinner
