LANVIN’S LEGACY CELEBRATED AT FRENCH HERITAGE SOCIETY’S ART DECO BALL HONORING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PETER COPPING

LANVIN’S LEGACY CELEBRATED AT FRENCH HERITAGE SOCIETY’S ART DECO BALL HONORING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PETER COPPING

View a photo gallery of images from the event

On November 12th, 2025, French Heritage Society (FHS) returned to Manhattan with its annual Gala Dinner Dance—The Art Deco Ball—transforming a private club into a celebration of legacy, style, and Franco-American cultural exchange. This year’s gala spotlighted the historic French maison Lanvin, honoring the creative leadership of its Artistic Director Peter Copping, who accepted the evening’s award from James Fallon, Chief Content Officer at WWD and Fairchild Media Group.

Fallon underscored both Jeanne Lanvin’s “groundbreaking” influence and Copping’s contemporary vision—describing his “inimitable designs… known for their effortless femininity, ease, sense of color, the touch of whimsy that only the British can achieve.” In his own remarks, Copping reflected on the responsibility of craftsmanship and legacy, noting that heritage is “not only what we inherit, it is what we choose to own, to care for, to restore and to pass forward.”

The evening transitioned into a spirited live auction led by Nick Dawes, Vice President of Heritage Auctions, drawing enthusiastic bids from a room already humming with energy. As dinner gave way to dancing, the Alex Donner Orchestra took over, followed later by an after-hours set from DJ Olivier Meiji that kept guests on their feet well past midnight.

Guests were welcomed by Special Events Chair CeCe Black, along with Chairman Elizabeth F. Stribling, President Denis de Kergorlay, incoming Chairman Timothy Corrigan, and incoming President Jean-Guillaume de Tocqueville d’Hérouville. Additional remarks were shared by Lanvin Deputy CEO Siddhartha Shukla and FHS Executive Director Jennifer Herlein.

The Gala was chaired by Liz McDermott Barnes, Jean Shafiroff, and Ann Van Ness, with Dinner Chairmen Ben Barnes, Lee Black, Jennifer Farrell, Lady Maria Fishel and Kenneth Fishel, Emily Kunze, Lanvin, Jennifer C. Schünemann, Martin Shafiroff, Bill Van Ness, and Rebecca and Stephen Whyte.

Board Members in attendance included Rosann Gutman, Kazie Metzger Harvey, Ken Hausman, Isabelle de Laroullière, Maureen Nash, George Sape, Charlotte Vignon, and Jaqueline Wilson. Notable guests filled the room—from Michelle and Douglas Ayres to Susan Gutfreund, Barbara Tober, Christina Bott Murphy, Alain Dovere, Will Steele and Chris Drake, and many others—reflecting the organization’s vibrant and wide-reaching community.

Proceeds from the Gala support FHS’s mission to preserve French architectural heritage across France and the United States, cultivate the next generation of preservationists through its Education Program, and strengthen French-American friendship. Upcoming events for 2026 include the Palm Beach Gala at Club Colette (February 15), Palm Beach Luncheon at Swifty’s at The Colony (April 6), and Dîner des Mécènes in Paris (May 20), alongside the FHS Members’ Trip to Paris (May 20–22).

Photography captured by Andrew Werner and PMC/Getty’s Jared Siskin documented the night’s glamour, from Art Deco silhouettes to modern couture.