(NEW YORK) A night full of wool in the depths of June? Indeed! The Woolmark Company toasted Narciso Rodriguez, their brand ambassador as of late (he’s repping Merino wool, and doing so chicly, of course) with a din at Wallsé in the West Village last night. The intimate mea, celebrating a campaign called “No Finer Feeling” that will bow in the fall issues brought out a klatch of EICs (W, WSJ., Glamour, and Marie Claire were all repped by their leading eds). Plus, a flood of Aussies filling the Austrian resto: after all, we’ll have you know, as we just learned last night, that a whopping 90 percent of the world’s wool is sourced from Oz. Fascinating factoid, non?
On the food front, there was a generous smattering of munches to start: open faced lobster rolls, beef tartare gleaming on potato pancakes, spring-y baby artichokes sliced and filled with diced veggies, as well as tuna tartare, nestled in a fried cone. Besides the apps, there was mingling to be had and very dry white sparkling white wine (helllooooo, summer eve staples!) to be tippled. Spotted? Stefano Tonchi and Rodriguez poring over photos on their iPhones. The W editor also excitedly schmoozed with Vogue’s Virginia Smith; the duo’s hands entwined at one point, even. Aw!
Once the crowd filed in to dine, Stuart McCollough, CEO of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), was sandwiched between leading women’s glossy dames (Cindi Leive to his right, Anne Fulenwider to his left). Why not learn about the wonders of wool from a pro whilst satiating on sea bass with ramps and carrots and a lemony, sherry-doused veal loin with delectable morels and fresh fava beans? Lucky ladies. Prior to which, the mega-sized duo of white asparagus stalks in a tangy tomato vinaigrette made for the most popular first course. The night wrapped with something sweet, like Mozartkugel (a tennis-ball sized chocolate confection you have to see to believe) and Salzburger Nockerl (a meringue creation that’s the edible equivalent of a warm cloud). Now, for a few words with the man of the hour, Rodriguez, about his secretive summer plans and how he really feels about wool. 

BY ALEXANDRA ILYASHOV
How’d you get involved with The Woolmark Company, Narciso?
Woolmark is legendary! I grew up in the fashion industry looking up to what the Woolmark logo was and what it represented.
Are you intimately acquainted with the stuff? Or is it a newer textile relationship?
I’ve been working in wool for my entire career! I have many things made of wool.
Let’s talk summer: what do you fancy most about it?
Being outdoors!
Any plans for the season?
I’m going to take a short trip, but I am not telling where…
Mysterious! Well, are a Hamptons regular?
Nope. I have a house up in Westchester. But this summer has been really busy already.
Pourquoi?
We have so many things going on! This is the 10-year anniversary of the fragrance, so we had international editors here from the Middle East and Europe. Working on the resort collection is a lot, too.
And you’re deep into Spring ’14 by now, right?
Very, very into Spring. I’m trying to get a lot of things out of the way now, so I can have a couple of weeks off later in the summer…
Smart moves. So what’s the studio vibe like at Narciso HQ?
The atmosphere has been very up. Everybody is in great spirits once the weather gets great! It’s great for us the past couple of years, so everybody is in great spirits.
