Designer Robin Renzi Celebrates 25 Years of Me&Ro at Indochine

by Paige Reddinger

A wonderfully diverse crowd from the worlds of fashion, art, film, architecture, and literature came out to celebrate Robin Renzi’s 25th year of designing her fine jewelry label Me&Ro at Indochine. Renzi got her start in New York City at the eternal hot spot, which has been an A-list favorite for 33 years, waiting tables while pursuing a career in dance. Some of Renzi’s fellow Indochine colleagues were there to celebrate and fondly recalled memories of the restaurant’s early days in the ’80s when Andy Warhol signed their copy of the very first issue of Interview, or the time when founder Brian McNally’s wife accidentally ruined her Jaguar with oven cleaner, or the night Danny DeVito, while dining with Michael Douglas, stood up on a table to watch a fight break out in the restaurant. One former waiter who got his start at Indochine at 19 years old even helped with the construction of the restaurant.

“I heard from some girls in my ballet class that Indochine was hiring and I came here immediately because I needed a job,” recalled Renzi. “When I arrived, Brian McNally was sitting there, even though I had no idea who he was, and he told me they didn’t need anyone. Three nights later he called me to come work a party for Julian Schnabel before the restaurant even opened, and that was it. I had no idea this world even existed! I was a terrible waitress, though.” Indochine restaurateur Michael Callahan told The Daily they weren’t looking for talent as much as they were seeking a good looking staff that got along and had personality. “She wasn’t a good waitress because she would get into conversations with everyone and linger at tables for too long, but we liked her because she had a lot of personality. She was intrigued by the people and they were intrigued by her.”

Indeed Renzi, in addition to being a jewelry designer with a big following that lasted more than two decades, has personality in spades, and many of her friends including director Sam Taylor-Johnson and husband and actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Mark Borthwick and Maria Cornejo, Wes Gordon, Maripol, Mariska Hargitay, Hugo Guinness, Scott Campbell, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donna Tartt came out to celebrate. “Do you know how I found out she was a client?” said Renzi of Tartt. “I was sitting around on a Sunday reading the end of The Goldfinch and as I’m finishing it, I take a look at the sales from our store for the day and there I see Donna Tartt’s name! So I wrote her a note and she’s been a longtime client. Isn’t that exciting?”

The night carried on with guests dining as performers Eliza + Jack (Eliza Callahan is Indochine’s Michael Callahan’s daughter) entertained the crowd with a one-of-a-kind Me&Ro guitar inlaid with 18-karat gold, which was specially made for the occasion. Later, Hawaiian singer Paula Fuga, who has performed for President Obama, played a series of original songs. Needless to say, it was one more night to remember chez Indochine.

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