“After a long winter, you need to bring color!” said Carolina Herrera, who was dressed in bold hues herself at the opening party for her new San Francisco flagship boutique on Grant Avenue held on Thursday, May 15. The evening’s co-host Elle Creative Director Joe Zee—who recently accepted a new post as editor-in-chief at Yahoo Fashion—agreed with the Venezuelan-born designer’s observation. “I love San Francisco!” he said, “If this party was in New York, everyone here would be wearing black!” Zee, who is based in New York, joined California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) trustees Sloan Barnett, Carol Bonnie, and Carolyn Chang for the celebration that benefited CPMC, but the affable editor said he has cultivated his affinity for the Bay Area over the past 20 years. “I came to San Francisco for the first time in 1997. I came alone and just had this inner urge to see the city,” said Zee. But Zee consulted a Bay Area native before boarding the plane. “I called Christy Turlington [a native of Walnut Creek] and asked her to tell me where to go.” At her advice, Zee remembers visiting the Palace of Fine Arts and dining at the beloved Vietnamese eatery, The Slanted Door. “It truly feels like there is a piece of my heart here… Like I may have lived here in a past life,” Zee said. When asked what San Francisco fashion followers should done in the coming months, Zee gestured to the crowd clad in Herrera’s brightly-colored looks. “They’re already wearing it!” he said, beaming.

By Jennifer McCullum

Pictured: Carolina Herrera and Joe Zee at the CH Carolina Herrera San Francisco boutique opening.
Photo by Drew Altizer Photography