Ronson hosted the party alongside Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg, and the designer’s sister, Samantha Ronson, DJ’d for the crowd.
Guests were treated to scrumptious cupcakes by Fashion Eats, and white wine by Hob Nob.
After twirling around to some of her sister’s tunes, we sat down with Charlotte Ronson to chat about her I <3 Ronson collection, her new store in China, and her stint in the magazine world.
The Fashion Spot: Your brother and sister are both in town and Samantha’s DJing tonight. Are you all going out together afterwards?
Charlotte Ronson: I don’t know. I have my show tomorrow, I have to go back to work after this and figure everything out, and make sure that we actually have a show tomorrow.
tFS: You look beautiful tonight. What are you wearing?
CR: Thank you! A combination of I <3 Ronson, Isabel Marant, and Charlotte Ronson.
tFS: How did you come to work with JC Penney? Did anyone else design for them that made you want to get involved?
CR: Someone just put me in touch with them and after we met, I just felt that we would be a perfect match. You never know how another company works, and they’re a mass brand, but after meeting with them we felt that they would be a great partner because they really want to build a business together. It’s not just a one-time thing where all of a sudden it’s done, and you’re thinking, ‘Great, now what?’ You can never really get something right the first time around, so this way we can keep working together and maybe build something.
tFS: So you’re going to continue designing for them?
CR: Yes, I hope so.
CR: We definitely spoke to a bunch of different people.
tFS: Here in New York we have your Nolita store, and we love it, but what does the I <3 Ronson line offer that we can’t get at your boutique, or through your Shopbop site?
CR: It’s a different brand; it’s a different place. Charlotte Ronson is a contemporary collection that we sell at specialty boutiques, my store, Saks—we’re opening stores in China—but I <3 Ronson is exclusive to JC Penney in the States, and it’s available in over one-hundred stores. But this is different: it’s fun, fast fashion – at a different price point.
CR: I’m designing for women, basically between the ages of sixteen to thirty. It’s for the girl that’s fun and flirty but still likes to be comfortable and casual, that likes to be comfortable and confidant in herself.
And at the same time, this girl works—so it’s important to have strong design, but the viewpoint is day-to-night.
You can switch up the shoes or the accessories, and all of a sudden you’re ready to go. That’s what it’s about. Who has the time to constantly change their clothes? You want to feel good about buying your pieces.
tFS: You used to work at Harper’s Bazaar and Rolling Stone. What made you move away from the magazine world?
CR: I wanted to be more hands-on, and I wanted to create things. I did love it – it was fun, and I learned so much and met some amazing people.
I’m so happy I got to meet the people I worked with, but I just wanted to create things.
Photos by Lauren Taylor
