Before she was president of the CFDA, Diane von Furstenberg was a reigning priestess of the European social scene. The present-day style set was reminded of this Thursday night when Paris' finest poured into Le Montana to fête von Furstenberg's turn as Purple Fashion's latest cover girl. "I can remember, back in the seventies, when everyone used to come here," von Furstenberg cooed from a booth in the recently revamped club's very crowded basement. Wedged between Marisa Berenson and Lady Amanda Harlech, the designer continued, "This is where Claude Montana decided on his last name, in fact." Indeed, nostalgia was in the air: Betty Catroux, at the bar with fellow blondes Vanessa Bruno and Lauren Santo Domingo, talked about the sale of her "dear friend" Yves Saint Laurent's art collection last week. "All the memories, all the art," she sighed. "And not a single piece of junk. It was breathtaking."

Upstairs, Purple's Olivier Zahm was making new memories. Charlotte Casiraghi, Milla Jovovich, Erin Wasson, Angela Lindvall, and Trish Goff commandeered a booth to avoid the crush. "It's all beginning," Lindvall sighed as she shared pics of her babies with fellow new model-mommy Jovovich. "So I'm trying to enjoy the night before the mania really hits." Cue Zahm, who up until then had been chugging from a large bottle of Evian (he later switched to something stronger). "That's it, girls," he said. "Come downstairs. Dance floor. Now!"

— Derek Blasberg