‘Dune’ Designer Christy Cham Throws Party in Beverly Hills Home Celebrating Cham, Her Namesake Brand
“I based my fabric around a pair of tights,” said Christy Cham. “I’ve always loved tights, as weird as that sounds. How they hold you in, they cinch you, they lift you.”
The costume designer was unveiling her namesake brand — Cham — at her home in Beverly Hills on Saturday night.
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“I was really trying to look for a new take on a basic that’s more than just a T-shirt,” she added of the collection.
Models stood at the entrance showcasing 12, skin-tight styles in the same proprietary fabric, amid a bed of rosy flowers. The color was the theme of the party, with pink margaritas and sparkling rosé flowing. Further inside the sprawling, art-filled residence, atop an infinity pool with a twinkling view of the city, more models posed on a glittering Meyers Manx dune buggy — also pink. Record producer Benny Blanco and comedian Eric André gawked from the side as they munched on Carbone; the Italian New York City hot spot was flown out to cater.
“I wanted to do something special and different, that nobody’s done,” Cham said of bringing the restaurant west for the evening. “I wanted to have my friends in my house, mine and my partner’s house.”
She was referring to Trousdale Ventures founder and chief executive officer Phillip Sarofim, the cohost for the evening. The couple brought out Melanie Griffith; Chloe Fineman; Elsa Hosk; Jaime King; Inanna Sarkis; Cailin Russo; Loree Rodkin; Gela Taylor-Nash and John Taylor with daughter Zoe; Nicolas and Roxy Bijan; Dalton Gomez, and Marta Pozzan.
They danced to the tunes of DJ Hank Korsan while wandering about. A few sat around a sunken fire pit as a magician roamed entertaining the crowd.
“I’ve never seen anybody in my clothes before today,” Cham said of guests wearing looks from the line. She opted for the chocolate brown cutout dress with matching cropped, long-sleeved top.
“It’s meant to be layered,” she said.
She searched around the world for the right fabrication, materials that would resemble tights but still work as apparel.
“I tried Italy,” she said. “I mean, I even tried China. I went everywhere, all over L.A.”
She landed in the South of France, where the fabric is handmade. An L.A. native, she turned to her hometown for production. In the end, she considers the looks “wardrobe staples,” offering earth tones with a few bright “colors of the season” like tangerine orange.
“I wanted to make sure I hit every category for everybody,” she said.
Known for her work on “Dune,” as assistant costume designer working with Jacqueline West in Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 sci-fi film, the influence of its dystopian fashion comes through. It’s seen in the shades, fit and silhouettes.
“It’s funny how I kind of incorporated that in my line,” she said of the “Dune-esque vibe.”
Next, she will lend her touch to Martin Scorsese’s upcoming drama “Killers of the Flower Moon” — working again with West.
“It feels so surreal,” she said of launching Cham, two years in the making. “It’s exciting.”
Launch Gallery: Christy Cham Beverly Hills Party
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