Randino, Il Magnifico

Randall is more Poetic & Chic than me!Oh my, where to begin when talking about my friend Randall? How could one possibly bottle his essence in a few short paragraphs? The lieberschoen, the billets-doux, the desk drawers full of Milk Duds, the encyclopedic knowledge of everything related to fashion - and not to mention the less-than-two-degrees of separation between him and everyone in the fashion world. He reads everything, knows everyone, is uncommonly sweet, charming, attractive, witty, and still gets his work done. He does all this while dressed in a Dior Homme jacket, Gucci shoes, holding a glass of Veuve, walking his dog Lola, and enchanting his boyfriend J.C. to no end.

“How ya’ gonna keep ‘em down on the farm, (after they’ve seen Par-eee)?” * He sang this to me the other day, clapping and stamping to the beat of an old Vaudeville tune. That’s him: a Vaudevillian in Paris, with the class, humor and style to pull it off.

Randall is a giver – and not an overtly, sloppily-generous kind, but a secretly romantic kind. Little gifts appear on your desk before you arrive at work, links to articles appear in your inbox, cards are left on your keyboard, and provocative text messages reach your phone late-night. He makes you smile because he’s smiling. He recommends you rent the new print of Le Cercle Rouge because he knows exactly what films are being released by Criterion Collection, and that you'll love it. He tells you your outfit looks great and asks your opinion of the latest Lanvin. He even thinks of you when you’re not there…For instance? I went away a few weeks ago and missed a vital sample sale. Upon my return, he let me know that the Paul Smith bag I’d had my eye on forever was mine, and for ridiculously little cash. How lucky can a girl get?

This morning, I came to work and found a voluptuous copy of The Beautiful Fall – Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris by Alicia Drake waiting for me on my chair. I almost squealed. This same book has been waiting in my Amazon shopping cart for weeks! How did he know?

This evening, as I’m packing my bag I notice I have a voicemail. It’s Randall, asking me if I’d like to roll along with him and J.C. to an Etro party at Neiman Marcus – courtesy of Paper City. Do I want to meet the Etros? Just call back.

"In the morning, in the evening, ain’t we got fun?..."

Let’s just say it, I’d date him if I could (but J.C. is much hotter than me.)

*I didn't know it when he sang it, but the song is by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young from 1919. It's also the opening quote of Alicia Drake's book...