Caviar Kaspia, perched on the second floor of a Haussmannian building overlooking the Place de la Madeleine in the 8th arrondissement, in the chicest of Parisian neighborhoods, has somehow defied the odds by being one of the coolest hangouts this side of the Seine for close to a hundred years.
Savage X Fenty briefs. Manolo Blahnik shoes. Chopard earrings and Briony Raymond ring. When I show up for our planned rendezvous, close to midnight, the place is buzzing. The room has all the charm of an intimate s salon, though right now many of its Old World trappings—glass cabinets filled with 19th-century silverware and Limoges porcelain—have been transformed thanks to a two-week-long takeover by Off-White. Even the waiter uniforms have been replaced with sleek Off-White lab coats and Nike sneakers.
I scan the room for signs of a celebrity entourage. By the looks of it, Rihanna and her crew have yet to arrive—because when has timekeeping ever been her strong suit? Then I notice the host is beckoning me from the far side of the restaurant.
Turns out Rihanna is already here, ensconced in a corner by herself, waiting. Her shoe of choice? A four-inch stiletto heel. Like all the best moments in her style repertoire, the outfit is a study in opposites—sexy, cool, sophisticated—and worn with her characteristic ease.
In fact, for a very brief moment, with her hair swept away from her face in a loose bun, subtly glossed lips, and a dusting of gold makeup, I almost miss the baby bump. Boucheron necklace.
