Makeover on Rodeo

THE democratization of Rodeo Drive began Aug. 18 when designer Max Azria joined celebs in opening his BCBG flagship store. It was the first of several midlevel fashion brands that will open stores on the famed shopping street this year, including Bebe and Coach.

Azria and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar conceived of the soiree, a benefit for the Revlon/UCLA Breast Center, while flying back to L.A. on his private jet after the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards in New York in June.

“I love the fact that he makes clothing at affordable prices and I feel like I walked off the runway,� Gellar said from the red carpet, where she modeled a short, strapless black faille cocktail dress with mile-high heels. “Most designers you ask for a dress and they send over 15. He sends over one and it’s perfect.�

“She loves fashion,� said Azria, planting a kiss on his ingenue.

Casting an equally intriguing spell was Lubov Azria, Max’s stylish wife and BCBG’s creative director, dressed in a vintage black gown and bumblebee necklace she swiped from the fall ad shoot.

The store was decorated like Andy Warhol’s Factory, with scantily clad Nico-like models lounging seductively on beds. “Their studied ennui is bringing me down,� one guest quipped.

The look complements the fashion label’s racy new fall campaign, shot by Patrick Demarchelier, including one ad that pictures a female model, a red handbag and not much else. BCBG has typically appealed to a younger customer, with romantic dresses and on-trend separates ranging from $250 to $1,000.

Sharon Stone, Paula Abdul, Nicole Richie, Michelle Trachtenberg, Tracee Ellis Ross and Lauren Holly -- all dressed in BCBG -- lent star wattage to the event, though DJ Samantha Ronson was effortlessly stylish in Levi’s, Nike high tops and a Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt, sidekicking it while cranking tunes on two turntables and an Apple.

-- Booth Moore