Andre Leon Talley may have come to San Francisco recently for a Halston retrospective at Neiman Marcus, but what he got was a surprise birthday party organized by the store’s European couture specialist, Vicki Winston, who presented him with a birthday cake featuring October’s Vogue cover in frosting.

Partygoers, who included major Neiman patrons, were then led by John Capizi through a rousing rendition of the birthday song. Surprisingly, however, Danielle Steel was not among them, even though, as Andre later told me, “She’s my best friend in San Francisco.”

Andre spent a few days in the city. One stop on his list: the de Young museum, which will soon sponsor a major Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. “The de Young is a wonderful museum. It’s my favorite place in San Francisco,” he said.

Pamela Joyner, Omar Karriem and Andre Leon Talley

• Photos: Drew Altizer [drewaltizer.com]
• Reprinted: “Empirical Observation” [hintmag.com]