Nicole Farhi, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

Nicole Farhi gathered a group of friends and family Wednesday night at her eponymous London restaurant Nicole's -- a
department of her Bond Street flagship, which sells her women's collections, swimwear, homewear, and accessories -- to toast being deemed an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (or CBE) from the British government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The zany guestlist boasted designer Betty Jackson, director Richard Eyre (most recently lionized for his Oscar-nominated Notes on a Scandal starring Cate Blanchett and Judy Dench) and her husband, the renowned playwright Sir David Hare.

Farhi was born in Nice and moved to London in the early 1970's to design French Connection with Stephen Marks. Her British honors notwithstanding, Farhi confesses that she still considers herself French at heart. "It's too late to swap," she mused to WWD. Gosh, she's brill.

Photos from Nicole Farhi's S/S 2008 collection