The entire fashion industry and countless celebrities are obsessed with Indochine, the iconic Vietnamese eatery celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Artist and Avenue contributor Ruben Baghdasaryan first walked into Indochine a decade ago and has taken Instagram by storm with striking, colorful drawings starring the restaurant’s most famous faces, both past and present. “I was instantly drawn to the atmosphere,” Baghdasaryan remembers. “I looked up more about the place, learning that legends like Andy Warhol and Basquiat were regulars. It’s incredible to think that we get to share the same space where such cultural giants once gathered.”
Baghdasaryan creates fantasy dinner tables where Gianni Versace and Linda Evangelista sit with Coco Chanel and Giorgio Armani. ” It feels like playing Anna Wintour organizing the seating chart for the Met Gala,” he says. “I decide who sits next to whom. It’s fun to imagine these personalities interacting, even if only through my drawings.” – PETER DAVIS
