GofG Exclusive: Andre Saraiva Gives The Inside Scoop On Le Baron NYC, And His New Hollywood Club With Paul Sevigny

Repost from Sunday: Andre Saraiva, nightlife impresario, graffiti artist and co-owner of Le Baron, sat down with GofG yesterday to tell us (in between kissing and hugging his girlfriend Annabelle Dexter-Jones) the details on Le Baron and the scoop on his new Hollywood club. Find out why it hasn't opened for Fashion Week, the look, the doorman, the menu, who is getting in and more, below.When does Le Baron open?

We should have been open in June, so we are really late. Maybe we will open in the end of March.

Why has there been a delay?

Because America gets really complicated to have all the permits and licenses. I made Beatrice, and they closed me because I didn’t make it all super legal. I just made it a place that I like. I had so much problem with the community board and everything, so this time I decided to do a place where everything is perfect and nobody can come and say “Oh, that’s illegal.” I want to do it the right way.

Will you announce when you open or will you do it quietly?

We just open. I think places have to prove their own soul and their own crowd. If you just do just one opening night then everybody comes. I want something to be organic.

What can people expect from the new club?

Nothing (laughs).

Is it going to be a lot like Paris?

Yeah, it’s going to be a bit like Paris because that’s where I’m from and that’s my soul, but I don’t pretend to come to NY and teach people whatever. I’m going to try and do it with the people like New York. It has to be something that belongs to New York. And not just coming in and going to copy and put it there, you know. I’ll try to get a bit of a NY soul also.

What’s the inside going to look like?

Vincent, who is a really famous French decorator is doing all the design. The inspiration would be like a 1930’s Shanghai club that has always been there but people would forget about it. And they would just come and open it. It hasn’t changed since the 30s or 20s.

Why did you choose Mulberry Street for the location?

I love Chinatown, and for me Chinatown became one of the rare places in New York where you have a real New York feeling. It’s not too ritzy, it’s not fashion stores, it still has its soul. I think it’s one of the rare places in New York that still has a soul.

What will the door policy be like. Will there be a strict door?

Strict? Not really. Not strict like other New York clubs.

What can people do to get in?

One thing: if you work in TV, fuck you. If you like bottles and models, fuck you. Tulga is going to be the guy doing the door and it’s going to be more…poets. I want poets to come. If you are a poet, you can come.

There are very few poets left in New York.

So it’s going to be nobody. It’s going to be empty.

What kind of music?

Good music. Good music.

Do you have a bartender yet?

No. I guess. Because I had Beatrice I’m going to get the people I used to work with. I love them, so I’m going to get them. If they still want to work with me.

Drinks and food or just drinks?

It’s going to be a bit of food. Dumplings. Chinatown, come on!

You've had the Paris location since ‘04 and Tokyo since ‘06. Do you have a secret to lasting?

I really think I make a place, because I love it and I put my soul in it, and I’m not really a promoter. I never saw my place like a business, I always saw it more like a place I want to hang out and I do it for people to like, so that’s maybe why. Lionel Bensemoun and I, we made Le Baron just because there was nowhere in Paris we could go, so we said, let’s do a place where we can go and play the music we like and hang out with our friends.

[Andre Saraiva accompanied by Lea Seydoux, Alix Thomsen, Charlotte Tilbury, Clemence Posey, Elisa Sednaoui, Zoe Cassavetes,Milan. Photo Stephane Feugere for Purple-Diary.]

Do you feel that NY nightlife is dead?

In old times people always complain, they always talk about what was better before. I think it’s not true. Every time I’m in one place, every time I find this little-big or not big-place or creative scene…there’s always a place for night, there is always a place for the underground. Night is essential . When there is creation somewhere there has to be nightlife. Even if it’s not big. There is always a little place-it can be a little bar or it can be somebody’s place –but there is always something happening. We maybe don’t know about it, but there’s always something happening.

Where do you like to hang out in the city?

My favorite place? Lit. That’s it. It smells bad but I love it. I love the people who do it. I used to live next door and I used to go, and they were nice and they didn’t know me and they would always buy me drinks. It’s a real place.

How do you think Le Baron is going to be different?

I don’t know. I don’t pretend to be different I just want to do something I like and be proud of.

You’ve been running Le Baron at Le Bain. Why throw parties before the space opens and why there?

I’m really good friends with Andre Balazs. He is a really good friend. I don’t know, he likes me too. And then because we didn’t open and Le Baron takes time and I wanted to bring my crew to New York.  So Andre was like, “Bring them. Let’s host Le Baron at Le Bain.”

How long will it run for?

Just a few days. It was just a little pop-up.

I heard you are opening up a Hollywood place?

Yeah, we’re opening with Paul Sevigny, the one I made Beatrice with. So we’re opening a club in Hollywood called Paul and Andre: Hollywood.

Where is it located?

At Hollywood and Ivar.

When will it open?

In three weeks.

What’s that one going to be like?

Nice. I think it’s going to be something people are not used to seeing, at least in LA. It’s going to be like, let’s smoke cigarettes and get naked. Like that.

Is it burlesque show?

No. In the sense, I want it to be free. No rules, no fame, no photos. It is a place where you can come and be free and do whatever you want. No show, no show at all.

So it won’t be like the Box?

You mean bankers and bottles and whores? No.

Can you smoke inside in LA?

Not inside, but it’s supposed to be outside. So you can smoke.

[For photos from Le Baron at Le Bain, click HERE]

[Le Baron (Finally!) Comes To Chinatown]

[Photo Of The Day: "Waris, Olivier, And Andre, The Three Kings Of The Night"]

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