Social Safari
Spring Awakened
By R. Couri Hay
Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Ice-T. Pope Francis, Anne Hearst, Jay McInerny, Candace Bushnell, Beyonce, Mr. Brainwash, Daniel Boulud & Blake Lively
William Hearst Harris
Christie Brinkley, Baroness Milly de Cabrol, Paula Peck and Nicole Miller were among the friends and family at the christening of Paula and Randy Hearst Harris’s son William Hearst Harris at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Southampton, which was opened for the special occasion. After the intimate ceremony, there was a seated lunch for 30 at his mother’s, Anne Hearst, and her husband’s, “Bright Lights, Big City ” author Jay McInerny’s, far flung estate Ashgrove Farm in Watermill. The festivities also served as the opening of their mansion after the scary fire that almost burned the place to the ground with them in it in 2019. The extensive renovations were overseen by top interior designer and architect Robert Couturier, and now includes an over-the-top Greek tiled spa and bath with antique lanterns lighting up the blue and gold tiles, inspired by the one at Hearst’s grandfather’s William Randolph Hearst’s Castle in San Simeon, California. Hearst inspired the Orson Wells classic “Citizen Kane.”
Princess Yasmin Aga Khan & The Imagine Benefit
Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the founder and Honorary Chair of the Imagine Benefit, built on the legacy of the Rita Hayworth Gala, led the perfumed pack to Jazz at Lincoln Center to raise funds for the Alzheimer Association (ALZ). The evening, underwritten by Rolex, was hosted by a celebrated group of New Yorkers, including Denna Rockefeller, Michelle Herbert, Naeem Khan, Joseph Boitano and others of that ilk and stripe. The evening, which honored Prager Metis, featured two-time Olympic medalist for gymnastics Laurie Hernandez, who served as the gala’s emcee. The ALZ is a worldwide health organization dedicated to care, support, and research. Since its founding in 1980, they have raised more than $86 million. alz.org
Candace Bushnell
“Sex and the City” author Candace Bushnell wore a sexy little black dress and Manolo Blahnik boots, that Carrie Bradshaw would have loved, to her birthday party at skincare mogul Peter Thomas Roth’s townhouse. “Fifty-something women are the hottest new dating demographic, and I should know, I am one of them,” laughed Bushnell. The lipstick-red birthday cake featured a billboard for Bushnell’s new unscripted dating show about four friends in their 50s based on her book “Is There Still Sex in the City?” On top of the cake was a Chanel bag, Cosmo glass, a stiletto shoe, and a string of pearls. Guests enjoyed a jazz performance by Yoav Eshed, who played Happy Birthday for the crowd that included Nicole Miller, artist Marc Dennis, Fern Mallis, Mark Packer, Sandra Ripert, dermatologist Dr. Ariel Ostad, Jean Shafiroff, Susan Gutfreund and Roth’s glamorous 100-year-old mother Carole Roth. peterthomasroth.com
Pope Francis & SOMOS Community Care
Pope Francis is concerned about healthcare in New York City. At a recent conference at the Vatican the Pope said, “The figure of the family doctor has almost disappeared, the current systems are so bureaucratized and computerized that the elderly and poorly educated find themselves effectively excluded or marginalized.” The Pope met with Dr. Ramon Tallaj, the founder of SOMOS Community Care, the largest, nonprofit physician-led network in NYC that treats over one million patients a year in the five boroughs, at the Vatican. The humanitarians have created a new campaign starting in New York, called “Thank you, doctor” to rediscover the role of the family doctor in response to the challenges that health systems face in NYC and around the world. Somoscommunitycare.org
The Dog Store & Shiba & CO
A new trend on the Upper East Side is that attractive, wealthy women have given up on finding suitable men to date and have switched their affections to their dogs. Their pooches give them unconditional love and non-problematic attention, and, of course, their four-legged friends don’t cheat. This trend has created new businesses and better sales at high-end pooch establishments, including an increase in business at The Dog Store on East 61st St, where pampered pooches can get everything from acupuncture, blowouts, massages, and personalized jet and yacht training. Their celebrity clients include Beyonce, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and Simon Cowell. Shiba owners in New York, of which there are over 30k including Richard Gere, now have their very own designers at the online store Shiba & CO. The company’s designers, Nico Di Stefano and Jiatai Qi, have created colorful hoodies, dog collars, leashes, and silk bandanas, which also come in sizes suitable for their owners so they can match their pets when they strut their designer duds on 5th Ave. shibandco.com
Mr. Brainwash & Clarendon Fine Art
Michele and Barack Obama, Madonna, David and Victoria Beckham, and the Kardashians all collect artwork by Mr. Brainwash. He even painted a family portrait of Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian alongside Kendall, Kylie, and Kris Jenner in the style of Renoir and unveiled it on “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” Momager Kris said it’s “one of my favorite paintings.” The artist, who says, “If I believe it, it’s art for me” opened “All You Need Is Art” at Clarendon Fine Art in Westport, CT. The exhibition celebrated the gallery’s first anniversary in the States. The show featured limited-edition silkscreens, marrying four of the most famous artworks in history: Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Irises, painted circa 1890, and Warhol’s Flowers and Campbell’s Soup cans, both created in the early 60’s at his silver foil wrapped Factory in Union Square. clarendonfineart.com
Miami Art Basel & Carlton Fine Arts
City dwellers, including philanthropist Laine Siklos and attorneys Arthur Aidala and Marianne Burtuna, who didn’t make the trip to South Florida had the Basel experience in Midtown at Carlton Fine Arts on Madison Avenue. Gallerist Charles Saffati showed over 300 works by artists, including Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Marc Chagall. The five-floor gallery also showcased emerging artist Libby Klein, who presented paintings of Israel, including those of Jerusalem and the Wailing Wall. Klein also showed her works at the Altair Hotel during Basel. carltonfa.com
Holiday House – Palm Beach
Interior designers Campion Platt and Andrea Stark, along with the Colony Hotel’s Sarah Wetenhall and Jayne Chase, served as chairs for Iris Dankner’s Holiday House in Palm Beach. The tabletop event featured more than 15 top designers, including Alexandra Naranjo, Mabley Handler, and Philip Gorrivan, who created their own elaborate tablescapes to showcase cutting edge décor and lifestyle concepts to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach.holidayhousenyc.com
Daniel Boulud & International Sous Vide Day
Top NYC chef Daniel Boulud is among the fans of Cuisine Solutions, the leading maker of sous vide foods. Boulud, along with over 30 Michelin-starred chefs, celebrated the company’s 7th annual International Sous Vide Day to honor the founder of the cooking Bruno Goussault’s 82nd birthday. This year they hosted a global celebration on January 26th with VIP fêtes in Washington, France, Brazil, and Thailand. The D.C. event welcomed chefs Farmer Lee Jones, a former judge of Food Network’s Iron Chef America, and Jamie Simpson. cuisinesolutions.com
Ice-T & “Our Planet Powered by AI”
Ice-T hosted a party for Mark Minevich’s new book, “Our Planet Powered by AI: How we use Artificial Intelligence to Create a Sustainable Future for Humanity,” for a group of tech and business leaders at the home of Ambassador Paolo Zampolli. markminevich.com … On another night Ice-T and his wife Coco Austin celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary with a bash at the Hustler Club hosted by movie producer Noel Ashman. Guests included “Scarface” actors Steven Bauer and Angel Salazar and writer Anthony Haden-Guest. hustlerny.com