(NEW YORK) All of the downtown gals came out to celebrate Brit designer Henry Holland‘s resort collection at The Leadbelly, the latest hot new restaurant from fellow Brits, Phil Winser and Ben Towill of The Fat Radish. Guest dined family-style on kale caesar salad, quinoa, roast chicken served over spinach, monkfish, and some divine (but surely deadly) Banoffee pie for desert that had some of the British expats at the table going wild. In fact, it was such a feast that no one could quite believe there was another course when the entrees came out.
Who was present at the fashionably foodie affair? A very pregnant Jane Keltner de Valle of Teen Vogue arrived glowing in a summery floral dress, while Daisy Lowe, Alexa Chung, Leigh Lezark, Harley Viera Newton, and Dree Hemingway all came out for the occasion. The latter of which graciously came over to a publicist mid-dinner to thank her for delivering her Henry Holland dress, which was a stunning red silk just below-the-knee number with a blue burst pattern. And where would the “It” girls be without their “It” boy? Derek Blasberg was also on hand to dine amid all of his girls. Also, at the party was burgeoning talent Hailey Gates, a drop dead gorgeous brunette with a pout. She recently appeared on the cover of Jalouse and has an acting career in the works (she recently auditioned for Sofia Coppola‘s new film The Bling Ring). Did we mention she also works for The Paris Review? Gotta love a beauty with brains.
As for Holland, who seemed to be in good spirits, he divulged that resort is his favorite collection to design. “It’s less pressure, because there isn’t a show and all of that,” said Holland. “For me it’s always about variety. That’s our signature thing so it works really well in resort. It’s fun to work on a small, tight collection. The buyers love it, too!” And while he won’t be getting too much vacation time in this summer, he is planning a move with his boyfriend. “We’re moving to East London. We’ve been in Primrose Hill, so it’s kind of like moving from the Upper West Side to downtown,” said Holland. “Most people do that in reverse! When they’re 35 they move uptown. Maybe we’re having a midlife crisis! I just turned 30 and need to be where the young people are [laughs]. I love going out and partying in the East of London and then going home.” Not to mention, the man can throw quite a good party himself.
PAIGE REDDINGER
