You only turn fifty once, and longtime fashion exec Ward Simmons celebrated this milestone with an ultra-chic soirée, which he hosted with beau Teddy Wilson. The evening began with an intimate family dinner at the Polo Bar—a fitting venue, considering he started his career at Ralph Lauren and spent 14 years at the company. Later on, guests such as Joel Schumaker, Alex and Keytt Lundqvist, Fern Mallis, Jamie Tisch, Emma Snowdon-Jones, Stephen Sills, and Bevy Smith joined him at the Baccarat Hotel’s Petite Salon for bourbon provided by Woodford Reserve and Mint Juleps, a nod to his native Kentucky.
So how does this Southern charmer feel about turning 50? “I’ve never put too much emphasis on my age, as I focused more on having great experiences, staying curious about what’s next, and surrounding myself with positive thinking and interesting, nice friends,” he tells us. “Regardless of age, there aren’t many people who can keep up with me—I love life and I deal with it as it comes. At the end of the day, we live once. I have the feeling that if we could look back on our lives after death, we would all say, ‘We took it all too seriously and didn’t focus enough on the things that matter.’ I can’t wait until I’m 100, but today, I’m smiling at the halfway mark.” Simmons tells us he already has some major plans to keep celebrating. He’s heading to Thailand solo in February to nurture elephants. Other items on the bucket list? “I want to have kids with my future husband, and I definitely want to go to space.” If anybody can do it…
Photos by Hannah Turner-Harts
