The Tamesis
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to have a private party hosted by Tory Burch, just ask Emma Grede. “I’m very proud of myself,” said CEO and co-founder of Good American and founding partner of Skims Fashion while reflecting on her latest achievement. Now, she’s added her debut feature, “S,” to her impressive resumeBeing with yourself: A new vision for work and life.
Burch, along with co-hosts Fabiola Beracasa Beckman and Diane von Furstenberg, welcomed Grad’s tight inner circle of fashion, media and business executives to a gathering for cocktails at her Upper East Side home. The man of the hour gracefully moved around the party, greeting guests including Gayle King, Huma Abedin and Joseph Altuzarra. “There are a lot of people here that I love—people I met during my time at the agency, when they were my clients, and friends I’ve made over the years. It feels like the culmination of years of working in this industry,” the London native told me. Fashion.
The mother of four took a quick breather as she curled up on one of Burch’s plush living room couches, overlooking the quintessential Manhattan view of Fifth Avenue and Central Park. “There’s so much chic stuff here, I don’t even know what to do with myself,” she later laughed, addressing the crowd (many of whom were wearing designs by Burch and DVF). “If someone had told me 15 or 20 years ago that I would be standing between these three incredible women, I would have just said, ‘Yeah… maybe,'” she joked.
Throughout the evening, silver platters were served with caviar and Appetizers Hand-painted floral wine glasses from the Burch Home Collection float between candlelit orange and chartreuse living rooms. June Ambrose held court in the corner, charming guests in her signature cape, while Sophia Bush shared stories with Ego Nwodim.
This gathering is also a gathering among old fashion friends. “All I can say is that 12 years or so later, it’s still the same situation,” he said Harper’s Bazaar Lynette Nylander, executive digital director, reflects on her initial collaboration with Grede. “It’s always been her. Even in East London, it’s always been her.”
Grede was also delighted when she noticed stylist Elizabeth Salzman walking across the room. “I flew here to pick you up because you did it! You’re changing people’s lives — and that’s important,” Salzman praised, as the two hugged amid squeals of excitement.
Soon after, Saltzman and Ambrose happily posed for photos with their newly discovered S replica.Compete with yourself Bush, for his part, made it his business to capture the moment on Ambrose’s cell phone – just like any good girlfriend would do. “What kind of shot is this?” Grede looked on and laughed. “I just happen to attract interesting people.”
“I’m so excited to be hosting tonight,” Burch told Fashion. “As I got to know Emma more and more, she had an energy that was contagious. She made people feel like they could do anything.” Burch continued: “When I started our company 21 years ago, I didn’t have many role models and no one to acknowledge some of my fears and doubts. I didn’t even know the words to describe them, and there were A lot of confidence issues. Confidence is one of the most important things when I work with entrepreneurs today. So the message from someone who is so extraordinary and has built her life and is an entrepreneur at the highest level, she says, ‘Go with your gut, follow yourself, trust your gut’ – that’s a message that I stand by.”
It’s been a whirlwind of a book launch, to say the least, and Grad is just getting started. Last week, Rachel Zoe and Aurora James hosted a Los Angeles celebration, and starting tomorrow, a national tour will begin with live events including Martha Stewart, Tracee Ellis Ross, Misty Copeland, Charlamagne tha God and Jay Shetty, among others. Not to mention, a quick trip to London for a transatlantic promotion.
“I had a real vision for myself and my life,” Greder told Fashion. “When I was 25 I wrote a book that I needed to have. I ask you to read it and pass it on.”
