The Tamesis
Tove Rowe, Julia FoxBen Rosser/BFA.com
What could be better after a busy schedule of shows than a night out where friends, fashion and good food come together? CFDA award-winning designer Willy Chavarria and Net-a-Porter teamed up to invite guests to spend an evening with them at the bustling Le Chêne restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village on Sunday.
“Dinner with Willy” also marks the arrival of the designer’s new women’s collection at the e-tailer. Upon arriving at the chic candlelit restaurant, guests including Julia Fox, Harry Neff, Jordan Land and Grammy-nominated artist Jack Harlow were greeted by smiling waiters carrying trays of bubbling prosecco.
After a pleasant acceptance, some headed to chat at the circular bar decorated with towers of cascading roses. Just before the snow fell at night, top model Aweng Ade-Chuol whizzed by and shouted: “Fashion week is fashion week!” Swedish singer Tove Lo was also immersed in it. “This is my first full fashion week and I’m really enjoying running between the daily shows and exciting events,” she said.
The dining room tables were decorated with bouquets of blooming white perennials, black cylindrical candles, and a poem that Chavarria personally wrote for each attendee: “Let us take care of each other here. Let us gather as much beauty as we can,” one line read. Continuing well into the night, a three-course dinner includes leeks with gribiche sauce, steak or pumpkin tarte tatin – all of which must be served with fries, of course.
Chavarria paired the evening’s quintessentially French cuisine and atmosphere with his own signature Mexican-American ready-to-wear, which he crafted for the night in his “Willy Girls” cabin. Supermodel Lineisy Montero wore a backless buttery yellow sheath dress, activist Juana Burga wore a crisp plaid mini shirtdress, and singer and actress Becky G wore a bleached denim jacket, plaid button-down shirt and blue jeans — “I came here for this look,” she shared. Montero echoed his thoughts on the new collection, “Tonight was truly a phenomenal moment. It’s important to feel represented in fashion – I absolutely like Become a Willy Girl. “
Net-A-Porter CEO Heather Kaminetsky also wore a satin dress from Chavarria, which hit the e-tailer hours ago. “Tonight is a celebration of friendship, strength and community, and we are so excited about this partnership,” she told the room. “When you think of bold statements and silhouettes, you think of Willy.” Chavarria chimed in: “It was a beautiful and organic partnership, and I’m so excited to have met Heather and the team at that time. It was a natural progression for me because I’ve always loved womenswear first.”
As the evening progresses, cocktail glasses continue to clink and delicious île flottante desserts are gradually delivered to each table. To end this special event, guests were treated to a surprise violin performance by soloist Mikaila Gaffey. Garfield played his instrument to a beautiful melody and circled the room in a Chavarria costume and a red halter top by Montero. “It’s such a decadent design! I love the way he created the clothing,” she told Fashion.
