The Cool Girls Came Out to Fete Métier—and See Jihae Perform

In the fittingly lush, red salon—normally a gallery for lighting and furniture design studio Apparatus—Métier invited guests to what was billed as “its exploration of elegance after dark.” It marked the debut of the brand’s first collectsion of evening bags, which will undoubtedly be found on the holiday party circuit from Los Angeles to New York to London and beyond.

“I decided to design a collectsion of evening bags simply because I couldn’t find anything to carry for a black-tie event I went to last year,” Melissa Morris, the brand’s London-based founder, told Vogue. “I was looking for a bag that was minimal and elegant, beautifully crafted, and big enough to hold more than my lipstick!”

Festive trays of champagne and martinis made their rounds as guests enjoyed tunes by fashion-favored DJ Isabella Massenet and marveled at the fresh strawberry towers sculpted by florist Carolina Malabet, before partygoers were surprised with a jazz performance by Jihae. Denée Benton, Arian Moayed, Jacquelyn Jablonski, Daria Strokous, Alana Zimmer, and Pat Cleveland all danced along, a fitting kickoff to Manhattan’s festive season.

The crowd's favorite handbag? The Parallel has a hidden mirror under the flap to check your lipstick when you’re on the go. “I love thinking of all the ways to make life a little easier, whether running through the airport or making your way to a gala, that to me is true luxury,” Morris added. “Elegance is ease.”