Festival Season Came Early With Valentino’s Fun-filled Party in New York

With major music festivals like Coachella, Stagecoach, and Lollapalooza just around the corner, Valentino entered the chat this week with its own fashionized version. Held on Wednesday night—in the midst of a breezy work week—the carnival-style bash celebrated the release of the maison’s first eyewear collectsion designed by Alessandro Michele, in partnership with Kering Eyewear.

Guests, including Ella Emhoff, Miles Greenberg, Leigh Lezark, Dylan Kelly, and Jordan Rand were welcomed into a plush paradise at The Shed. The transformed space was decorated with a mirrored merry-go-round installation (complete with leather animal-shaped seating), a photo booth disguised as a glowing theater, a mirror maze, and signature Valentino red-toned velvet curtains that enveloped the room from floor to ceiling.

Enjoying a round of games at the Tin Can Alley, filmmaker and actress Lilly Hartley said, “I love that Valentino provided some fun activities instead of just having guests come to see the new collectsion.” Scream 7 actress Celeste O’Connor added, “This set-up is absolutely gorgeous—and it’s really inspiring to be in a room full of so many incredible artists.”

Confectionery stations were also everywhere you looked, with offerings including delectable mini-donuts, veal crème trays, cotton candy, and “Vlogo” popcorn buckets. Meanwhile two craft cocktail stations served Grey Goose cosmopolitans and Macallan old fashions en masse. “The way that Valentino put this together is very chic,” noted male model Jordun Love. “The color-scheme and activations are really complementary.” Handbag designer and fashion stylist Dami Ariyo agreed:“The new eyewear is really cute, and tonight’s theme really sells it!”

While guests swayed through the fun space, veteran DJ Mark Ronson provided bass-heavy tunes and millennial music classics alike, spinning mashups that included deep cuts by Madonna, Bad Bunny, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Tyla, and more. Reveling on the dance floor, activist and model Yves Mathieu-East exclaimed: “Mark has us all feeling groovy and sexy!” Soul singer and Chk Chk Chk bandmember Meah Pace—who had just flown in from touring in Japan to attend the party—shared a similar sentiment: “Having a good time and being able to dance to great music is revolutionary, and especially needed for globally tough times like we’re living in today.”

As the event began to wind down and partygoers slowly made their exits, they stopped to marvel at two rotating glossy red Ferris wheels, which housed selections from the new eyewear collectsion. Think: large tortoise frames, studded oval shades, slim metal constructions with crystal details, and sleek cat-eye glasses—each containing its own variation of the Valentino “Vlogo.”