What better venue in which to celebrate Pierpaolo Piccioli s Pre-Fall 2017 show for Valentino, his sophomore solo offering for the house, than the West Village stalwart One If by Land, Two If by Sea? One of the city s most discreet and lovely restaurants, it has long been a special place for first dates, trysts, proposals and weddings, all occasions worthy of a Valentino dress. And it is also the former home of Aaron Burr (hello Hamilton the musical; hello, the Electoral College!). For Piccioli, it was the perfect spot to wind down from his collection, which was inspired by immigrants—yes, immigrants—arriving to a land of opportunity by boat.
The mix of romance and relevance was not lost on guests such as Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Seth Meyers, Olivia Palermo, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Harley Viera-Newton who spoke of dreamy winter holidays and the week s all-too-real headlines, while dining on peekytoe crab soufflé and beef Wellington. During dinner Piccioli was flanked by Christy Turlington Burns (in a loose column of blush-to-raspberry tiered lace) and a red-jumpsuited Brooke Shields. Leaning in for a quick photo, Turlington Burns laughed to Shields, "The only thing that comes between us tonight isn t Calvin, it s Pierpaolo.”