Art conservation, an inspired capsule collection, and a gorgeously set dinner awaited those who entered Casa Valle—the interior design gallery of Jane Keltner de Valle and her husband Giancarlo Valle—on Tuesday evening. All were gathered to celebrate Lafayette 148’s new capsule collection, which benefits Save Venice (it’s the fashion label’s latest show of support for the arts charity). And to bring more art into the mix, the event was cohosted by Sotheby s Magazine and its editor in chief Kristina O Neill.
“We started to partner with Save Venice in 2021. Eventually, they came to us with the opportunity to be one of the sponsors of the restoration of Guilia Lama s ‘Virgin in Prayer’—a rare find from a woman artist from the 1700s,” says Lafayette 148 creative director Emily Smith tells Vogue. “We then wanted to do a small capsule to celebrate it. That s what we are doing here tonight—with Sotheby s—to bring fashion, art, and culture together.”
Guests clad in the sophisticated Lafayette 148 s pieces—including Lauren Santo Domingo, Amy Astley, and Dasha Zhukova—made their way upstairs to the distinguished dining room for a candlelit dinner. “Giancarlo and I started dreaming up this dinner, and now here it is months later. The idea behind this space is that yes, it s a gallery, but we also want it to be a place where people can come together, be inspired, start new conversations, and leave with new ideas,” Jane Keltner De Valle says of the new Casa Valle.
Every detail was meticulously selected by Celine Yousefzadeh, founder of CY Kitchen, as she brought Venice to New York for a night. From the small bites that were influenced by Venetian Cicchetti to her caviar served at dinner in Murano glass bowls, the magic was in the minutia. The flowers and tones were even nods to the Veneto region.
A toast from O Neill opened the dinner; Smith said a few words, and then the night was afoot. O Neill says, “When I started at Sotheby s, we started thinking about how we could deepen our relationship between a publication and brands. With Lafayette 148 doing something in a space where we are looking to engage our audience—the Save Venice restoration—there s just a really nice organic overlap.” An organic and intimate evening it was.
