Caviar, champagne, and… fried chicken? Yes, Manhattan s glamorous social set dove into buckets of fried chicken as they fêted The Year of the Snake. Underneath the gilded serpentine arches at the city s new-ish hotspot Coqodaq, Phillip Lim thanked his closest friends and family for showing up at his fourth annual Lunar New Year celebration with Hennessy.
“Tonight, we re honoring The Year of the Snake. We are in for a fun night full of shedding off what doesn t serve us anymore and finding the courage to seek renewal and purpose,” Lim told Vogue. “The guests tonight represent a plethora of the most amazing disciplines in the AAPI community.”
From notable designers Prabal Gurung and Kim Shui to filmmakers Lulu Wang and Barry Jenkins, a most amazing array of impressive individuals it was. The thoughtful curation of the event extended beyond just the guest list, though; the tables were adorned with personalized Hennessy bottles for each guest, gold brand-emblazoned chopsticks with snake hashiokis, and envelopes containing two-dollar bills for the wish tree.
While a dragon dance performance kicked off the meal with a bang and intricate Hennessy-crafted cocktails were perfect pairings, the core of the elaborate evening was rooted in the people. “These annual events remind me how important community is. It s quite serendipitous, too, of my big transformation of leaving my own brand to reinventing myself—through shedding, transforming, and renewal,” Lim adds. “I want to inspire everyone tonight with the power of celebrating community, especially in these times. It s important that we continue to celebrate each other, share our unique culture, and believe in ourselves that we have a superpower to transform.”
