Inside Manolo Blahnik’s Holiday Luncheon at Holiday Bar

The holidays in New York City can be a precocious time. Some of us may “work” from home, moving our computer cursor every now and then to appear online, and some of us may sneak away a little early for a happy hour with co-workers, but yesterday’s three-hour-long, mid-day bacchanal saw merrymaking of memorable proportions, all thanks to Manolo Blahnik. “What better to kick off the holiday season than to have a luncheon party? Nobody does it anymore,” the brand’s president and chief of the Americas, Andrew Wright, told Vogue. “There are exciting things afoot for us next year at Manolo Blahnik, but this is about celebrating today and being in the moment.” 

Unfolding at West Village hotspot Holiday Bar, guests arrived in their sky-high heels to find the dining room bedecked in added layers of seasonal decor, including a troupe of Christmas trees, one of them charmingly 80s-influenced, covered with tinsel and topped with a neon star presiding over the festivities. Sarah Hoover played hostess for the afternoon, greeting her partygoers with a warm embrace and a cheeky glass of champagne. For many, including Huma Abedin, Architectural Digest’s Amy Astley, Pat Cleveland, and Lily Mortimer, it was their first look at the newly-opened eatery, which has been booked to the hilt since its doors opened just a few weeks ago. 

"I can’t believe they let us in, I really had to butter up Kyle [Hotchkiss Carone, founder of Holiday Bar], and the room looks so pretty and sparkly that I think we could stay and club if we wanted to,” Hoover joked. “Any lunch that can turn into an all-night thing is a good lunch. It’s really gotten me into the holiday spirit, and I’m feeling so lucky to have such cool friends here in New York, and really, no one is sad when they see a Manolo box under the tree. I’m feeling truly grateful this holiday season.” 

Place cards with beautiful swirling calligraphy and crisp linen napkins embroidered with fanciful Blahnik shoe designs awaited diners at their seats, where an afternoon of guilty pleasures ensued, the most crowd-pleasing of which were the hearty bowls of seasoned curly fries. “It’s the holidays, all bets are off,” quipped one indulgent guest as the afternoon s surprise entertainment arrived in the form of a local choir, the New York Choral Society, who delighted the room with carols whilst outfitted in pairs of jewel-toned Manolo Blahnik Hangisi heels and patent Mario slippers. And with the close of a rousing rendition of "Deck The Halls," plates piled high with gingerbread cookies — a recipe from Mr. Blahnik’s own cookbook—were sent out en masse to ferry guests off into the afternoon, well-fed and well-heeled for the holiday season.