At The Fifth Avenue Hotel, Moda Operandi Hosted a Real Life Trunkshow for Oscar de la Renta

On a cool Thursday afternoon, at the end of New York Fashion Week and the beginning of autumn, Moda Operandi’s co-founder and chief brand officer, Lauren Santo Domingo, welcomed 88 guests to celebrate Oscar de la Renta’s co-creative directors Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia. They previewed the house’s Spring 2024 collection with lunch and a salon-style presentation at the soon-to-open-to-the-public Fifth Avenue Hotel’s signature restaurant Café Carmellini, followed by a trunk show in The Fifth Avenue Hotel’s ballroom.

“My toxic trait is that I am an oversharer,” Lauren Santo Domingo said with a chuckle, as she stood before friends, stylists, and tastemakers at the lush soon-to-open Cafe Carmellini at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. “I wanted to share access to fashion that I knew others didn’t have. I wanted to share fashion; I wanted to share designers, with everyone. And today, we’re flipping the switch a little bit.” At Moda, customers and fashion lovers are able to pre-order off-the-runway finds and exclusives. On Thursday, they were able to buy items off the model’s trotting directly in front of them, before anyone else. An IRL trunkshow. “You’ll have the exclusive opportunity to shop the collection right now. It’s such a treat for us to be the exclusive partner for [Oscar De La Renta] Spring 2024.”

De la Renta’s collection wasn’t the only first look the guests experienced that afternoon. The Fifth Avenue Hotel will officially open its doors in October—welcoming travelers and New Yorkers alike to an alluring experience in the soul of Manhattan. For the special event, guests were able to try on pieces in the comfort of the aptly designed rooms. “The Fifth is the realization of many years of dreaming and discovery,” Founder Alex Ohebshalom explains, with a creative spirit and whimsy at the forefront. The 153 guestrooms and suites, some of which feature private terraces, are inspired by the yore of the neighborhood and the heritage of the building—which is a transformed mansion designed for the artful traveler. The acclaimed Martin Brudnizki Design Studio created an aesthetic that embraces Bohemian romanticism, the glamour of the Gilded Age, and contemporary intrigue. The ideal establishment to soak in Oscar De La Renta’s imaginative collection.

Within the hotel’s suites and guestrooms, which showcased a whimsical and rich color palette of garden greens, buttercup yellow, and peony pink, guests and fans pulled inside organza minis, cotton-poplin maxis, appliquéd cropped tops, and painted poppy dresses from the racks displayed in the third-floor ballroom—the hues complementary. But before they did so, they enjoyed Chef Andrew Carmellini’s two-course family-style menu of Pinzimonio di Verdure and light bites, including a petite Quiche, salmon crudo, lobster tartlet, and gougères, followed by heirloom tomato carpaccio, Niçoise style steamed black bass, and a roast chicken salad. The delight could be seen across the room.

"This is such a special way of showing our collection. This place also took ten years to make, guys, ten years! We re honored," Garcia said, smiling ear-to-ear. Laura Kim stood beside him, looking out into the stylish crowd. "We love working with Moda. As for me, I love shopping at Moda. I still get really excited when our clothes are chosen for Lauren s closet. We re so excited to show you our collection in this beautiful space."

Guests included Moda Operandi’s Chief Merchant, April Hennig, and CEO Jim Gold, Oscar de la Renta CEO Alex Bolen and his wife Eliza Bolen, The Fifth Avenue Hotel owner Alex Ohebshalom and his girlfriend Amah Modek, his father Fred Ohebshalom, his mother Yvonne Ohebshalom, and his sisters Stephanie and Sandy Ohebshalom, Café Carmellini’s Andrew Carmellini; Ashley Biden, Tina Leung, Ezra William, Amy Astley, Nicky Hilton, Sophie Lopez, Derek Blasberg, Fabiola Beracasa, Bianca Brandolini, Sabine Getty, Brett Heyman, Marcella Guarino, Hannah Traore and more.