These Boots Are Made For Partying! Issa Rae Brought the Energy to Last Night’s Stuart Weitzman’s Dinner
Presented by Stuart Weitzman
“Thank you guys so much for coming; I know you have so many other things to do!” said Issa Rae to a room full of fashion editors, content-makers, and executives. "And I heard Beyoncé was at the other event!" she added in a joke. Her intel was good—seated across from her at last night’s dinner at L Avenue at Saks’s downstairs portion, Le Chalet, was Sergio Hudson, who had dressed Beyoncé in a butter-yellow look for Glamour’s Women of the Year. Nonetheless, there was nowhere else the room wanted to be, especially since we were toasting with Rae’s Viarae Prosecco. “It s very cruel to have me do this speech at the end of the night when y’all give us unlimited wine!” she added while clutching a glass of her bubbly. The artful placement was a reminder that Rae is a Renaissance woman, and that is exactly what Stuart Weitzman had hoped to celebrate—in Rae but in all women—in their latest campaign, “How Lovely to Be a Woman.”
At 7:00 p.m., a buzzy group that included Bethann Hardison, Quil Lemons, and Richie Shazam was welcomed to the Le Chalet by Vogue s own senior fashion editor, Naomi Elizée, who served as party co-host. At first glance, guests may not have noticed the Stuart Weitzman imagery pinned to the walls of the downstairs portion of L’Avenue (Le Chalet), but it was a touch that fit in perfectly with the space s Alpine cabin feel. Many in the room were fresh from Paris, including Saks’ fashion director Roopal Patel (who was on several street style best-dressed roundups of the week), Mary Leest, and Jessica Wang. Though it’s been a whirlwind few weeks for fashion folk, the night was perfectly cozy and relaxed and allowed everyone to debut some fabulous fall footwear—on almost every body in the room was a pair of Stuart Weitzman boots. The night was billed as a celebration of boots and bubbly, after all.
Guests took turns posing for photos down L’Avenue s photogenic staircase and among Le Chalet s banquets before taking their seats at a beautifully dressed table with an all-white floral theme. After settling in, Stuart Weitzman’s CMO Kaisy Mae O Reilly (in superb suede over-the-knee boots) rose to greet her guests. Looking around the room is like a masterclass of “all the ways to wear boots this fall,” she joked before turning to welcome the night s guest of honor, Rae. “She s a visionary and a trailblazer, and she s redefining the storytelling in this modern world. With the work that she does, she s giving a voice to the expression of the diverse experiences of her community—that is just so profound and powerful we support her purpose,” she added before welcoming a surprise treat that no one knew was coming: A performance by Amber Mark.
The adorable Mark, the soulful, Tennessee-born R&B singer, started her set off with a very fitting cover of Ann-Margret’s “How Lovely to Be a Woman,” before shifting into her own tunes like “Bliss” and “Waiting.” “You re such a great audience,” Mark said, in between songs, to a fully engaged room that was either bopping, swaying, capturing content, or all three.