The Scene: Winter's Hottest Fashion Parties

Jonathan Simkhai has another reason to celebrate this holiday season. His latest footwear collection marks the first time he designed and produced everything in-house (the custom square heel took 18 months to perfect). So he and Saks Fifth Avenue, where the shoe collection is now stocked, toasted the launch with an intimate cocktail and dinner in Hollywood. Guests including Sydney Sweeney, Rebecca Black, Alessandra Ambrosio, Alexandra Shipp and Tori Kelly were treated to floral “clouds” and a surprise performance by the American Contemporary Ballet.

Nightlife queen Susanne Bartsch hosted a holiday toy drive for children in need at local hospitals and social service agencies. Iconic names in fashion came out to support the event, including Marc Jacobs, Steven Klein and Patti Wilson.

The Acne Studios store in SoHo's Greene Street has a new look. To celebrate its reopening, the brand held an in-store cocktail with a packed crowd that included CEO Mattias Magnusson and chairman Mikael Schiller, singer Kelsey Lu, models Ella Hunt, Oyinda and Hanne Gaby Odiele, designer Gabriela Hearst, artist Chloe Wise, Diet Prada duo Tony Liu and Lindsay Schuyler and editors Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Kristina O’Neill and Magnus Berger. The space was designed by Barcelona-based studio Arquitectura-G and features custom wall-to-wall tufted wool carpeting by Swedish rug company Kasthall and lighting by French designer Benoit Lalloz.

AMI Paris celebrated its first-ever US store (located in New York's SoHo neighborhood) with a bash inside the Empire State Building with views overlooking all of Manhattan. The Kid Laroi performed some of his biggest hits while guests including Normani, Emily Ratajkowski, Joe Jonas and Fran Drescher miingled in the VIP area. The Empire State Building was lit up in red for the party, a nod to the color of AMI’s symbol, the Ami de Coeur, a heart-crowned A.

A big chunk of Brunello Cucinelli executives and family members flew in from Italy to toast the brand's newly renovated flagship on Madison Avenue, which now boasts over 8,000 square feet and takes up almost an entire city block. The cocktail event inside the store featured a performance by stage actress and singer Shoshana Bean; afterward, VIP clients and close friends of the brand (including Martha Stewart) headed downtown to Casa Cipirani's Jazz Room for an intimate dinner. Guests at the cocktail included Simon Huck, Fernando Garcia, Laura Kim and Eric Rutherford.

On November 16 in a private Nolita residence, former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin was surrounded by some of her closest friends and supporters to celebrate the launch of her new memoir Both/And. Hosted by designer Tanya Taylor and Glamour editor-in-chief Samantha Barry, the intimate cocktail welcomed names across the fields of fashion, politics and philanthropy to honor Abedin's accomplishment.

"Huma has been a dear friend for years and I am so proud of her courage to tell her story," said Tanya Taylor. "What heartens me the most is knowing the impact it will have on young girls around America and the world who see themselves in her experience, intellect and struggles, and the inspiration it will give them to pursue their dreams with determination and grace."

On November 29 in London, the Fashion Awards presented by TikTok will honor the best of fashion and design talent from Britain and beyond with a splashy red carpet and ceremony. The evening will also celebrate the 2021 NEW WAVE: Creatives, a list of 50 young creatives from all over the world including artists, casting agents, hair and makeup artists, image makers, nail artists, set designers and stylists. A few weeks earlier in New York, the British Fashion Council's Caroline Rush kicked off the list's unveiling with a cocktail event in Bar Chrystie at PUBLIC. Guests included Evan Mock, John Yuyi, Quil Lemons, Young Emperors and plenty of TikTok creators.

A downtown Manhattan floor 63 stories high was the site for Miu Miu's celebrity-packed party that ran well into midnight. Names like AnnaSophia Robb, Lupita Nyong'o, Emma Roberts, Emma Corrin and Sadie Sink gathered to celebrate the brand's new eveningwear-focused Nuit collection. Cocktails and bites from Saga Restaurant were followed by DJ sets from Mona Matsuoka, Chloé Caillet, Rainey Qualley and Odalys.

Juno Temple and Phil Dunster kicked off the holiday season on October 26th by hosting Neiman Marcus' "Celebrate Big, Love Even Bigger" holiday campaign at the Paramount Studios in LA. Lisa Rinna, Brad Goreski, Erin Walsh, and many others came together to view the department store's unveiling of this year's Christmas Book and Fantasy Gifts. Guests were treated to a live performance of the dance featured in the new campaign video and the Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gifts were revealed in a series of curated vignettes.

For the third time, Louis Vuitton enlisted a group of artists from around to world to reimagine the brand's signature Capucines bag. To celebrate the new Artycapucines range, Miranda Kerr and Jamie Mizrahi hosted in intimate dinner at the John Lautner Harpel House in Los Angeles with guests like Kate Hudson, Jasmine Tookes, Orlando Bloom, Nicole Richie and Rachel Zoe.

KHAITE has its own dedicated shop at Bergdorf Goodman now (located on the 6th floor), and to celebrate, the retailer hosted an intimate event at its BG Restaurant with views overlooking Central Park. Inside, guests including KHAITE's Catherine Holstein, Bergdorf Goodman's Linda Fargo, Yumi Shin and Elle Strauss, model Ella Emhoff and stylist Vanessa Traina were treated to a decadent tablescape, cocktails and canapés throughout the night.

Actress and model Jodie Turner-Smith, face of COS' latest campaign, celebrated the label's Fall 2021 collection at the San Vicente Bungalows in LA. At an intimate cocktail party with family and friends like Joshua Jackson, Paloma Elsesser, and Janaya Future Khan, the Swedish brand's legacy was on full display complete with a sampling of their timeless garments.

Rising London-based designer Harris Reed and jewelry brand Missoma launched their collaboration at The Houdini Estate in LA on October 13. Guests Alisha Boe, Shaun Ross, Shanina Shaik, Alisha Boe, and Aly & AJ were treated to a musical performance by Moses Sumney. On view were the gothic romantic accessories, which took inspiration from his "Romanticism Gone Nonbinary" aesthetic. The collaboration has already been worn by Billie Eilish.

Marking the Fashion Group International's return to in-person gatherings, the "Night of Stars" event was held at Cipriani South Street on October 13. 300 guests arrived at the cocktail hour and dinner with designers Rodney Epperson, Carlos Campos, and Sally LaPointe in attendance to support their peers. Tommy Hilfiger, Norma Kamali, Fausto Puglisi, and Law Roach, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, Ronnie Fieg, Gabriela Hearst were all honored.