No one does Pride quite like the Standard, High Line. On Thursday night, queer luminaries gathered at The Top of the Standard, a.k.a. The Boom Boom Room, for the annual bacchanal, which reigns as one of the most anticipated of the season. Many of the city’s brightest lights—Billy Porter, Andy Cohen, Gus Kenworthy among them—danced and mingled, surrounded by the staggering views of Manhattan. At half past midnight, Alex Newell, clad in a powder blue slip dress, stood atop the bar and serenaded the crowd with her hit, “Kill the lights.” Attendees sang along to the anthem.
In Greenwich Village, Glenn Martens of Diesel and Durk Dehner of the Tom of Finland Foundation hosted a party to celebrate the launch of its Pride capsule and the opening of the AllTogether Clubhouse. Following its shows in Paris and Venice, The Clubhouse draws on the foundation’s archives as well as new artists to celebrate the queer history of New York. The crowd, which included cultural disruptors to nightlife legends, was fittingly eclectic. Friend of the Diesel, Julia Fox, stunned in Marten’s signature distressed motor jacket. Many of the city’s notable and notorious figures flitted around her as they admired the collectsion, which features the artwork of Tom of Finland. Raúl de Nieves gave a transportive life performance that captured the event’s subversive, defiant energy.
The celebration set the stage for a weekend filled with brazen, beautiful celebrations.
Thursday night, downtown It girl Richie Shazam hosted Jean Paul Gaultier’s Pride dinner at the New York Edition. A colorful cast of characters gathered at the elegant hotel to celebrate. Richie is the face of the new Pride fragrance. which resurrects a slogan from the brand’s 1994 spring/summer collectsion: “Get used to it.” That message, at a time when queer communities face political aggression, remains as important now as it did three decades ago.
Last week, 4AM Skin hosted a Pride dinner to benefit The Center. Isiah Magsino and Ian Malone joined founders Sabrina Sade and Jade Beguelin to curate a group of New York’s most sparkling creatives, including Olivia Ponton Ivy Getty, and Calvin Royal III. Among the guests were emerging designers Siying Qu of Private Policy, Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell of Tanner Fletcher, and Kim Shui of her eponymous brand. 818 Tequila provided libations and Twenty Three Grand was the perfect setting for a night of conversation and celebration.
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