Zimmermann Celebrated Its Upper East Side Boutique With a Dinner at the Met Breuer

Last night Zimmermann, perhaps the only brand that looks as natural on Bondi Beach as it does in Manhattan, opened its Madison Avenue store. And for the occasion Aerin Lauder, Jessica Joffe, Meredith Melling, Princess Olympia of Greece, and many more of the city’s glittering set journeyed uptown to celebrate.

Since sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann founded the label in 1991 (it only reached the United States in 2011), models, superstars, and influencers have been clamoring to wear the label’s easy-breezy frocks.

Thanks to longtime Zimmermann collaborator Don McQualter, the new store’s design embodies its elegant address. Much like an Upper East Side town house, the high-ceilinged rooms are coated with pale-colored paint and flow with ease. A leafy garden serves as an oasis, where last night Nicky Zimmermann held court. When asked about the Madison Avenue opening, she explained the necessity for each store to be informed by its location. “Every neighborhood is different in New York,” she said, describing her stores in SoHo and the Meatpacking District. “Here, it’s like cities within cities.”

A DJ turned tracks as waiters circulated glasses of punch: a scarlet, fruit-laden concoction that looked and tasted like the summer that just ended. Everyone, it seemed, felt a shared thrill and nervousness over the start of Fashion Week. Menswear designer Timo Weiland listed a dizzying number of parties in the upcoming days. “I need to rest up!”

Across the street the Met Breuer, the hulking gray structure that dominates the block, served as an exceptional stage for an intimate supper. The satellite of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, dedicated to contemporary work, seemed to match the brand’s adventurous spirit.

In the museum’s courtyard, installed vegetation clung to the ceiling and climbed up the concrete, transforming the brutalist space (named for famed Hungarian architect Marcel Breuer) into a temporary Eden. Much to the relief of the diners, the forecasted rain never fell, and a cool, clear night prevailed. Countless candles bathed the garden in a warm, watery light. Delicate bouquets, sparse with a fresh-picked naturalism, adorned the elegant table, set to dazzling effect with napkins dyed Zimmermann hues.

Throughout the night, Katie Holmes, browned from a summer spent abroad, toted a professional camera and photographed her fellow guests. “It gives me something to do that isn’t just pose for pictures,” Holmes laughed. Across from the actress sat Nicky Hilton Rothschild, whose platinum hair, leopard dress, and gold jewelry competed for attention.

Tapping her glass with a knife, Nicky Zimmermann rose. “I love New York,” the cofounder gushed. “The way it makes you feel, the energy!” Her words articulated the feelings of many in attendance. On the eve of Fashion Week, excitement perfumed the air.