London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

New York’s Social Set Could Be Spotted at the New York Botanical Garden’s Spring Gala

New York’s Social Set Could Be Spotted at the New York Botanical Garden’s Spring Gala

The black-tie evening celebrated the garden’s latest show, "Kusama: Cosmic Nature."

Last April when The New York Botanical Garden opened its long-awaited exhibition Kusama: Cosmic Nature, locals flocked. Yes, to see the art (“I invite you to explore the endlessly expanding ode to the beauty of love that is my art,” Yayoi Kusama said of the show) and take in the springtime blooms, but also because the sprawling open-air gardens in the Bronx offered culture-hungry New Yorkers something to do at a time when the options were scant. And two months later, last Thursday night, the NYBG hosted its Spring Gala, giving the social circuit a much-needed event for which to get gussied up in black-tie, just like the good old days.

First, the likes of new-mom Karlie Kloss, Alek Wek, and Jodie Turner-Smith turned up a Champagne cocktail hour hosted by Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. The pre-party feted Kusama’s recent bespeckled collaboration with the storied Champagne-makers: a La Grande Dame 2012 vintage, redesigned with the Japanese artist’s signature spots. And there was plenty of the bubbly on hand to help partygoers toast the partnership.

Afterward, guests strolled around the gardens as the sun set; the temperatures were cool and it wouldn’t be inaccurate to say the rain put a slight damper on the fun. Those guests who arrived before the rain were able to get a close-up of the octopus-like pumpkin (a Kusama signature) whose tentacles wiggle just outside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. And inside the gleaming greenhouse were more of Kusama’s smiley, spotted works.

Charing the event were Georgina Bloomberg, Kate Davis, Gillian Hearst, Sharon Jacob, Holly Lowen, Ashley McDermott, Janet Montag, Deborah Royce, and Lili Buffett. The latter dazzled in an off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera mini that she had been saving for a post-pandemic outing. Also present were Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Brooke Shields, Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier, and Ezra J. William, who wore a gossamer tulle jacket by Prabal Gurung (also present) made especially for the occasion. Other attending designers included Laura Kim, Fernando Garcia, Batsheva (striking in neon sleeves), Aurora James, and Cynthia Rowley, who had her lovely daughter Kit Keenan in tow. “I feel like a princess,” she said of her look of the night: a Cinderella blue puff-sleeve dress by her mother and diamonds borrowed for the night from De Beers Jewellers, who helped put on the glamorous night.

“This event was in the planning for two years, yes even pre-pandemic,” said Barclay Collins II, Chairman of the Board of The New York Botanical Garden, to guests seated at a tented dinner splashed with Kusama-esque yellows. “Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to raise your glass to The New York Botanical Garden, to our Spring Gala, to the Kusama show, to Veuve Clicquot, and to all of you for your generosity and your spirit.”

Following what was certainly not the first Champagne toast of the night, many made their way to the dance floor, which lit with polka dots, but of course. The night raised $1.3 million to support The New York Botanical Garden and its education and outreach programs.



Karlie Kloss



Sophie Elgort



Alek Wek



Lili Buffett, Gillian Hearst, Amory McAndrew



Cynthia Rowley, Madeline Weeks



Ezra J. William, Tina Leung, Di Mondo, Laura Kim



Fe Fendi



Hannah Burch



Olivia Palermo



Georgina Bloomberg, Nicky Hilton



Kit Keenan, Lilah Ramzi, Cynthia Rowley, Pieper James



Nacho Figueras, Brooke Shields, Delfina Blaquier



May Kwok

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×