Vanessa Noel’s
dinner for Mayor Eric Adams was an intimate
party at her East 64th Street townhouse. Among the first to
arrive were the Mayor’s youngest brother, Bernard
Adams, and his vivacious wife, Sharon.
Cocktails were served in her new speakeasy and podcast bar
located at the rear of her eponymous shoe boutique. Then
fifteen friends moved upstairs to the second floor, in the
foyer of Vanessa's residence, where rare objects from The
Noel Shoe Museum collection were displayed between two
tables set with purple cloths, purple orchids in sterling
mint julep cups, large silver candelabras and tiny votives.
On display were Greta Garbo’s slippers,
Turkish wood and mother of pearl bathing platforms, Sioux
beaded leggings and moccasins (c. 1890), Chinese lotus
shoes, Arlene Dahl's mary-janes, gold
Versace sneakers donated by Danny Wegman,
and a pair of the Mayor’s own dress shoes.
With Carolina Herrera on his
left and the hostess on his right, his Honor dined on fresh
white asparagus topped with apple blossoms and baby
microgreens. Then Noel’s signature dish, a rustic capellini
with caviar (the plant-loving Mayor accepted seconds).
Dessert was vegan chocolate cake baked by Blaine
Caravaggio.
Among the guests, Noel Shoe Museum board
members Prince
Dimitri of Yugoslavia and Mike
Dean plus Steven Lari, Anne Cutbill Lenane,
Jonathan Marder, Chantalle Meyers, Phillip Reecer, Gabrielle
Rolon, Zachery Story, and Ted
Taylor.
The Noel Shoe Museum celebrates the
creativity and imagination of footwear throughout history,
showcasing superb collaborations in fashion, art, and the
culture of footwear with an emphasis on design, designers,
and the manufacturing of footwear. While seeking a permanent
home for its collection, the Museum presents exhibitions and
events including a series this coming summer in Nantucket.
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