If, Cheshire Cat–like, you had materialized in the Drawing Room at the Pratt House on East 68th Street last night, you might have thought you’d arrived in Candy Land. But a Candy Land populated by Jerry Seinfeld, Liv Tyler, Alec Baldwin, and Patti Smith. Mirrored banquet tables stood tall with glass jars of gumballs, foil-wrapped treats and Whirly Pops, and a chocolate fondue fountain lolled next to a plate of skewered marshmallows. But the reason for the party was spelled out clearly in pastel pink and purple M&M’s: Stella.
Hostess Stella McCartney introduced 22 looks from her pre-fall 2014 collection to a crowd that included Graydon Carter, Hamish Bowles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Smith (who sat in a throne-like chair upstairs in a dim-wood paneled library, greeting her guests), Blythe Danner, the Seinfelds, and McCartney’s BFF, Liv Tyler. Models, dressed in graphic coats, houndstooth-printed dresses, and chic pantsuits, flowed throughout the two floors, chatting with each other and posing for pictures. Upstairs, a few tipsy models played bumper cars in child-size Mini Coopers, accelerating and uncontrollably wheeling around a few startled partygoers.
But in addition to the clothes, the cakes were the center of attention — all ten of them. Lisa Rochelle of Sweet Grace Cake Designs decorated fondant-covered slabs to replicate several Stella McCartney bags, including favorite styles such as the Falabella, the Beckett, and the Cavendish. “We decided that if we had a bag that was iconic enough to be recognized in a cake, we’d arrived,” McCartney said. Susan Sarandon wondered if the flowers were also edible (they were not).
McCartney added plenty of personal touches, telling WWD that much of the collection was inspired by her sister Heather’s punk phase. A Taschen book of photographs taken by McCartney’s late mother, Linda, sat on a table, and, on the cover, Sir Paul peeked out from behind the collar of a red velvet coat. Upstairs, a drum set brought to mind the one Ringo Starr played when the Beatles debuted on American television 50 years ago. Click through our slideshow to see highlights from the night.