The chatter in certain New York society circles these days isn’t so much about who’s been invited, as who’s been indicted.
Last Friday, just after Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s prison-bound former lawyer, testified before Congress, several dozen socialites gathered at the United Nations for an awards luncheon celebrating the UN Women for Peace Association.
It was hard to miss Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, an association board member, whose 6-foot-1-inch frame was boosted by two-inch Manolo Blahnik heels. A close associate of Mr. Cohen, she had organized the president’s $107 million inauguration, the financing of which is now being investigated by federal prosecutors.
“Alexander McQueen, head to toe,” Ms. Winston Wolkoff said of her black suit with red accents.
Very chic. Also, have you been subpoenaed by the feds?
“I am not going to comment whether I am part of the investigation or not,” she said, without missing a beat.
The luncheon — which was chaired by Raymond W. Kelly, the former New York City police commissioner; and Alice Tisch, the philanthropist — honored Leslee Udwin, the filmmaker; Ben Stiller, the actor; Naeem Khan, the fashion designer; Marc Brackett and Robin Stern, who are Yale educators; and Albert Pujols, a baseball player, and his wife, Deidre.
Guests included Karolina Kurkova, the fashion model; Geoffrey Bradfield, the uptown decorator; Rima Al-Sabah, the wife of the Kuwaiti ambassador; Susan Gutfreund, the society hostess; and several television actresses including Mozhan Marnò, AnnaLynne McCord, Kat Graham and Michelle Hurd.
The luncheon was pegged to International Women’s Day on March 8 and raised around $500,000 for United Nations programs benefiting at-risk women. But the politesse of the occasion was lost on one man, who bowled over to discuss Ms. Hurd’s role as a villain on “Blindspot.”
“I love your work,” he said, clasping her with both his hands. “You’re the ultimate bitch.”
Julianne Moore Hates Mother’s Day
Perhaps more on-message for International Women’s Day is “Gloria Bell,” a film about a woman dealing with the travails of midlife, starring Julianne Moore and John Turturro.
Nonetheless, Ms. Moore made it clear that she doesn’t have room in her calendar for all those extra commemorative holidays.
“I hate those kinds of celebratory days,” she said at a screening of the film on Monday night at the Museum of Modern Art. “Like, I hate Mother’s Day. I just hate it. It’s a manufactured holiday. I’m always, like, ‘I don’t want to have brunch. I just want to spend time with my family.’”
Her remarks were interrupted by several cast members of the “The Real Housewives of New York,” who arrived screeching like a flock of parrots.
Luann de Lesseps walked the short red carpet, then circled back and walked it again. Her co-star Sonja Morgan shrieked with delight at the mad serendipity of seeing Ms. de Lesseps, then somehow managed to knock over the step-and-repeat backdrop.
They were given a wide berth from the other guests, including Sebastián Lelio, the film’s writer and director; Julian Schnabel, the artist, in paint-splattered boots; Renée Fleming, the celebrated soprano; and Nicole Miller and Cynthia Rowley, the fashion designers. Numerous actors were also the in the audience, including Barbara Sukowa, Gretchen Mol, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Bob Balaban and Celia Weston.
Ms. Moore, who wore a sleeveless Givenchy dress made of ostrich feathers, returned to the topic at hand.
“I hope you feel inspired to live when you watch this movie,” she said, smiling warmly as staff members worked to right the signage on the red carpet.
