There are some nights that simply call for a beautiful dress and a dinner party. That was Wednesday night, as New Yorker’s for Children celebrated their sixth-annual event, A Fool’s Fete, drawing in fashion insiders, a few of the Hollywood crowd, and many models. Hilary Rhoda (in Rachel Roy) and Hana Soukupova were brilliant in bright yellow, while Arlenis Sosa, Maggie Rizer (in Emanuel Ungaro), and Selita Ebanks (in Balenciaga) went for pink hues. Eugenia Silva was sparkly in Armani, Poppy Delevigne looked like a flapper from the ’20s in Alberta Ferretti, and Coco Rocha was twinsies with Zac Posen. The evening started out with dinner at the Mandarin Oriental where the tables were decorated with daffodils, but it quickly turned to dancing and celebration.
Event chair Joy Bryant has been beyond involved in the organization as she not only spoke at a panel, but also gave two girls the chance to follow their dream of acting by sending them to acting school for a summer. “They had an amazing time,” she said. “So we are hoping to do that every year, to give the kids a chance to experience it.”
Fellow model Hilary cochaired the event as well, and it’s the perfect fit as she used to take time out of her busy high school schedule to donate time to community service. “I did this thing called KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now), which is helping kids with autism exercise,” she said. “I just have a background with helping a lot of kids, and I love kids.” But she also had a bit of advice for those models without a cause yet: “I think it has to come from something that you love doing, otherwise you wouldn’t enjoy it. That’s what I’ve been trying to do is figure out what my niche is.”
And as a product of a foster home situation, Maggie couldn’t wait to spend her evening with the kids saying, “I’m going to give them the biggest hugs and kisses. This program and some of the other programs here in New York just helps children who are less fortunate realize that things are possible.”
