Stella McCartney’s 2015 Pre-Fall Cocktail Party

On a sleepy stretch of Carnegie Hill, that rarefied area of upper Fifth Avenue that’s home to doyennes of society and masters of the universe, Stella McCartney opted for a quiet setting for her pre-fall presentation and cocktail party.

Or so it seemed. Upon entry, guests were greeted by the Yale Alley Cats serenading the fashion flock up the very grand stairs of the James Burden mansion. Dressed in white tie, the Alley Cats were a necessary escape from the chilly winter temps as were the coups of champagne on silver trays being offered up by a staff pulled straight out of Downton Abbey.

But once guests, including Kristen Stewart dressed fittingly in a tailored pantsuit with an equally styled cropped do Chloë Sevigny, and Tali Lennox, ascended the spiral staircase under a painted dome that wouldn’t look out of place in Florence, the real party started.

A neon sign spelling out “Stella” and an oversize ice sculpture of a panther sat alongside interactive activities, including a mini golf course and Ping-Pong table, all meant to entertain guests. As the models swayed to Jazz Age music with a modern twist, McCartney’s friends Gucci Westman, Leandra Medine, and artists Rachel Feinstein, Miranda July, and Taryn Simon took turns trying the festive activities, which recalled the Old World splendor of a bygone era, mimicking McCartney’s designs which married timeless concepts with modern materials and silhouettes.