NYLON Nights
Party Report Card: Alice + Olivia Rings In 20 Years With A Prom
The brand pulled out all the stops for its 20-year anniversary.
Welcome to NYLON’s Party Report Card, where we give you the Who, What, Where, Why, and When on this week’s hottest parties — plus all the gossip you missed. It’s the inside scoop you need to feel like you were on the invite list. Sorry in advance for the FOMO.
WHAT: Alice + Olivia’s Prom Party
WHEN: Thursday, June 16 from 7 PM to 10 PM
WHO: Alice + Olivia’s Stacey Bendet, Nicky Hilton, Lea Michele, Ariana Debose, Gracie Abrams, Ella Elmhoff, Keenan Thompson, Chanel Iman, AnnaLynne McCord, and a slew of influencers and models
WHERE: The Close East Lawn in New York
WHY: To celebrate the brand’s 20-year anniversary
THE VIBE: When we got the invite to Alice + Olivia’s 20th-anniversary celebration, we were expecting a tiny venue wedged in the middle of Chelsea, but nothing could’ve prepared us for the extravaganza we walked into on Wednesday night. The brand had secured a secluded backyard for the evening, along with the lawn entrance decked out with the event’s prom-themed flyer, balloons, and a nostalgic hand-painted sign. Incoming guests were greeted with a number of entertainment stations where you could get tattoos, a freshened-up hairdo, airbrushed hoodies, and, of course, tons of social media-friendly photo opps.
While we stood in line waiting for our airbrushed hoodies, others were being adorned with butterfly clips and eye crystals from the event’s beauty stations — a familiar flashback to an early-2000s mall scene. In the background, DJ Kiss was blaring hits, from Justin Timberlake’s “Summer Love” to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” as celebrities and influencers continued to stream in and the pulse of the party grew.
When we finally got to the front of the line for our Y2K fashion items, Gracie Abrams took the stage for a live performance. So we skipped over to see her, “Spicy Stace” margs in hand, as she began singing “21,” while designer and founder of Alice + Olivia, Stacey Bendet, was cheering Abrams on front and center.
Once Abrams’ performance came to a close, model and artist Ella Emhoff quickly greeted her off-stage and the black-and-white checkered dance floor erupted with singing and laughter while the throwback hits commenced. People began flocking to the tattoo station to choose from a flash selection of “xoxo,” lips, dancing figures, and more. Nicky Hilton came over to see what all the fuss was about, though she opted out of any new ink. After a few more nostalgic tunes, we went to pick up our new hoodies, freshly airbrushed with “Gemini” and “Slay The World” in giant pink and blue script.
To top the event off, Alice + Olivia received a Mayoral Proclamation by the city of New York in celebration of its 20th-anniversary milestone, marking June 15 as “Alice + Olivia Day.” Who would’ve thought prom would be so fun a second time around?
BEST DRESSED: Designer Stacey Bendet took the crown as prom queen, and other celeb outfits that caught our eye were Nicky Hilton’s shimmery blue gown, Ariana DeBose’s suited look, and Gracie Abrams’ golden ensemble
OVERHEARD: “Everyone, get on the dance floor! Y’all better be grinding by the end of the night.” — Colm Dillane, the designer behind KidSuper
