On the Upper West Side, A Celebration of Craft from One Of and Khaore
Patricia Voto’s label One Of has an Old World elegance to it—with its impeccably tailored outerwear, duchess capes, and floral taffeta skirts—so it made sense that it would celebrate the launch of its collaboration of bijoux-like bags with Khaore in the not-quite-yet-open restaurant Clara, located in the New York Historical Society. Guests were even treated to a tour of the museum’s collection of Tiffany lamps, to continue the vibe and honor the restaurant’s namesake, longtime Tiffany employee, and designer of many lighting fixtures, Clara Driscoll.
You could hear the rustle of printed taffeta as the guests moved through the exhibition in the historical society, admiring Driscoll’s intricate work and learning about the women who made Tiffany lamps in the early 20th century. “The ethos of the restaurant, and the museum's incredible collection of Tiffany Lamps, aligned to make this moment even more remarkable,” Voto says. “Our uptown studio boasts a Tiffany Lamp of its own, reinforcing that every facet of this collaboration was meant to be.” Then it was down to the restaurant on the first floor to fête the bags.
The bags in question—available on November 1—were made from One Of’s deadstock fabrics, like all the label’s clothes, and were designed by Voto and Khaore’s Wei Hung Chen. The two designers met online, and bonded over their mutual appreciation for craftsmanship; Khaore’s bags are made by artisans in India and Taiwan, while One Of is entirely made in New York City. Their collaboration, the Mini Pillow bag, resembles a small pouf, covered in beads and embellishment, maybe something you’d find in Daisy Buchanan’s wardrobe. To continue the theme, Voto’s team made small rectangular pillows embroidered with each guest’s name, in lieu of place cards. “We really wanted to create an intimate event that could showcase the work of a small, women-led group of artisans in my home country of Taiwan on such incredible fabrics in a venue known for championing women in crafts like the New York History Society,” Chen says.
Guests, including actor Sarita Choudhury, author Suleika Jaouad, and stylist Caitlin Burke, sat down to a meal from chef Diego Moya for a dinner of carrots glazed chili crisp and cilantro, figs in a salsa verde with whipped fromage blanc, and duck breast glazed in maple and miso. Dessert was an homage to Taiwan: rice custard with passionfruit. It was all very elegant, very comfortable: from the sumptuous desserts to the bags to the pillowy decor.
Kelsey Cherry1/8Patricia Voto and Wei Hung Chen
Kelsey Cherry2/8Sarita Choudhury, Caitlin Burke, Jalil Johnson
Kelsey Cherry3/8Sophia Li, Patricia Voto, Anny Choi, and Kate Easton
Kelsey Cherry4/8Alexis Badiyi and Lauren Servideo
Kelsey Cherry5/8Erin Allweiss and Suleika Jaouad
