A technicolored Pride Prom at the Parrish Art Museum hosted by fashion brand Alice + Olivia got a good omen when a real-life rainbow appeared in the sky, weirdly, at the exact same moment bubbly actress Drew Barrymore showed up.
“It’s a rainbow for the Pride, for the nature, for the all of it!” the talk show host shouted while dancing and looking into the sky with the brand’s designer Stacey Bendet.
Cuba Gooding Jr. — attending with girlfriend Claudine De Niro — was also spotted busting a move, while guests like “Glee” star Lea Michele, Huma Abedin, art world heirs Vito Schnabel and Stella Schnabel and TV personality Eboni K. Williams mingled amongst rainbow-hued installations with royal thrones, inflatable yellow rubber duckies, pink flamingos and bright orange teddy bears.
Guests at the Water Mill bash could also enjoy makeup from Stila, Casamigos Jell-o shots, rides from Volkswagen in their new electric cars, robes with custom embroidered initials, flower corsages doled out by drag queen Missleidy the Plant Lady, bowls of candy, and a vogueing performance by two dancers busting a move to Madonna’s famed anthem.
Bendet told Page Six: “It’s been such a challenging year on so many levels, I wanted to do something uplifting and fun.”
“I think everyone is so excited to be out and get dressed up,” she added. “I sometimes think there’s a little anxiety in that … I haven’t been at an event in a while. It’s reemergence anxiety. You’re all of a sudden back out and not viewing things on a phone, you’re in person and there is an awkwardness to that and a little bit of anxiety. But I think overall, women are just so excited to feel feminine again and be dressed up again and be social again.”
While the pandemic was tough on the fashion businesses, Bendet is happy to see women flock back to stores, and is optimistic about the year ahead.
“I think it’s a real exciting moment,” she said. “People had a year of realizing what socialization is and how fun it is to go to a restaurant, a party, out with friends. You have this pent-up demand for weddings and events. You’re going to see women dressing up a tremendous amount. I think fashion will be fun and exciting and colorful and wild.”
The event benefitted the Ali Forney Center, which helps LGBTQ youth.