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Stacey Bendet at Alice + Olivia Madison Avenue DANIEL PAIK New York City is alive in the fall, and it isn’t just the colorful leaves in Central Park. The city is ablaze with fashion events and stylish soirees that bring the best in New York fashion, event photography and usually, for a good cause. Here is a brief roundup of the fashion-related events Every fashion girl’s favorite brand alice + Olivia re-opened their Madison Avenue flagship store on October 8, in the heart of the Upper East Side’s prime shopping district (it first opened in 2011 but closed for 6 months to renovate). The vintage shop-esque aesthetic of the store, which brings together a friendly closet vibe, brings back the discovery of finding fashion items that are meant for you (rather than the boring, stale white box approach). Expect jewel-box changing rooms, artisan furnishings and a red mosaic façade. All this and more were the creative vision of founder and CEO Stacey Bendet with the retail artistry of Jess and Jonathan Nahon of Sugarhouse Design + Architecture. Some of the guests included the brand’s longtime fans (and friends), Nicky Hilton, Jenny Mollen, Isabella Briggs, and more. The design of the new flagship is what Bendet wanted to bring “a surrealist fantasy” to life that is trademark of the playful brand, as she has planted one of a kind vintage finds throughout the store. Check it out at 755 Madison Avenue. NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 8: Atmosphere at Museum of Arts and Design Celebrates Douriean Fletcher at Museum of Arts and Design on October 8, 2025 in New York. (Photo by Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) Patrick McMullan vua Getty Images The Museum of Arts and Design recently opened a solo exhibition of jewelry designer Douriean Fletcher, called "Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture" which runs through next May. The exhibition features 75 pieces from the artist's collection and details her journey and how African jewelry design inspired the work she did for Marvel Studios' Black Panther films. Several pieces incorporate gemstones, brass, gold and more, which are worth delving into on any given afternoon. NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 20: Barbara Tober and Jackie Weld Drake attend Casita Maria 2025 Fiesta! Gala at The Plaza Hotel on October 20, 2025 in New York. (Photo by Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Among the notable galas this fall, Casita Maria is a youth arts, culture and education organization in the Hunts Point meets Longwood section of the South Bronx. It was first established in East Harlem in 1934 by Claire and Elizabeth Sullivan and Sister Mary Imelda, who saw Spanish-speaking people from Puerto Rico in need of essential services. The gala is chaired by Jacqueline Weld Drake and Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, and this year, honored philanthropist Kamie Lightburn and health visionary Tina Vidal-Duart. Barbara Tober received the special Jacqueline Weld Drake Living Legend Award for service to the community. Lanvin hosted an in-store celebration with their artistic director Peter Copping host a cocktail for the French Heritage Society’s upcoming New York Gala, Art Deco Ball. The cocktail, held at the Lanvin store on Madison Avenue on October 16. Lanvin donated 10% of the evening’s sales to benefit the FHS mission. The event had remarks given by FHS Executive Director Jennifer Herlein and Gerrit Ruetzel, President and General Manager of Lanvin US. The FHS gala kicks off November 12. 92NY Center for Culture & Arts presents The John Waters Screenplays: A Reading and Conversation with The New Yorker’s Michael Schulman, 92NY Kaufmann Concert Hall, New York, October 21, 2025. Photograph © Beowulf Sheehan Beowulf Sheehan Onstage, acclaimed writer and director John Waters hosted a talk at the 92Y called The John Waters Screenplays: A Reading and Conversation with The New Yorker’s Michael Schulman on October 21. He spoke about his star-studded career, his indie films that got him started and what it was like being a teenager in Baltimore in the 1960s. Waters, who wore Comme des Garçons, also spoke about his latest books, all of which are the reissue of six of Waters’ early screenplays; Multiple Maniacs, Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Desperate Living, Flamingos Forever, and Hairspray. Fans stuck around after the talk to get signed copies of their books and meet the writer. Dolce Vita team Photo Paola Boyance. Brand dinners are what New York City is all about. Women’s shoe brand Dolce Vita hosted a dinner at the Pierre Augustine Rose Gallery, which sells stunning Instagram-worthy furniture. The dinner was hosted by Nicole Reisman, Dolce Vita’s Director of Influencer Marketing & Events, and offered a behind-the-scenes look at the brand’s story through the lens of fashion, culture, and community. The brand’s core pillars of sustainability, inclusivity, and female empowerment bring both flat and heeled shoes to live. The dinner was curated by Chichi Eats, designs of Omer Gilony, and the gallery. Dolce Vita celebrates 25 years soon, so this dinner is a reminder of what the brand has accomplished and a nod to what’s to come. NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 22: Robert Wiener, Dr. Samuel Waxman, Jean Shafiroff and Dr. Jeffrey Settleman attend Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation 28th Annual Collaborating for a Cure Fundraiser at Apella on October 22, 2025 in New York. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) Patrick McMullan via Getty Images The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation hosted the 28th annual Collaborating for a Cure Fundraiser on October 22 at Apella. All funds raised were matched dollar-for-dollar by the partnership with The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, doubling the amount that will support novel research grants. The event celebrates almost 50 years of funding groundbreaking cancer research foundation. It also marks a new milestone for the Foundation, the official launch of the Samuel Waxman Institute for Aging & Cancer. The event honored Jean Shafiroff, Philanthropist, author and TV personality as Philanthropist of the Year, Robert Wiener, Chairman Emeritus of Maxx Properties, as Philanthropist of the Year, and Dr. Jeffrey Settleman, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Oncology Research and Development at Pfizer, with the Breakthrough Science Award. Marc Bouwer, Leesa Rowland, Pedro Oberto at Leesa and Larry's Masquerade Ball Midnight at the Met Madeleine Thomas/BFA.com Actor and vegan activist Leesa Rowland hosted her annual Halloween party alongside fashion designer Marc Bouwer, who created Leesa’s striking look for the evening (Leesa was dressed as “fire” and Marc was dressed as “ice”). The event featured culinary creations and cocktails from the Revel Rouge team. Leesa she has been active with the national non-profit organization Last Chance for Animals since 1989 and is the president of the New York non-profit group Animal Ashram, which she founded in 2013. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
