Vanessa Noel hosted a dinner for Mayor Eric Adams at her East 64th Street townhouse. The home supplied an elegant backdrop for the intimate gathering and was completed with cocktails in her new speakeasy and podcast bar. The evening ended with a move upstairs to view rare objects from The Noel Shoe Museum collection. Notable items such as Greta Garbo’s slippers and the Mayor’s own dress shoes added a unique touch to the ambiance by presenting between two tables set with purple cloths, decorated with Purple orchids in sterling mint julep cups, large silver candelabras and tiny votives. On display were Greta Garbo’s slippers, Turkish wood and mother of pearl bathing platforms, Sioux beaded leggings and moccasins (c. 1890), Chinese lotus shoes, Arlene Dahl’s mary-janes, gold Versace sneakers donated by Danny Wegman, and a pair of the Mayor’s own dress shoes.
With Carolina Herrera on his left and the hostess on his right, his Honor dined on fresh white asparagus topped with apple blossoms and baby microgreens. Then Noel’s signature dish, a rustic capellini with caviar (the plant-loving Mayor accepted seconds). Dessert was vegan chocolate cake baked by Blaine Caravaggio.
Among the guests, Noel Shoe Museum board members Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia and Mike Dean plus Steven Lari, Anne Cutbill Lenane, Jonathan Marder, Chantalle Meyers, Phillip Reecer, Gabrielle Rolon, Zachery Story, and Ted Taylor.
The Noel Shoe Museum honors the ingenuity and artistic flair of footwear across the ages, highlighting exceptional partnerships in fashion, art, and the footwear culture, with a focus on design, designers, and the shoe manufacturing process. As it continues its search for a permanent location, the museum offers exhibitions and events, including an upcoming summer series in Nantucket.
