From left: Michelle Harper, Liz Peek, Yaz Hernandez, Ji Eun Wax, Susan Posen, and Valerie Steele, with guest.

The Museum at FIT’s Couture Council never seems to sit still. After a busy summer of parties, luncheons and successful exhibitions, the organization hosted its Fall Fashion Cocktail at The SoHo Grand Hotel’s Club Room on November 17.

The event served as a welcome to the Couture Council’s new members, as well as numerous industry professionals and longtime fashion patrons. A familiar committee of patricians—Michelle Harper (board member), Yaz Hernandez (president of the board), Liz Peek (chairman of the board), and Dr. Valerie Steele (director of The Museum at FIT)—hosted the affair… And with no real agenda—except kissing cheeks and sipping finely crafted French 75s in the Hemmingway-styled Club Room—chicsters mingled and caught up. Cajoled into the early evening consumption were Fabiola Arias, designer Carlos Campos, Susan Posen, Victor de Souza, Peter Davis, Bibhu Mohapatra, Ike Ude, publicist Jonathan Marder (who orchestrated the buzz), Tia Walker, and Michele Gerber Klein, among others.

Chiu-Ti Jansen and Victor de Souza; Ike Ude and Daniella Ohad Smith; and Yaz Hernandez and Jean Shafiroff

The intimate diversion was the perfect social warm-up, before attendees dashed off to the next Thursday engagement (the vast majority of which were uptown)…

Valerie Steele and Michelle Harper

The Couture Council is a membership group devoted to supporting programming and exhibitions at The Museum at FIT, New York’s preeminent fashion museum. The society’s yearly elite events and benefits include: behind-the-scenes tours of the museum’s collection and exhibitions, opening receptions and luncheons, plus visits to the ateliers of fashion designers in New York. Presently, The Museum at FIT is showing an extensive installation of 100 garments and accessories from the personal collection of the divinely stylish Daphne Guinness, on view through January 7, 2012.

Menswear designer Carlos Campos, Peter Davis, and Ronaldo Santana attend the Fall Cocktail.

The Great Designers: Part One is the first of two upcoming exhibitions that will highlight masterpieces from the museum’s permanent collection. On view from November 29 through May 8, 2012, the expo will feature over 50 garments and accessories by designers such as Azzedine Alaïa, “Coco” Chanel, Christian Dior, and Miuccia Prada. A forthcoming tome penned, “The Great Designers: Fashion’s Hall of Fame from A to Z,” will be published by Taschen in spring 2012.

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