LIGHTING Up WALL STREET

It wouldn’t be the holiday season without The Daily Front Row’s annual festive bash. This year, we joined forces with The Wall Street Hotel for a soirée to remember, with guests raising a glass (read: an espresso martini) to the scene-stealing “Makarian-tini” festive tree designed by Alexandra O’Neill of Markarian.

The cocktail party took place at the luxury downtown hotel on Wall Street at its Lounge on Pearl. Guests arrived to the ambient sounds of a live keyboard and acoustic upright bass duo playing Christmas music as they headed to the bar for Absolut and Kahlua espresso martinis.

The focal point of the evening was, of course, the 14-foot tree that celebrity favorite designer O’Neill had decked out in martini glasses, shooting stars, caviar, olives, champagne, and oyster shell ornaments in pearlescent hues. The tree also incorporated elements of pearls, in a nod to the hotel’s owners, the Paspaley family, and their background in pearling.

Among those in attendance were Brooks Nader, Keke Lindgard, Mariah Strongin, Alina Baikova, Melissa and Luke DiTella, Igee Okafor, Fern Mallis, Keytt and Alex Lundqvist, Daphne Oz, Elizabeth Kurpis, Gigi Burris, Luiz Mattos, Lisa Benson, Paul Margolin, Marc Bouwer, Zach Weiss, Sam Vartholomeos, Sophie Sumner, Olivia Caputo, Irina Kro, Max Eicke, Katya Tolstova, Karina Bik, Serena Goh, Sarah Nader, Michelle Madonna, Tucker Des Lauriers, Dusty Lachowicz, Matthew John Sinnaeve, and many more.

Attendees also discovered new seasonal offerings from Talbots, with each guest receiving a cashmere scarf as a keepsake from the evening.

Guests also sipped on Wölffer’s Summer in a Bottle wines while enjoying passed appetizers, such as Black River caviar blinis, steamed pork belly buns, mushroom arancini, beef sliders, shiitake-tofu summer rolls with black truffle mayo, and smashed avocado tostadas.

Special thanks to… The Wall Street Hotel, Savannah Engel Public Relations, and the team at Markarian