NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

Gillian Hearst, NYC’s leading young philanthropist and most eligible woman, was among the chairs who helped revitalize The New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) annual Orchid Dinner at the Plaza Hotel. This has long been the prettiest gala of the spring, or any other season. Designers, including Rudy Saunders for Dorothy Draper, Joy Williams, Molly Ford, Susie Novak, Chris Goddard, David Netto, and thirty more, festooned their tables in stunning, oversized floral arrangements that were possibly visible from Mars. Indre Rockefeller, ballet dancers James Whiteside and Isabella Boylston, pianist Gina Alice, and artist Angelica Hicks danced to the beats of Timo Weiland, society’s favorite DJ. The fun night began with the sale of exceptional and rare orchids, something every flower lover should never miss. N’est-ce pas? The benefit served as a celebration of artist Lily Kwong’s outstanding exhibit, The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage, on view at the Botanical Garden in the Bronx through April 23rd. The chairs included Ravenel Curry, Jane Moss, Maureen and Richard Chilton, and Holly and Todd Lowen. Among the best-dressed junior chairs was Isabel Leeds, along with Sara Arno, Casey Kohlberg, Kevin Cornish, and Lizzie Asher. 1891, The NYBG is the most comprehensive botanical garden in the world, with over with 7.8 million plant and fungal specimens. Who else would tell you these things? The gala, which raised over $800k, was sponsored by Guerlain and Hearst. Nybg.org