Chanel's Wonderland

(NEW YORK) Friday night in the Bronx may have dipped into chillier than comfortable temperatures, but what better environment for the tenth annual Winter Wonderland Ball, sponsored by Chanel Fine Jewelry and held at the New York Botanical Garden? (Surprise! It's in the Bronx.) The event coaxed hundreds of chicettes out to mingle in shiny jewels, nibble on Harvest Salads and discuss the recession in a neighborhood hitherto unexplored.

Inside the greenhouse where hors d'oeuvres were served, miniature holiday trains wound their way through tropical flora and mock-ups of New York buildings made entirely of plant parts. Nobody noticed; how could you blame them, though with so many shiny things to catch one's eye? Though the hour-long trek to the Bronx may have deterred some (Blake Lively, unfortunately, was a no-show), Nina Garcia arrived in an eggplant-colored vintage Chanel gown ("I don't know what year, ask some of the Chanel people here!" she said) and was worried about the economic downturn's effect on the sparklers. "I'm worried for up-and-coming designers," she said, "we might lose a lot of jewels." Garcia was instituting a new era of personal financial austerity. "I still took a car up here," she confessed, "but I split it with Alex [Kramer] and Christian [Leone]." Though the location may have been no-man's land for some attendees, Leone is no stranger to the Bronx. "I go to the Bronx twice a year," he said. "In June, for the Rose Ball--the older Botanical Garden Ball--and the Winter Wonderland Ball."

Byrdie Bell looked straight out of Studio 54--in a good way!--in a sparkling Chanel jumpsuit. Her choice of attire was wise: as the greenhouse grew more crowded, trains were trampled. Only Times institution Bill Cunningham was fleet enough of foot to avoid stepping on them, despite his advanced age. Gillian Miniter saw no need to borrow a Chanel gown like the rest of the flock, thanks to her stunning limited-edition Carolina Herrera frock that was made exclusively for the store on Madison Avenue.

One social who doesn't mind the downturn was Margherita Missoni. Though she sported Missoni, she allowed that the shoulder ruffles were a (very) oblique reference to the brand of the hour. "It's Missoni going Chanel!" she said. She's living in Rome these days, in the très chic Trastevere neighborhood. "Look, I'm a country girl at heart. I always knew New York was a big bubble," she said, before being interrupted by a woman later revealed as the PR director for Marchesa. "Margherita! Georgina tells me she loves you very much!" she raved.

Cristina and Christopher Cuomo mingled inside the dinner tent. Though, like Andrew, Christopher confessed to preferring an earlier bedtime, Cristina was thrilled to be out and about. "I feel like Cinderella," she said. "Chanel showed up with my beautiful jewels and my beautiful dress. My shoes are my own and my underwear are my own." Cuomo later gossiped to The Daily that as the night wore on (and, perhaps, more champers was imbibed), the elaborate train set was destroyed. But not to worry: Christopher Cuomo and event planner Bronson Van Wyck stayed to repair the damage.
JOSHUA DAVID STEIN