The Kering Foundation’s annual Caring for Women Dinner, a star-studded high-fashion extravaganza also known as the MET Gala for social causes, took place for the third time during New York Fashion Week. On Monday evening, the founders Salma Hayek Pinault and her husband, François-Henri Pinault, The chairman and CEO of Kering, the luxury fashion empire that includes Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen, joined forces with leaders from Hollywood, fashion, the arts, activism and philanthropy to address and ultimately end gender-based violence.
“I am really happy to be here tonight because this is something that is really important to me in terms of eradicating gender-based violence,” said Jessica Chastain, a first-time guest at the dinner, which was held at the pool in New York. “As I was getting ready for the red carpet, I thought about that and how blessed and lucky I felt to be a part of an event that will hopefully be a lot of fun, which I believe will be, but also lead to positive change in the world.”
Other guests present included Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Donatella Versace, Matthew McConaughey, Julianne Moore, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, And Jeff Bezos, They all helped raise funds for nonprofit organizations working to end violence and improve the lives of survivors. Viola Davis gave an emotional and inspiring nine-minute speech about the traumatic experiences she and her mother had: “At the age of 8, Davis was chased home from school every day by a group of boys who threw bricks at her and made racist remarks.”
“Little Viola, daughter of Mae Alice, “I was always running, even when I wasn’t moving my feet. Freedom for her meant she wanted to take that burden off her back. The burden of trauma of seeing my mother constantly beaten, seeing her catapulted into poverty due to lack of education and domestic violence,” Davis told the audience. “Freedom for little Viola means protection from sexual predators who took advantage of the fact that this poor little dark-skinned, chocolate-brown girl was worthless.” The Oscar winner said that “active love” and “radical love” can break the cycle of abuse across generations. “We need it like water. The love that protects you, the love that makes you feel safe. That would be the most beautiful world.”
During dinner moderated by Gayle King, Kardashian made the rounds. Vanity Fair discovered it during a profound conversation with Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez. She met with Dakota Johnson for a chat, posed for photos and talked with Davis and her husband Julius Tennon. Nearby sat Naomi Watts, who will star with Kardashian in the upcoming legal drama Everything is fair on Hulu. The two haven’t rehearsed scenes or gone over lines together, but they have gotten to know each other. Watts says she really admires Kardashian’s strong work ethic.
“I love that she’s constantly trying new things and seems to be doing many or all of them very well,” Watts said. Vanity Fair during cocktail hour. “I’m impressed with her – incredibly impressed. Anyone who works hard deserves a lot of praise. She’s clearly a hard-working woman.”
Watts knows what hard work means. She is nominated for an Emmy for her role as Babe Paley in “The Last Man.” Feud: Capote vs. The Swans; her new film The friend with Bill Murray just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival; and she has written a book about menopause, entitled I dare say, will be published in January.
“It’s an exciting time. I feel blessed and lucky and at the same time I’ve worked really hard,” she said ^ “Vanity Fair – The Wonderful World of Vanity”. “So I’m not going to ignore that. It’s a lot of things that come together at once. It’s never one thing that changes everything.”
Near Watts’ table sat Ricky Martin, who attended the dinner with his girlfriend, a Spanish model and actress Esther Canadas. The Grammy-winning singer is concentrating on his acting career and is about to begin filming the second season of Palm Royale. He has already signed another project, which opens next summer. “It’s time to explore the acting era again. I started acting when I was 15 and then of course music had its appeal and I had to be seduced by the power of music, but acting has always been there for me,” Martin said. “My life has been about entertainment and telling stories with music or as an actor. But I think I’m a great storyteller, so let’s do it with acting.”
DiCaprio, casually dressed and wearing a baseball cap, attended the Caring for Women Dinner with his girlfriend for the second time Aviv-Nevo, a venture capitalist. The Oscar winner spent the first half of the dinner in a long, animated conversation with Lenny Kravitz. Later he spoke with Johnson and then with Hayek Pinault.
Perry sat in a festive mood with her husband Bloom at a long table and Kerry Washington, Lindsay Lohan, And Linda Evangelista. Throughout the evening, she cheered loudly for the speakers and clinked glasses with her seatmates. Perry also brought some comedy during the live auction when she engaged in a bidding war with another guest for a one-of-a-kind Alexander McQueen clutch and fashion experience, but Perry lost to the guest, whose highest bid was $100,000.
A total of $3 million was raised. The proceeds will benefit three organizations: Girl Effect, It’s On Us and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
British singer-songwriter Raye closed the evening with a performance of “Fly Me to the Moon,” after which Perry and Bloom got up to record on their phones. “I loved your performance,” Johnson said to Raye as she left for the evening.
