Nestled inside The Secret Garden, a flower-covered oasis tucked away in the Dowling’s dining room of the Carlyle Hotel, Raven Smith was all smiles as close friends came out to celebrate his second book project: Raven Smith’s Men, a part-memoir-part-treatise of modern masculinity and the men from throughout his life.
The author, meme master, cultural critic, and Vogue columnist held court Wednesday night in a bespoke Darlington set from stylist and designer Michael Darlington as he greeted guests with martinis and Champagne. He flew in across the pond from his home base of London to host the US launch party for the book, out July 18.
“Masculinity is always said to be in crisis,” Smith told Vogue as his guests started trickling in. “There’s never a time where people aren’t talking about the patriarchy and men in general. It felt exciting for me to look at my understanding of masculinity as an outsider and insider. Being a gay man means I too police my own sense of my masculinity but I’m also attracted to masculinity in other men that’s different from my own.”
Coincidentally, Smith had another reason to celebrate as earlier that day, his first cover story for British Vogue broke, the magazine’s August issue featuring TV presenter Maya Jama. “No, that wasn’t planned!” he quipped of the timing.
Once guests were seated, surrounded by the lush greenery and pink roses from floral designer Winston Flowers, they enjoyed a three-course meal from “Raven Smith’s Men(u)” including jumbo shrimp cocktails, poached salmon, and the Dowling’s signature fruit cocktail flambé.
Among those who came out were designer Emily Adams Bode, chefs Andy Baraghani and Laila Gohar, stylist Ian Bradley, new-gen art critic Jerry Gogosian, podcaster Chris Black, journalists Sam Hine and Billie JD Porter, and Vogue.com editor Chioma Nnadi. All of them took home a signed copy of the book, with Gohar’s copy peeking out from her Prada Cleo purse.
“I know sometimes dinners can feel like a who’s who, but everyone here is a genuine friend,” Smith said. “And the Rosewood, god, I can’t even believe I managed to wrangle this one but for some reason, whatever happens to me, I land on my feet.”
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