Phillip Lim Hosted a Rollicking Lunar New Year’s Dinner with a Chic Set of Friends

“It is the year of the Tiger—and the Tiger is symbolic of change. Not just normal change, but real change. To continue our journey in bravery and courage. To impact each other, to look after each other, to embrace each other, and to help each other,” Phillip Lim said during a toast at his Lunar New Year’s Dinner held at Genesis House. The fashion designer, it seemed, had already taken his words to heart—the evening benefited Feed Forward and Heart of Dinner, two nonprofits that support food-insecure New Yorkers. But as the room raised their glasses and shouted out some cheers, it did feel like everyone, after two long pandemic years, was excited about the Tiger’s message to move forward.

To be fair, the energy was already high. After a cocktail hour, guests were ushered into an impressive room consisting of one long table, bathed in a white light as well as red and gold accents. (In Lim’s Chinese heritage, red is a culturally important color that symbolizes prosperity and happiness.) Chopsticks rested on tiger miniatures, whereas every place setting featured a lucky red envelope emblazoned with the cheeky message “Hope You Get Rich.” (Inside? Five dollars.) Then, traditional lion dancers joyfully stormed into the room, twirling about the room to a drumbeat and even playfully sticking their puppet’s faces into guests’ selfies. By the time the five-course meal by the Michelin-starred, Seoul-based restaurant Onijium (which recently opened a new location inside the Genesis’s Meatpacking District, multipurpose space) was served, a good time was impossible not to be had.

Guests, including Prabal Gurung and Oscar de la Renta creative director Laura Kim, dined on everything from chamchi muchim (big eye tuna seasoned with fish roe) and seolyamyeokjeok (wagyu sirloin with carrots, sunchokes, and chestnuts.) Also in attendance? Artist Sho Shibuya—who, a few months earlier, delighted the art and fashion scene with a series of sunrise paintings for Saint Laurent—as well as creative director of Tiffany & Co. Ruba Abu-Nimah.

At the end of the night, there was also a tasting of Hennessy Paradis. The cognac brand, alongside French porcelain house Bernardaud, crafted a limited-edition decanter designed by Shanghai-based artist Zhang Enli in the abstract shape of a tiger. A chic cheers, indeed.