Party Pics
Our intrepid society columnist reports from Boston’s swankiest affairs, including the Peabody Essex Museum’s annual gala and Comics Come Home.
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Cochairs Justin and Molly Cook and Kitty and Peter Creighton. / Photo by David Tucker
It’s a good sign when Boston’s swankiest socialites are willing to schlep up to Salem for a gala. It’s an even better sign when the gala is completely sold out a month in advance. Nearly 800 guests in black tie descended upon the Peabody Essex Museum for its annual shindig, which began with a cocktail reception and continued with a seated dinner prepared by chef Lydia Shire, followed by a live auction that was actually lively, and a paddle raise where everyone actually raised their paddle. (That explains why more than $1 million was raised.)
The evening’s focus was the museum’s current fashion exhibition, “Andrew Gn: Fashioning the World,” showing the Singapore-bred, Paris-based designer’s work and on view until April. (Run, don’t walk.) Before everyone retreated to the galleries for after-dinner drinks and dessert, there was a fantastic runway presentation by such local talents as Diana Jaye Coluntino of Just Add People and Candice Wu of bridal-gown fame.
Front and center were honorees Susan and Appy Chandler; cochairs Peter and Kitty Creighton and Molly and Justin Cook; jewelry designer Jade Gedeon; James Bond’s long-lost brother, Brian Kelly; filmmaker Nelse Clark; Marblehead party pair Allison and José Juves; the unfairly good-looking Chad Flahive and Patrick Weiss; concert pianist Cameron Stowe and interior design master Duncan Hughes; godfather of design Jay Calderin and his handsome other half, Rob Frye; and Dover lovebirds John and Sarah Ehlinger.
Some attendees opted to go upstairs to “ooh” and “ahh” over Gn’s designs, which have been worn by everyone from Princess Kate and Queen Rania of Jordan to Kris Jenner and Madonna.
Reading the exhibition’s title, one guest said sardonically, “Fashioning the World? I can’t even fashion myself.”
Rob Frye and Jay Calderin. / Photo by David Tucker
An aerial performer entertained guests. / Photo by David Tucker
Michelle Smyth and Jason Williams. / Photo by David Tucker
Jaehee Cheong and Korean Consul General Kim Jae-Hui. / Photo by David Tucker
Jade Gedeon and William Kiester. / Photo by David Tucker
Amy Brooks. / Photo by David Tucker
Conan O’Brien. / Photo by Scott Eisen
He Who Laughs Last
Very few people could pull off a 60th birthday celebration at the TD Garden. Bruins great Cam Neely is one of them. His eponymous foundation took over the arena for the 29th annual Comics Come Home, an all-star lineup that raised more than $1.5 million for cancer care. The evening coincided with Neely’s milestone birthday, and performers included emcee Denis Leary; Brookline homie Conan O’Brien; the reliably outrageous Sarah Silverman; and the incomparable Lenny Clarke. The celebration continued the following morning, with a birthday brunch at Rochambeau attended by Neely’s wife, Paulina; Newbury Street threads peddlers Alan and Bê Bilzerian and their designer daughter Lana; party pair Patrick and Kristina Lyons; car czar Barry Lundgren; and equally fabulous others. As my father used to say: “I laughed so hard, I thought my pants would never dry.”
Lenny Clarke. / Photo by Scott Eisen
Sarah Silverman. / Photo by Scott Eisen
Paulina and Cam Neely. / Photo by Scott Eisen
Jim and Susan Swartz with Reverend Gloria White-Hammond. / Photo by Jill Person Photography
The Kids Are All Right
The city’s only nonprofit private pediatrics practice, Boston Community Pediatrics, celebrated its fifth anniversary with a party at the SoWa Power Station. The evening attracted a high-wattage crowd, including a lovely group of honorees: philanthropists Lynne and Gary Smith; righteous reverends Ray Hammond and Gloria White-Hammond; health equity crusader Demond Martin; and nurse extraordinaire Jasmine Tinker. The evening raised nearly $1.5 million and offered proof that the organization’s founder, Robyn Riseberg, has done the seemingly impossible: creating a workable and equitable model for excellent childhood healthcare.
Robyn Riseberg and Grace Porter. / Photo by Jill Person Photography
Abigail Ross Goodman and Lynne Smith. / Photo by Jill Person Photography
Peter Ross, Lori and Matthew Sidman, and Gary Smith. / Photo by Jill Person Photography
This article was first published in the print edition of the March 2026 issue with the headline: “Project Runway.”
