Work Friends at Marcel, Hillary Clinton Helps Argent Mark Ten Years
A New York workwear label marked its anniversary with a dinner that drew a former secretary of state, a TV anchor and a long line of blazers
The cocktail hour at Argent's ten-year dinner on Wednesday evening ran on handshakes. Vogue reports that Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton greeted every guest who wished to shake her hand. WWD says her presence kept a buzz going and drew a small crowd around her wherever she went.
The host was Argent, the New York workwear label founded by Sali Christeson. The room was Marcel, uptown, in the old Met Breuer building, where WWD found the lobby crowded with blazers.
A Brand Built on Pockets
Argent's pieces are designed and mostly manufactured in New York City, Vogue reports. The label is known for dressing powerful cultural and political figures, a list that includes Kamala Harris and Gloria Steinem. It has had a relationship with Clinton since 2017, when Christeson met her at Clinton's first public appearance after her election loss.
Huma Abedin, Clinton's longtime aide, first introduced Clinton to Christeson's work, Vogue says, impressed by the suits and the real-life-inspired designs, including the fan-favorite pockets.
The evening centered on what Argent calls its Work Friends community. The idea came from Christeson's wish to represent and celebrate the style and accomplishments of the professional women the clothes are made for. To mark the anniversary the label launched a campaign called 10 Years, 100 Work Friends, Vogue says, featuring a composite photo of its circle of friends and muses.
The Room
Vogue lists Abedin and the broadcaster Katie Couric among those in attendance. WWD adds the comedian Chloe Fineman, Barbara Bush, Isolde Brielmaier and Amrit Kaur. Vogue says the ambassadors range from editors and founders to athletes and scientists.
Christeson said this year's dinner was its largest yet. "There is so much power in women of all backgrounds, all ages, and all experiences sharing their stories with one another," she told Vogue.
"I think everyone in this room thinks they're Sali's best friend," Couric told Vogue.
WWD found a more personal note in Christeson's remarks. She said the brand has organized Work Friends events annually, and wanted something extra special for the tenth anniversary. "It really feels like a wedding. I have so much gratitude for every woman in this group," she told WWD.
Notes and Envelopes
On the way downstairs to dinner, each guest was given a wax-sealed envelope with a handwritten thank-you note from Christeson, Vogue reports. J.P. Morgan helped underwrite the evening. Kristin Kallergis Rowland, the bank's global head of alternative investments, joked that the partnership was the quickest approval she had gotten in twenty years at the bank.
In a room full of guests in Argent's recent suits, blouses and dresses, Vogue noted that no two women were dressed the same.
For a city that has long argued about what women should wear to work, it was an unusual kind of anniversary party. A black turtleneck has its own case in New York, and so does the suit. On Wednesday evening, ten years in, the suit made its argument with a dinner.
