The ‘All That Glitters Diwali Ball’ took place at Manhattan’s landmark hotel, The Pierre, on Saturday night. And glittery it was. Hosted by a string of South Asian luminaries, the talk-of-the-town event was led by Anjula Acharia (best known as Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ manager) and included Falguni & Shane Peacock who dressed several VIPs of the night with their signature sparkles and feathers.
“Diwali is the festival of my heart,” said actor Sarita Choudhury in a one-shoulder black kaftan designed by Prabal Gurung. “The fact that New York embraced it and made Diwali a public holiday meant I had to step up and host this,” she said, gesturing to the soiree.
Business executive and former CEO of Pepsico, Indra Nooyi, shared the sentiment. “Many of us don’t have all of our families here, so this is our family. Diwali is about families coming together and the emotion behind it. How good can win over evil, especially when the world is so difficult right now.” True to her word, Nooyi brought along her husband and daughter to celebrate.
Other key hosts included Canadian poet Rupi Kaur who glided in a shiny Seema Gujral lehenga (holding a plate of papdi chaat) and Nepalese-American designer Prabal Gurung who crafted his own gem-embellished sherwani worn with his mother’s emeralds.
Political staffer Huma Abedin and PR queen Anita Chatterjee were dressed in one of the many Peacock ensembles of the evening. In lieu of her absence, Padma Lakshmi sent on-theme mango and cardamom cupcakes from her collaboration with Sprinkles, and as the clock struck 12, Jay Sean serenaded guests with throwback hits.
While the hosts were notable and plentiful, the guests were equally beguiling. Actor Diane Kruger was spotted in a slinky red Prabal sari and Chopard jewels, influencer Diipa Buller-Khosla dazzled on the dance floor in a shimmery number by Peacock, and filmmaker Shaana Levy-Bahl swirled in a Sabyasachi one-piece. Fashion heavyweights Fern Mallis (creator of NYFW) and Roopal Patel (fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue) also joined in the festivities.
“The first Diwali party I hosted in New York was 15 years ago,” said Acharia. “It was in my apartment, it was so small.” Although her parties have scaled up since then, they haven’t lost their sense of community. “Diwali getting bigger is not always the goal, but Diwali getting better definitely is,” declared Gurung as he danced to 1990s Bollywood, a crowd favourite of the night.