“It looks like a wedding. We need someone to get married tonight,” said Jean-Marc Gallot, CEO of Veuve Clicquot, as guests took their seats inside the Central Park Boathouse. “So if someone wants to get married tonight, there is an opportunity. Julia [Roberts] can take care of that!”
“We do offer the dress,” deadpanned Simon Porte Jacquemus.
“And a free bottle of champagne!” Julia Roberts volleyed back.
“5,4,3,2,1…anyone?” Gallot grinned, to a roar of laughter.
The crowd—Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Solange Knowles, Charlotte Le Bon, Imaan Hammam, Corrado Martini, Jordan Roth, Toby Wallace, and Miles Chamley-Watson, all in Jacquemus—was already in on the joke. The mood was set: playful, romantic, a touch theatrical—the ideal prelude to unveiling Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2018 Limited Edition by Simon Porte Jacquemus.
Earlier, cocktail hour unfolded beneath a billowing tent with plenty of champagne and a bread-and-cheese spread worthy of its own close-up. Cheerful parasols in Veuve Clicquot’s sunshine-meets-citrus hue dotted the terrace while, on the water, a fleet of rowboats—normally hunter green—appeared in the same jubilant color, gliding across the pond like moving sunbeams. Midway through came the twist: the boaters were musicians from Carnegie Hall, instruments tucked away until the cue. On command, bows and brass emerged to serenade from the lake while strings joined from the terrace.
Dinner followed indoors—a three-course meal beneath a canopy of linen with Central Park South blazing at sunset beyond the windows—and with La Grande Dame 2018 poured. The collaboration marries couture and cellar: from a gift box sheathed in “toile du Marais” to a bottle wrapped in white linen, Simon’s codes meet Veuve Clicquot’s craft. The cuvée’s backbone is Madame Clicquot’s beloved Pinot Noir—90% of the blend—honoring her conviction that “Our black grapes give the finest white wines.” Now in the 25th vintage of La Grande Dame, the 2018 harvest—sun-kissed and unusually pristine—channels the house’s oenological signature: elegance and precision.
When Simon rose to speak, he kept it candid and tender. “This venue—it’s so, so beautiful and very poetic,” he began, before turning to the team: “We always try to have poetry in everything we do as Jacquemus…thank you for the amazing job.” He reflected on founding his brand at 18 after losing his mother—“I used her name, Jacquemus…I put my first collection on Facebook, dreaming so big. It’s because my mom gave me that—she gave me love”—and closed simply: “Tonight, let’s just share love…it has a strong impact. When I take the microphone, I always remind people who I am and where I’m from. It’s very important. It’s what makes me alive today.”
Gallot, for his part, spoke to optimism—New York’s timing, Madame Clicquot’s audacity, and the joyful spirit of La Grande Dame 2018—still amused by his “little wedding” bit that opened the night.
As for the fashion, it was very much a Jacquemus affair. Julia Roberts arrived in an oversized, menswear-inspired black blazer—note the signature wrist tab left on, as intended—while Emma Roberts, matching her aunt’s ruddy hair, chose a black chiffon, spaghetti-strap slip. Solange Knowles cut a sculptural line in a black dress with arched sleeves; Imaan Hammam opted for a dark denim mini with contrast stitching; and Charlotte Le Bon balanced a dark-gray little sweater with a white tulle tutu set. “I hadn’t realized this was the Sex and the City pond where Carrie falls in,” Le Bon laughed during cocktails, clocking the cinematic déjà vu as the Jacquemus-yellow boats floated past.
By the time dessert gave way to nightfall, the lake had gone ink-dark, the parasols were neatly furled, and the last glasses of La Grande Dame 2018 caught the light like citrine. A wedding? Not quite. But a love story—between a maison, a designer, a city, and a vintage—absolutely.