Bach Mai’s Fall 2025 collection outing grew legs, so to speak. The designer was adamant that he didn’t want to do a traditional runway show. “I thought, what about a dinner for friends of the brand? Then it became, ‘Well…maybe just a model or two?’ Before we knew it, there were 26 looks on models,” Mai told Vogue. In the end, he hosted 100 people on Monday evening at Soho’s Maison Close, a French bistro where a good time and a surprise are always on the menu.
Said extra something special came in the form of a rhinestone and feather-clad burlesque performer, who opened and closed the immersive salon-style presentation. To a mélange of Peggy Lee and Shirley Bassey tunes, Karina Precious shook her tailfeathers, quite literally, and dropped into a jazz split as nightlife legend Dianne Brill and DJ duo The Muses hooped and hollered in their booth.
The scene was filled with both queens of reality TV and literal royalty, with the likes of Jessel Taank, Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, and Baroness Allison Ecung von Arnim seated around the dining room taking it all in. Actresses Bailey Bass and India de Beaufort sat side-by-side bonding over their love of Mai’s fun flamingo prints. Designers Olivia Cheng of Dauphinette and Kozaburo Akasaka, who spent the last six months with Mai immersed in the CFDA and Genesis House’s AAPI Design + Innovation Grant program, also stopped by to support.
At one point, the very same breathtaking strapless ombré paillette gown worn by Amal Clooney during last summer’s Venice Film Festival swished past, joyfully distracting diners from their tuna tartare and beet salads. The dress, the Texas-born designer said, is his favorite he’s ever made. Another piece close to his heart came in the form of a black bouclé and ballet pink chiffon number. The look was a recreation of the first dress he ever made, when back in high school, he had lovingly hand-sewn the original version of it for his best friend. “Sometimes it’s good to go all the way back,” Mai said. “Even when so much has changed.”
As the night stretched on—past the intended 8 p.m. ‘curtain call’—glasses of Avaline wine, espresso martinis, and salty Mijenta tequila margaritas continued to flow. Over a dessert of hazelnut pastry, editors and influencers remarked how nice it was to finally sit down and enjoy a proper meal during a hectic week of shows and parties. All while being fed fabulous fashion too, no less.
