Calvin Klein Celebrates Moments of Pride on the Lower East Side

Kandy Muse.

Nothing comes between Calvin Klein and celebrating Pride. We repeat: Nothing, not even a torrential downpour, can bring a CK party to a halt. Last week, the eponymous fashion label set the stage in Central Park for (what was intended to be) a sunset soirée to mark the ongoing #ProudInMyCalvins campaign—a 365-day initiative that champions LGBTQIA+ self-expression and activism. The brand transformed the Ramsey Playfield for its Moments of Pride fête on Thursday, complete with a drive-in style theater for guests to watch of the 2021 documentary Where Love Lives, and a stage to host performances from New York’s queer royalty.

As the City’s fashion cool kids convened on the lawn on Thursday evening and the champagne began to flow, so did the rain—disrupting the evening’s programming. Mother Nature works hard, but she doesn’t work hard enough to keep Calvin Klein’s guests from taking Pride into their own hands. The crowd fled the damp lawns of Central Park in favor of a dance floor on the Lower East Side. The Flower Shop became the impromptu respite for the partygoers, who spontaneously reconvened for a late night rendezvous in the downtown haunt’s ’70s-inspired wood-paneled bar space. Pride anthems mixed by DJs Kim Anh, Bronze Goddess, Donis, and Alejandra Sabillón set the tone for the evening, which was topped off by performances by the likes of Kandy Muse (styled by Interview’s very own Mel Ottenberg) who posed on a pool table in her Teletubby getup, followed by Chika and the legendary ballroom troupe The Haus of Tisci. The crowd was as star-studded as the stage: Kandy’s drag daughter Xunami Muse gossiped with nightlife legend Beaujangless and fashion creative Marko Monroe, Monroe’s fellow House of Avalon member Symone stunned in an orange ensemble and sipped vodka sodas with Aquaria, the actor and model Leyna Bloom chatted with beauty wunderkind Raisa Flowers nearby. Below, relive the evening with some snapshots from the party, captured by Louis Bubko and Jonah Rollins.

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Raisa Flowers.

Symone.

Louis Bubko.

Tyler Ashley.

Justine Mae Biticon.

Beaujangless.

Linux and Aquaria.

Memphy, Haus of Tisci’s Gia Banks, and Ms. Carrie Stacks.

Yannik Stevens & DeVonn Francis.

Leyna Bloom.