Dua Lipa enthralled the audience with a breathtaking performance for the St Barth’s UNICEF x LUISAVIAROMA winter gala. The performance contained some of her best songs and she was seen wearing a beautiful green two-piece suit with a black aesthetic. Her backup dancers were in contrast with white sheen outfits and incredible dance moves.
The splashy, glittery gala (which took place this summer on the legendary island of Capri) had a very different vibe in the winter. Because the event was held on St. Barth, the yachts bobbing in the waves were bigger, the wristwatches blingier, and the cut-outs on all the girls’ outfits were a little more daring. Dua Lipa and a group of backup dancers kicked off the celebration instead of Katy Perry and John Legend playing a piano duet.
Robust weather alongside A+ guest list made the evening even more interesting
The event, which was hosted by Augustinus Bader and held outdoors on the patio of St Barth’s iconic Eden Rock, began at 8 p.m. The sun had set hours before, and the ocean breeze was stronger than expected, rippling the skirts and gowns of those in attendance, including Lipa (in a gecko-green Stella McCartney gown), Dylan Penn, Izabel Goulart, Nina Agdal, Daniel Arsham, and Leonardo DiCaprio (who notably remained masked and behatted).
Guests walked down a red carpet lined with some of the night’s auction items, including an Elvis Presley-owned Harley and a Moke that had been customised with a unique paint job by the artist Alec Monopoly. The procession of fashion (much of which was kindly loaned by LouisaViaRoma) also snaked past a gallery of art up for grabs at the auction: a Marilyn Monroe shot by Douglas Kirkland, one of Cindy Sherman’s nameless self-portraits, and an Alexander Calder piece. The NFT from the Bored Ape series was conspicuously absent from the walls. (It’s a reflection of the times that the latter sold for a couple hundred thousand dollars more than the others.)
At the end it’s all about Charity
Everyone was soon seated at tables gathered against the sandy beach and adorned with gorgeous orchid centrepieces flown in specifically for the occasion. Kieran O’Brien, UNICEF’s global philanthropy manager, was the first on stage, encouraging the wealthy guests to bid generously before the auction began. “Philanthropy is about personality, identity, and legacy,” says one of the families and individuals with whom we work. Andrea’s daughter Luisa, who now serves as the president of the event franchise that has generated millions of dollars with a more-is-more style of event production that drives visitors to put see-and-be-seen-bids, was also mentioned by O’Brien. It was the night before last.
Bidders went crazy for artist Domingo Zapata’s In Love With Mona painting, as well as the monkey-themed NFT, during Macaulay’s performance. A slew of models, including Nina Agdal, was called to the stage at one point, decked out with guitars and other musical memorabilia signed by Ringo Star, Niles Rogers, and others. The night’s proceeds totalled 4 million euros, which will go straight to UNICEF to assist the organization’s objective of providing care and protection to the world’s most vulnerable children.