“I feel so happy to be here with Tory again,” beamed ethereal beauty Tian Yi on Tuesday night at Tory Burch’s Shanghai flagship on Nanjing West Road. Her Vilette-print gown from Fall 2016 was feminine and frilly, with a flirty, bohemian feel. To her right, was fellow fashion friend Emma Pei, in a micro-print lavender number from the same collection, inspired in no small part by Éric Rohmer’s 1972 film L’Amour l’après-midi and the groovy, Seventies style of Tory’s mother Reva. But the context of the gowns was not lost on the two Chinese model darlings, who embodied the confident and cool spirit of their folksy dresses. “I love tonight’s look, it’s so dreamy and vintage,” Tian continued, but not before locking arms with Pei and disappearing into the glamorous crowd. Twinning? Yes, and an all-too-appropriate image as guests gathered with Tory herself, to celebrate the dual nature of the party’s ultimate hero: the new Gemini Link collection.

If duality was the theme of the evening, it reared its head(s) in every ambient detail, as Chinese celebrities, like actress Liu Shi Shi of Scarlet Heart fame and global fashion industry insiders like PR mogul Melvin Chua, Comme Moi’s Lv Yan, Babyghost’s Qiaoran Huang and stylist Leaf Greener, mingled among contrast canapés of spring rolls and sliders, and an infinite flow of Southside cocktails and champagne. Even music, from DJ Gin, a Shanghai transplant from Taiwan, spun bass-thumping, hip-hop beats from New Jersey rapper Fetty Wap to Korean pop sensation G Dragon.

As the lights dimmed and guests began to part ways, with matching Gemini Link bracelets in tow, the sounds of the city streets began to resemble that of home — were we in New York? No matter the place, whether East or West, this was certainly a night well lived.

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