Minky Couture’s star-powered SoHo launch drew reality TV’s biggest names for a blanket-lined bash.
The Utah-based blanket brand kicked off its three-day New York City pop-up Friday night with a party that doubled as a “Virtual Reali-Tea” live event, co-hosted by the outlet’s Evan Real and Danny Murphy. Hilaria Baldwin, 41, “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Jessi Draper, and former “Real Housewives of New York” cast member Kelly Bensimon, 56, were among the guests who mingled over dirty sodas flown in from Swig’s Utah baristas.
The SoHo space was draped in plush Minky Couture throws in varied patterns and colors, giving attendees a textured backdrop for social posts. Miranda Hope of “SLOMW” fame and her boyfriend Kaleb Winterburn posed wrapped in the blankets, while “Summer House” star KJ Dillard sipped an iced drink beneath one of the luxe covers.
Former “Dancing With the Stars” pros Lindsay Arnold and Sasha Farber commanded the dance floor early in the evening. Farber later pulled Baldwin into an impromptu ballroom routine that drew applause from the crowd. Matt James, the former “Bachelor” who had partnered with Arnold on Season 30 of “DWTS,” hoisted Farber onto his shoulders for their own spin across the floor.
Farber also extended an invitation to Minky Couture founder Sandi Sumner Hendry to join him dancing.
The party marked another public appearance for Draper and “Vanderpump Villa” star Marciano Brunette, who have been navigating fallout from their cheating scandal. Draper wore a floral pink minidress as she danced with Brunette, with whom she made her red carpet debut months earlier. The couple appeared to be on improved terms with their “Mormon Wives” co-stars following the controversy.
Mary Holland Nader of “Love Thy Nader” was seen in conversation with several “SLOMW” cast members, adding another reality crossover to the evening. The original “Mormon Wives” group was also joined by cast members from the new Orange County spinoff: Bobbi Althoff, Aspyn Ovard, and McCall DaPron, sister of original cast member Mayci Neeley.
Guests departed with loaded gift bags containing a Minky Couture blanket, a HydroJug, a Swig x NYC baseball cap, and bejeweled “VRT” keychains. The pop-up continues through the weekend in SoHo.
The event highlighted the growing overlap between reality television circles and direct-to-consumer brand launches, with “Virtual Reali-Tea” providing the connective tissue between the personalities and the products.
The three-day Minky Couture pop-up runs through Sunday in New York City.
