Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo walked the runway at a bipartisan fashion event Wednesday night in downtown Manhattan hours after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was fatally shot, as the show's organizer urged the crowd to confront "political hatred and political violence."
The event, billed as Style Across the Aisle, took place in the historic Surrogate's Court near City Hall on the eve of New York Fashion Week and featured more than 30 current and former New York City and state officials modeling designs from borough-based creators. The sold-out show, with tickets reported at $300 apiece, was presented as a unifying gesture during a period of heightened political tensions.
Skye Ostreicher, who organized the event under the moniker "The Political Personality," told the audience she had heard of Kirk's death shortly before the program began and used the moment to call for decreased political animosity. "We're in a time where there's a ton of political hatred and political violence," she said.
The format required participants to be currently or formerly elected or publicly appointed officials, Ostreicher said, and the lineup included Cuomo and former Gov. David Patterson. Several prominent figures who had RSVP'd were absent, including Mayor Eric Adams and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, both of whom declined to attend. Some models were unable to make their scheduled turns because they were voting across the street, organizers said.
The show served as a benefit for Witness to Mass Incarceration, a nonprofit that provides housing, employment and other support to formerly incarcerated people. The event highlighted the organization's Witness Art of Tailoring program, a two-year training curriculum in fashion, tailoring, merchandising and business for young adults. Two designers from the program dressed models for the runway, and Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs, New York's first formerly incarcerated state legislator, participated as a model.
Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney appeared in a black ensemble from KZ K Studio, and Councilwoman Julie Won modeled a traditional Korean look; the designer who dressed her became emotional at the end of the runway, according to attendees. Curtis Sliwa, a mayoral contender known for wearing a red beret, was in the audience but did not model.
Ostreicher said she hoped the event could evolve into a larger movement to "humanize" people across the political spectrum by creating spaces where officials could find common ground outside of policy debates. "I like to think of this as one of the only bipartisan events, and it's so great to unite over something like fashion," she told reporters after the show.
Adams hosted the inaugural edition of the event last year at Gracie Mansion; his office did not attend Wednesday's show and a representative noted in a statement that the mayor frequently engages with fashion and meets constituents in borough town halls. The event drew a mix of cultural figures, including Sex and the City writer Candace Bushnell and executives from Roc Nation.
Style Across the Aisle organizers said the presentation aimed to spotlight community designers and the reentry program's trainees while offering an alternative venue for civic engagement amid an increasingly polarized political climate. Fashion Week activities officially began in the city Thursday.
No law enforcement or public-safety developments connected to the earlier shooting were reported at the show. Organizers and participants framed the evening as both a fundraising effort and an experiment in bridging divides through cultural events.