For many, the J.Crew catalog is more than mere advertising. The imagery - at once aspirational and familiar - represents the pinnacle of everyday style, and the printed matter became not just a functional sales tool, but a covetable and collectible object of classic Americana. When the brand decided to bring back their much beloved catalog for fall 2024, they could think of no better place to celebrate their own archival history than the New York Public Library. Glass tables set up throughout the marble-clad Astor Hall brought together bits and bobs from their material past: Color blocked fabric swatches and spools of thread in one, alongside an array of labels and tags in another, both charting a visual history of J.Crew; a gradient of barn jackets spread across one table and a haphazard stack of rugby shirts in another case, a testament to designs that have spanned generations. Servers circled the room, offering French 75’s and Shirley Temples to guests as they caught up with one another and took in the brand’s formidable fashion legacy.

At nearly half past eight, the sounds of a ten-piece jazz band beckoned the crowd downstairs, and into the Celeste Bartos Forum, which had been transformed into Le Côte Basque, the infamous midcentury eatery most famously documented by Truman Capote. Helmed by famed restaurateur Henri Soulé, La Côte Basque opened in 1958 as the very slightly less expensive but no less storied younger sibling to Le Pavillon, arguably pioneering a new wave of Midtown French hotspots for the ladies who lunch. Women’s Wear Daily would send photographers to wait outside the restaurant, hoping to catch a shot of its famous patrons emerging from its cigarette perfumed dining room. La Côte Basque finally shut its doors in 2004, but for one night only, J.Crew brought it back.

An awning much like the one pictured behind Jackie O and Babe Paley gave way to an elegant dining room complete with period-inspired murals, swapping the restaurant’s original scenery of St Jean de Luz for more local views of Central Park. Guests made their way to their seats, where they were greeted with personal Frenchette Bakery baguettes in bags inscribed with their names, alongside branded J.Crew butter dishes. Chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr oversaw the menu, breathing new life into tried and true classics from the French canon, with wines selected by sommelier Victoria James. The meal began with caviar service, followed by chilled lobster and roast chicken. At every table, all plates were dropped by a team of servers in unison. As the mains were being cleared, Tony Award-winning actor Anika Noni Rose captivated the crowd with a set spanning the American songbook, plus Sondheim’s “Somewhere” from West Side Story - a personal request from J.Crew CEO Kevin Ulrich, which received a standing ovation from the crowd. As the applause settled, the team of servers paraded out once again, delighting diners with pyramids of macarons, tiered platters of petit fours, and silver carts piled high with profiteroles. The latter were served tableside, plated with sauce au chocolat and chantilly cream.