Kimora Lee Simmons and her daughter Aoki Simmons.Photo:Christopher Horne
Christopher Horne
Kimora Lee Simmonspartied lavishly this past weekend while celebrating her daughterAoki’sTeen Voguedebut, 21st birthdayandgraduation from Harvard!
The downtown bash brought in the hottest names in fashion — including designersChristian Siriano, Phillip Lim and Prabal Gurung — as well as N.Y.C. mayorEric Adams.
It also proved to be a family affair with Simmons' eldest daughterMing, 23, in attendance.
(From left to right) Kimora Lee Simmons poses with daughters Aoki and Ming.Christopher Horne
The mother-daughter trio made a stylish entrance.
Kimora wore a black floor-length halter-neck dress and strappy heels, matching with her two daughters whom she shares with ex-husbandRussell Simmons. Ming wore a sultry number with cut-outs as well as lace-up stilettos.
As the star of the hour, Aoki wanted to find herself the perfect night-out wardrobe. “I knew I needed a dress that fit the moment and felt like as much of a celebration as the party,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively.
However, a lot of her options just didn’t work out, almost putting Aoki face-to-face with a “dress disaster.” She says, “I was running out of time.”
Thankfully designer Andrew Kwon, and Aoki’s friend, came to the rescue and was able to provide two extravagant dresses: a “dramatic” black confection featuring a glittery ruffled glittery skirt and a nearly waist-high slit, as well as a gold off-the-shoulder mini with regal embellishments.
The looks were named “dinner” and “dessert” respectively. “Both felt delicious!” says Aoki.
Aoki Simmons wears an Andrew Kwon gown while posing with her “Teen Vogue” cover.Christopher Horne
The party was undoubtedly filled with love.
Kimora gave a touching speech in honor of all of the “beautiful moments” their family was celebrating. “All that emotion is too powerful for anybody’s water-proof mascara!” Kimora tells PEOPLE exclusively of how she was afraid of “ugly crying” while delivering her heartfelt words.
“I knew from the moment they rolled that cake out with the sparklers and everyone started singing that I had to try to hold it together,” she adds. But once the ball started rolling “there was no holding back!”
The fête was also not without chic bites to eat. Photos of Aoki’sTeen Voguespread and cover made its way onto cookies and a birthday cake dazzling with sparklers, which was wheeled out as guests sang “Happy Birthday.”
Photos from Aoki’s photo shoot were also blown up into large posters decorating the room. Guests walked home with gift bags filled with Glossier products.
Kimora Lee Simmons and Aoki Lee Simmons attend the DIOR Men’s Spring 2023 Fashion Show.David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty
David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty
When Aoki’s cover was first released, Kimora called the milestone a“full circle moment" because her daughter is seen on the cover wearing aChanel looksimilar to the one she once wore during her modeling days.
“Karl Lagerfeld was quoted as saying that I was the ‘face of the 21st century.’ Now, 35+ years later, we see how prescient he was!” she wrote on Instagram.
Kimora went on to praise her daughter’s life achievements beyond the fashion world.
“All that you’ve achieved in such a short amount of time — all through sheer force of will and dedication! One of the youngest to graduate Harvard and now our cover STAR!! We love you sooo much!” she wrote, adding the hashtag #mazel.
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In June, Aoki spoke with PEOPLE about life beyond Harvard, sharing, “I feel grateful, proud and relieved— in that order! It’s a surreal feeling to be done with something that was such a huge part of my life. Now, like every other graduate, I’m on to the next chapter.”
Now that she’s secured her diploma, she’s focused on modeling in New York, writing and working at her mom’s company. “There are so many projects that I can’t wait to dive into,” she shared. “But it will be nice to take a breath!”
source: people.com
