Correction: This story has been updated to accurately reflect which lawmakers were present at the event.
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner weekend was in full steam on Friday evening at the Elle Women of Impact event, where lawmakers, models, activists and members of the Biden family rubbed elbows.
Held at Ciel Social Club — the penthouse bar area atop the AC Hotel in Washington, D.C. — the party was a packed affair with little room to move among fresh flower arrangements of roses, Queen Anne’s lace and ranunculus. Overhead, faux cherry blossoms and paper lanterns hung as the gathering hit its peak.
Amidst torrential downpour over the evening, guests mingled with cocktails including French 75s and a libation dubbed Tanuki’s Treat: a vodka, amaro and sake concoction.
The partygoers dined on passed hors-d’oeuvres including vegetable spring rolls, pork buns, a crab and mango salad and siracha cauliflower bites before Elle Executive Editor Sara Austin took the mike to lay praise on the five Elle’s 2023 Women of Impact attendees at the event.
They included Oriaku Njoku, who leads a network of nearly 100 grassroots abortion funds; Elena Velez, who won the CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year Award in November; Amanda Nguyen, a social entrepreneur and civil rights activist who was involved in proposing and drafting the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act, passed in Congress; Ashley Biden, the only child of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden; and Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), the first woman to represent Alaska in the U.S. House.
Also in attendance was the first lady herself, wearing a spotless white suit, several strands of peals and what appeared to be Valentino rockstud heels.
Her arrival set off a frenzy of gatherers surging forward and holding up their phones to attempt to snap a picture.
But the packed atmosphere also lent to rising temperatures in the room, with one guest fainting near the bar and others attempting to fan themselves with issues of Elle Magazine spread across the space.
Also spotted at the event: Actress Julia Fox, Sen. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), fashion model Winnie Harlow and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
— Updated April 29 at 11:35 a.m.