American Museum of Natural History 2008 Winter Dance: Party Coverage on Style.com

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Jungle Boogie

Social Glamazons Stalk the Natural History Museum in Cavalli Frocks

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Tinsley Mortimer, Amanda Hearst, Roberto Cavalli, Fabiola Beracasa, Claire Bernard, and Arden Wohl. see all photos >

Sarah Sophie Flicker, Erin Fetherston, and Mandie Erickson. see all photos >

The American Museum of Natural History kicked off gala season on Tuesday night with its annual Winter Dance. This year, animal-print lover Roberto Cavalli served as the event's honorary chairman, and he made sure his fabulous presence was felt. Socials like Tinsley Mortimer, Amanda Hearst, and Arden Wohl vamped in his dresses. The jungle-themed tablecloths and bird-of-paradise centerpieces were his creations. And the spirit of choice was Cavalli Vodka. But how did the Italian designer fare as a host? "He's incredibly neurotic, and he hits on every pretty girl that walks by," joked his date, Anne Hathaway. "I'm just kidding—he's lovely. He keeps telling me that I don't need his dresses to be sexy, which I happen to know is categorically untrue."

After dining in the flora- and fauna-festooned Hall of Biodiversity, guests made their way into the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life for dancing and dessert. The mostly uptown crowd was peppered with downtown scenesters—a few of whom had mysteriously wound up on the host committee. "I don't know how I got involved," said Dan Colen, who spent most of the evening palling around with fellow bad-boy artist Nate Lowman and Lowman's rumored squeeze, Mary-Kate Olsen. "Somebody just asked if they could use my name, and I said sure. I didn't even know if it was a serious thing, honestly."

— Evelyn Crowley