A troupe of strikingly handsome security guards stationed outside downtown members club The Twenty Two could mean only one thing: Donatella Versace was near. Right on cue, at 6 PM on Saturday evening, the designer emerged from a flotilla of black SUVs in a bubblegum pink pantsuit, her platinum locks catching the warm breeze.

In town for the Met Gala festivities, Versace joined Moda Operandi’s Lauren Santo Domingo for aperitivo hour on the club’s rooftop terrace, where trays of Negronis and lavish spoonfuls of caviar atop blinis made their rounds.

While the gathering celebrated the launch of Versace La Vacanza—a capsule of resort wear available for pre-order on Moda Operandi starting today—it also marked Donatella’s first public outing since the sale of her family’s brand to the Prada Group, prompting many a congratulatory hug and air kiss from admirers.

Among them: Anne Hathaway, Sabrina Carpenter—who wore a quintessential Versace safety-pin dress—Ariana DeBose, Laura Harrier, and stylist Lorenzo Posocco, a frequent Versace collaborator known for dressing Dua Lipa. “Every time I’m around Donatella I feel the magic,” Posocco told Vogue. “Being in the room with her is a dream. She is the person, the designer. I’m obsessed with her. She’s the queen. She loves the glamour—and that’s what I love too, of course.”

It had been a celebratory weekend all around: the night before, Donatella marked her birthday with an intimate fête, making Saturday’s soirée feel like an extension of the festivities—with better views and even more sequins.