Inside the Rollicking Aspen Trip That Was All Over Your Instagram
Inside the Rollicking Aspen Trip That Was All Over Your Instagram
“We don’t like to do anything small,” Erik Torstensson joked as his guests marveled at the dining room scene inside Aspen’s legendary Caribou Club. “This is just one of many surprises.”
Earlier in the day, at the invitation of Torstensson and his Frame cofounder, Jens Grede, and Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, a pair of chartered planes hailing from New York and Los Angeles had descended upon the winter hideaway, with friends and clientele for a wild “winter vacation” full of skiing, pizza, and Champagne.
Following a shopping party at the brand’s Aspen boutique, which saw the likes of Phoebe Tonkin and Elizabeth Chambers making off with Frame sweaters emblazoned with alpine phrases like “Ski Bunny” and “Off Piste,” the gang decamped to the famed, subterranean Caribou Club, with its dark paneled walls, taxidermy, and endless supply of plaid. The candlelit dinner began somewhat buttoned up before loosening up into an all-out dance party under a glittering disco ball.
The next morning, it was time to hit the slopes, with all roads leading to Cloud Nine, the on-mountain lunch spot accessible only by skis and known by locals as the largest purveyor of Veuve Clicquot Champagne in the town. With their varying levels of expertise and the promise of fondue at the finish line, guests made their way down Aspen Highlands mountain and into the warmth of Cloud Nine. For first-timer skier Halima Aden, this was a welcome end to the day. “I was so, so scared,” she said with a laugh. “But I did it. We made it. Let’s dance!” And dance we did, as the better part of the two-hour lunch was spent atop the chairs and tables of the eatery.
Later, the crew of 40 guests were welcomed into Whitney Wolfe Herd’s recently completed mountain home for a bon voyage pizza party to send everyone off to the next port of call. Noshing on slices from the local Brunelleschi’s pizzeria, Sean O’Pry and Nina Dobrev (who sported a sling from a briefly dislocated shoulder) shared war stories from the ski slopes. Jordan Barrett and Jessica Hart planned their travels for upcoming photo shoots in far-off locales, and Tina Leung consulted with Olivia Munn and Keleigh Sperry on the best way to change clothes and go directly from the plane to Tom Ford’s fall showing at the Park Avenue Armory.
The evening came to a rollicking close as Sara Foster was presented with a sparkler-topped birthday cake and a wooden ski topped with tequila shots. “I think we need to do this every year,” Rachel Zoe said with a smile. “This has been beyond major.”
