It was a night of quiet elegance at legendary Midtown mainstay, the 21 Club, on Wednesday, April 20th. "Latino Leaders Magazine", the premier magazine amongst the most influential and important Latinos in the country, hosted a very private affair celebrating 25 Latin Leaders of New York. The event was sponsored by CH Carolina Hererra, Ovando, Johnnie Walker and Mirabelle New York and co-hosted by Gabriel Rivera-Barraza and Michelle Violy Harper.

The cocktail hour, destined to acquaint guests with the evening's honorees, Paloma Hererra, Valerie Boster, Eugenia Gonzalez, Alex Hank and others, welcomed a bevy of supporters early on. Clutching specialty cocktails, we meandered around the candlelit room and found an eclectic mix of associates from Latino Leaders Magazine, El Museo del Barrio members and esteemed designers, including Alvin Valley and Moises de la Renta. Gabriel Rivera-Barraza of GRB Communications, the evening's co-host, explained, "We decided to choose from 25 Latin Americans with different careers, young people from 25-35 years old. They're from fashion, art, culture...lawyers It's more networking. It's the 'next generation' for the future. So we're very excited that tonight, all we can meet and most of us don't know each other. That's the nice thing about it."

A true highlight of the evening was the glam entrance of co-host Michelle Violy Harper, who was glorious in a seductive Christan Cota original, Hermes cuffs and a signature period piece-style wig from her own collection. Harper, an artist and fashion muse of Colombian decent, explained that her involvement with the evening came through her friend, Gabriel Rivera-Barraza. Speaking fondly of Rivera-Barraza, she shared, "I love that he always makes a point of involving himself in philanthropy, hands on, whether he's working up in Spanish Harlem painting offices for people that don't have anyone to help them or whether he's hosting a dinner at the 21 Club. I think that's what's wonderful about somebody like Gabriel and about many of the people here tonight."

The hour soon drew to a close as honorees proceeded to a beautifully seated dinner for honorees only.

Buenas Noches a todos!