"This is just a little something I threw together," Cate Blanchett joked, as she arrived at Geoffrey Zakarian's new boÎte, Country last night for a dinner Gucci hosted in honor of her starring role in Hedda Gabler.

Cate Blanchett, in Gucci © Patrick McMullan

Commandeering the entire second floor of the stunning restaurant, art and fashion stars including Todd Eberle, Patrick Robinson, Horacio Silva, Lynn Hirschberg, Kim Heirston, Stefano Tonchi, and Anne Slowey stopped by for the night's theatrically minded festivities. "I first noticed her when she was in Elizabeth," said Christopher Brooks. "I think she was born to play that role."

And since no gathering of tastemakers would be complete without talk of fashion, conversation quickly turned to 'what are you wearing.' "It's Gucci, of course," said Blanchett of her dark two-piece skirt suit. "They custom-made it for me." Others clad in Frida Giannini's feminine frocks included Virginia Smith and Meredith Melling Burke. "My husband likes to say I wore it for the first day of spring," Burke said, of her floral-printed Gucci resort collection blouse. "But I'm lovin' the little shoulder pads."

Following a reception in the champagne lounge, guests dined on a menu of European-American fare, including lobster velouté, crispy artichoke ravioli, and herb crusted halibut. "I was shocked," Brooks admitted. "I always thought this part of Manhattan was dead at night." His wife was equally impressed with establishment, from its open kitchen to the decor. "It's very un-Gucci," she observed, before adding, "well, the chandeliers are very Gucci‹from the '70s."

Blanchett's role in Gabler marks a reprisal of the Sydney Theatre Company's original production of the play, and the Melbourne-based actress was eager to discuss her homeland. "What's happening in Australian theater is totally untapped," she said. "Patronage in America, what big businesses are able to do here, is an unbelievable thing; it's something I want to bring to my country."

As for the experience of performing Ibsen's seminal work, Blanchett remarked, "it's cathartic, and tonight was a bit of an antidote to that."