Andrew Cuomo struts down runway at NYFW's bipartisan 'Style Across the Aisle' fashion show

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo swapped campaign stops for a runway strut this week.

The former New York governor didn’t do it alone. The second annual “Style Across the Aisle” show also featured former New York Governor David Paterson and red-beret warrior Curtis Sliwa, who all ditched the podium for a spot under the bright lights of New York Fashion Week.

New York politicians hit the ramp

The stage was set in the grand, 100-plus-year-old Beaux-Arts-style New York County Surrogate’s Court building, near City Hall. The marble walls echoed with music on Wednesday, September 10, as guests trickled in, ready to watch politicians hit the ramp.

Hosted by the Gracie Mansion Conservancy and brainchild of Skye Ostreicher, a former political journalist, Style Across the Aisle’s mission is to let Democrats and Republicans show they can at least agree on fashion digs.

“We see what’s going on out there: the violence, the protests, people not getting along, just because of politics,” Ostreicher said at the end of the show, as quoted by The New York Times. “I know for a fact that every person here wants to collaborate and work together and reach across the aisle and move New York City forward.”

Andrew Cuomo suits up, Curtis Sliwa shows off his beret

The star of the night was Andrew Cuomo, who hit the runway in a custom blue suit from Bond & Bari Bespoke, a Manhattan menswear label that also outfitted NYC’s DCAS Commissioner Louis Molina.

“It was a great bipartisan effort and a reminder there’s far less that divides us than unites us as New Yorkers,” Cuomo told The Hill.

Not to be outdone, Sliwa refused to check his signature headgear. He insisted that the red beret was basically couture at this point.

“My beret has become a fashion statement in New York City,” Sliwa declared, with wife Nancy Regula by his side. “It’s part of the urban legend of the Guardian Angels and Curtis Sliwa and, as you know, it’s a fixture in my campaign.”

Paterson, who just last month endorsed Mayor Eric Adams for reelection, rocked a black denim jacket and pants with a white shirt from Harlem-born designer Mel Maxi.

“It’s much different than the events we usually go to and for me, it’s a lot of fun because I’m seeing a lot of my old colleagues,” Paterson said. The former governor even busted out a break dancing move mid-runway. “We fought for and against each other," he remarked, before crowning himself best dressed of the night.

Fashion for a just cause amid NYC mayoral race

Beyond the showmanship, the night had a real cause. Proceeds went to Witness to Mass Incarceration, a nonprofit that supports formerly incarcerated people.

Two designers from the group’s art of tailoring program had their big moment too, dressing Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs (the first formerly incarcerated state legislator in New York) and Councilwoman Julie Won.

“I am honored to put on the gear and represent them,” Gibbs said, donning a pink-and-green outfit topped with a pink-and-white lily boutonniere. “Do what you got to do on the runway," he said backstage. More than 100 people sat around the catwalk.

This comes as the NYC mayoral race heats up with Cuomo and Adams both running as independents while Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani enjoys a strong lead.

According to the latest Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill numbers, Mamdani is 15 points ahead of Cuomo, 43 percent to 28 percent. Sliwa trails both, but remains ahead of Adams.