One might be forgiven for not knowing that March 8 was International Women's Day. First celebrated in 1911, IWD is a national holiday, on par with Mother's Day, in several countries across the world.

Though it has a lower-profile in the United States, designer Diane von Furstenberg has celebrated the date for several years. On Monday evening, she hosted singer Estelle and Brazilian artist Panmela Castro-Anarkia in collaboration with Vital Voices, a women's group founded by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton that aims to empower disenfranchised women.

The small party took place at the DVF flagship in the Meatpacking district, where, in usual fashion party mode, thin, coiffed women alternately circled around champagne flutes and rebuffed trays bearing little bites of food. A modelesque DJ in heels and a figure-hugging dress spun R&B and pop with a heavy rotation of female artists. A painting by Castro-Anarkia was given prime real estate for viewing, and would be up for a silent auction, with all funds going towards to Vital Voices.

But the light-hearted mood masked a serious agenda. Castro-Anarkia, who escaped an abusive marriage in Brazil, uses her graffiti art to educate women and girls about Brazil's first domestic abuse legislation. (The 2006 law was named in honor of Maria da Penha, a woman who was left paralyzed after her husband shot her in the spine.) The artist describes her efforts as "fighting culture with culture."

"I have never met a woman who is not strong. That doesn't exist," von Furstenberg told the assembled guests. "But sometimes, it's very deep inside. When the moment gets really tough, their strength always comes up."

"It's not that we don't like men, we love men," she added, getting laughs from the crowd. "We just want to use the power we have in order to make the world a better place."

Diane von Furstenberg's company is selling a compilation CD, "DVF Presents... Proud to be a Woman" on iTunes and her stores, with all proceeds going towards Vital Voices.

Estelle, whose contributed a single, "Shine," to the compilation joked that she was going to pull strings to make IWD an American holiday. "We should have a real moment because we work," she said. "I'm gonna need someone to fix that, Obama. Just saying."