Joan Collins, Darren Criss Pop By Starry Tie the Knot Launch

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Atop the London Hotel last night, Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson and hubby-to-be Justin Mikita celebrated the launch of Tie The Knot, their new, limited-edition line of bowties produced with The Tie Bar whose proceeds benefit the marriage equality movement. The line features 20 styles available starting today, all designed by the couple.

To say the party was star-studded would be a grave understatement—in addition to castmates Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, and Sarah Hyland, we spotted Lizzy Caplan, SoulCycle master and New Girl star Max Greenfield, Busy Phillips, Kathy Griffin, Kristin Chenoweth, Lance Bass, James Van Der Beek, Kate Walsh and Glee's Darren Criss, a long-time fan of The Tie Bar's neckwear. The stand-out appearance of the night, however, went to Joan Collins who drifted right past the red carpet without any fanfare.

We spoke with Ferguson and Mikita about their inspiration for the project, and The Modern Family star proved very modest about his aspirations as a designer. "I wanted to get involved in the fashion world and I wanted to do it in the easiest way possible because I'm scared of it and I don't know anything about it, so I chose the smallest article of clothing possible. I don't think anyone will take me seriously as a bowtie designer, but if I do it for charity, you can't be mad at me." Mikita explained, "We saw patterns that we liked and sent them to The Tie Bar to digitalize, and we would make minor tweaks. The design process was very easy."

The couple is already looking to expand their efforts for marriage equality with additional lines, such as stationary and wedding invitations, wedding bands and more neckwear. But, as they both noted, they hope their cause is short-lived. JTF quipped, "Hopefully marriage equality won't be something we have to raise money for anymore," to which Mikita countered, "Let's hope the world puts us out of business!"
· Tie the Knot [Official Site]