Navigating the NYFW party circuit takes a certain selection and prediction of which event might be the most memorable – unless all of the choices are equally enticing. Last night, this was the case, starting with Marchesa’s showing at the St. Regis Hotel, which included a an appearance by former Gossip Girl, Blake Lively, who was awestruck by the luxurious evening wear. “Oh my goodness, Georgina designs like she’s designing for a fairy tale,” Lively said while sporting a hand-painted dress from the design house. “I’m a hopeless romantic, so that’s probably why I’m a huge fan. And who can’t be a fan? Look at those clothes!” Designer Georgina Chapman’s significant other, power producer Harvey Weinstein, was also in the audience. “My wife’s a genius. What can I tell you? It’s nice to know that my retirement will be paid for by Georgina, so I’m really pleased,” Weinstein said after plotting a Marchesa 10th anniversary party with Neiman Marcus CEO Jim Gold. “For me this is about social security!”
The Lauren family later descended upon Center548 where designer Greg Lauren showed his collection of signature canvas military looks in a space transformed to resemble a military camp – with cocktails of course. “This collection is a continuation of what I like to call the artistic nomad,” he said after being greeted by fellow members of the Polo Ralph Lauren empire including Ricky, Dylan, and Lauren Bush Lauren. “There’s always a consistent military reference, but I’m always interested in finding out, through clothing, how we want to express ourselves. The look this season is an artistic, nomadic, warrior spirit, if that makes any sense!”
Another artist, Donald Robertson, later packed out The Standard Hotel’s store to sell more copies of the guerrilla zine, Fashion is Nuts which he co-created with creative director Ruba Abu-Nimah. The mag reimagines fashion folks like Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour using walnuts, and gives them cheeky names like Uber Nut and Alpha Nut for Karl and Anna respectively. “We’re all freezing our nuts off, so I thought it was appropriate,” Robertson joked between signing zine copies for fans. Thanks to the artist’s long list of fashion friends and his rabid social media following, the tiny store had guests spilling out into the hotel’s elevator bay. “I’m honored to be a nut, and the smoothest nut,” makeup artist Pat McGrath said after her big embrace with super model Iman. “He took a long time selecting the right nut with the perfect complexion.” Those in-the-know then carried on upstairs to The Boom Boom Room for celebratory cocktails by the fire.
Across town, New York Magazine and The Cut held their annual NYFW celebration at The Gramercy Park Hotel with a little help from friends like Nell Diamond, Arianna Huffington, and a gaggle of models including Lindsay Ellingson, Hailey Clauson, RJ King, and Andreja Pejic – several of whom braved the cold mid-party for a model-appropriate cigarette break. Cathy Horyn was also on hand to make her first appearance as the The Cut’s critic-at-large following her sudden departure from The New York Times.
The rest of the evening belonged to the club kids starting with The Blonds drag-centric showing at Milk Studios, where designers Phillipe and David Blond closed the show wearing a gilded Clockwork Orange ensemble. This was followed by the equally zany after party for jeremy scott at uptown dance club Space Ibiza New York. The usually bizarre party packed to the rafters with freaky club fixtures including DJ Mazurbate who provided tunes for the evening. The designer, who has scored major gigs with Adidas (ADDYY), fragrance giant Coty, and the rebranded Italian house Moschino, was tucked in a corner with boyfriend/publicist Pablo Olea and a big bottle of Belvedere vodka and called upon his celebrity clients to party on this, the last night of fashion week festivities. Until September, stay stylish.