Saturday evening, packed with post-show parties, was what I refer to as a fashion gridlock. Most fashion lovers fear a gridlock because it inevitably raises the age-old question: What event to attend? I usually follow a very simple set of rules when choosing my destination for the evening. First, I always attend the celebrations being held by my designer friends. Other designers can wait and I am sure they have a posse of their own to fill their fetes. Second is the venue’s location. The proximity of two cocktails being held at similar times creates the perfect scenario for a quick drive by. Third, the crowd expected. It is always more pleasant being at a party with a handful of friends. Running around the city with an entourage is unpleasant and annoying, so always keep the number of your group under four and meet your dearest and nearest at your destinations.
Having planned out my schedule for the evening, I headed to my first stop: The Unruly Heir fall presentation.
One of my favorite things about Fashion Week is the ability to check out the collections of up and coming designers. Indeed, the point of Fashion Week is to promote innovation and creativity, so these smaller presentations are perhaps the true essence and purpose of it all.
I have been following the evolution of the Unruly Heir brand for the past couple of seasons. The brand was founded by Curtis Rose and Joey Goodwin who met at the 4th Street Basketball courts. From the beginning the designers have created an entire universe to support their collection. Unruly Heir embodies the preppy style of New England boarding schools and juxtaposes it all with the urban lifestyle of New York. The result is a playful “street” reading of classic men’s apparel. This lighthearted mixture of benefit ball bowties and skater boy khakis has garnered a long list of young fans for the brand.
The Fall 2008 collection proved that the young brand is quickly maturing beyond their signature seersucker hoodies. The brand is far more focused, presenting over 20 pieces -- from cropped tailored suits to T-shirts with bold John Gagliano graphics. The collection was superb and kept all the quirky signature touches of the Unruly Heir man.
The party was held at the East Village Yacht Club, a most perfect venue, as it mimics the collection’s unspoken mission statement by merging the inviting aspects of a Nantucket home, with its white and blue stripped couches and nautical decorations, with the colorful characteristics of its urban neighborhood. Amongst the crowd was a virtual who’s who of the New York’s young set: lovely Genevieve Jones, model du jour Lydia Hearst, rock star in the making and dear friend Marissa Bregman, birthday boy Daniel Motta, actor Liam McMullan, Swarovski’s David Gruning, a private club’s Justin Belmont, Kyle XY’s Matt Dallas, the always elegant Edward Barsamian, dashing Euan Rellie, publicist and host Kristian Laliberte, Men’s Vogue editor and hipster queen Tasha Green, and master lenseman David X Prutting capturing every moment.
After a few cocktails and a quick chat with some of the guests I headed over to Alexander Wang’s party at the Annex. The cab ride there took a million years. I have never seen the Lower East side quite as crowded and festive as it was. It seemed like all of New York was out to play. Half of New York was certainly outside the door at Annex. Fortunately I ran into a friend who was working the door and in a blink of an eye we were escorted in. Wang is one of the hottest new designers and his pieces adorn virtually every woman with a sense of style: from the Voguettes to the downtown fashion obsessed. It is truly no surprise, as talent like Alex’s is hard to find and rare to come by.
Not only are his collections praised as one the ultimate shows of the season, but also this boy wonder surely knows how to throw a bash. Last season’s celebration was perhaps the most fun I had in a very long time, although I always question my “hipster factor” when surrounded by Alex’s model friends. Unfortunately, the tight space and at limit capacity made it impossible for an encore of last year’s bacchanalia, so my friends and I decided to head to our final stop of the evening: Gold Bar for the Ruffian after-party.
Gold Bar is one of my favorite lounges in New York. It has the most friendly and efficient staff and the venue is perhaps one of the most beautiful in the city. The golden skulls lined up on the wall and the paintings of ancestor-like figures added to the mood of what turned out to be quite a night of dancing and drinking. The ritzy crowd was a mix of the Upper East Side usual suspects and the potpourri of fashion editors and aficionados. The music was fantastic as usual and the champagne flowed all under the orchestration of Nightlife Empress Jayma Cardoso. So indeed, I had quite a fun-filled night putting on the ritz on the LES.
