About once every month or so, there is an evening where it seems that every event planner in existence decides to throw a party. Such was last Thursday. There must have been dozens upon dozens of major events throughout the city. People like to be ambitious, but obviously there is a limit. So I decided that I would attend two book parties mid-town, two downtown parties, and finish off the evening with a charity that I have long been involved in, the ASPCA. However, there was one snag: the rain. I don't know what it is about inclement weather that nearly cripples New Yorkers, but suffice to say it threw my game plan off by a good 45 minutes. I still made it to each of these events, but I did not stay as long at some as I would have liked.
My first stop was at the St. Regis, where Diane Von Furstenberg, the CFDA, Prosper and Martine Assouline, and Steven Kolb hosted the launch of American Fashion Designers at Home by trend expert and self-proclaimed "numbers junkie" Rima Suqi. The book takes a look at the domestic side of fashion by offering an intimate look into the private residences of over 100 CFDA members, among them Von Furstenberg, Derek Lam, Kate Spade, Cynthia Rowley, and Bob Mackie. As I dried myself off while helping myself to a cocktail and a few hors d'oeuvres, I saw: the Assoulines, Robert Burke, Fern Mallis, Pamela Fiori, Subversive's Justin Giunta, Richard Lambertson, Liz Lange, Peter Som, Nanette Lepore, Paul Wilmot, and Assouline's Mimi Crume, who is getting married the end of this month!
From there, I walked two blocks up to Bergdorf Goodman, where BG restaurant and Women's Wear Daily Executive Editor Bridget Foley were hosting a launch for WWD: 100 Years, 100 Designers, a book that celebrates a century of WWD news and coverage by paying homage to 100 of the most influential designers of our time, "whose work," in the words of Bridget Foley, "has helped define the eras in which they lived." Accordingly, the book toasts designers from Mainbocher and Adolfo, to Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana, to Stella McCartney and Tom Ford, to Alexander Wang and Jason Wu. The impressive 312 page tome is filled with hundreds of memorable photographs, beautiful illustrations, and also pays tribute to the photographers, editors, and reporters from 1910 to the present, who have helped make WWD what it is today.
Another section of the book - which goes on sale at amazon.com starting November 1st - features a series of revealing interviews conducted over the decades for WWD, with luminaries the likes of Armani, Chanel, Halston, McQueen, and Versace. Among the designers, celebrities, and other notables there to fete this milestone were: Francisco Costa, Vera Wang, Yigal Azrouel, Issac Mizrahi, Bianca Jagger, Lisa Airan, Debbie Bancroft, Andrew Saffir, Daniel Benedict, Shoshanna Gruss, and Fe Fendi. The event also served as a kick-off to a highly anticipated, invitation only gala celebration at Cipriani's early next month.
And it was off to brave the weather again, as I exited Bergdorf's and attempted to hail a cab. In retrospect, I probably should have hired a car for the evening. Ultimately, it would have been cheaper. When I finally hailed a gypsy cab to head downtown to Kenmare for the launch of the Hudson by Georgia May Jagger Collection, the driver said it would be $30. I then asked him if he could first pick up a friend of my who lived a couple of blocks uptown, in the 60s. That would be an extra $15, he said. What can I say? I was lucky to get this car, and he had the upper hand and knew it. Never mind that he needed to use his GPS to find Kenmare Street, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself here. In any case, we finally did arrive at Kenmare for the HL Group produced event, which was bustling with editors and fashionistas checking out the new collection, usually with drink in hand. Meanwhile, the owners of Kenmare were busy receiving their Paper Magazine Award for Best Restaurant with a Nightlife Scene, so it doesn't look like this place will quit anytime soon.
From Kenmare, it was off to Hudson & Broad (it was considerably easier to get a taxi downtown, by the way), where Bobbi Brown, Amy Astley, and J.Crew's Jenna Lyons celebrated the launch of Brown's new book Beauty Rules, a contemporary beauty bible for today's young women. Abigail Breslin, Amanda Brooks, Alice Ryan, Andrew Bevan and Joy Bryant mingled about the raw space while Chelsea Leyland DJ'd. True to the magazine's "Fashion at Work" feature, there was a hair station, make-up station, styling and photo sessions where fashionable moms - like Amy Hoadley and her daughter, Nathalie Dirnfeld - took their daughters for mini-makeover sessions. Incidentally, where was a manual like this when I was growing up? If this event was any indication, these young ladies will be makeup savvy sophisticates before they even turn 16.
Finally, it was off to the ICA building for the ASPCA annual fundraiser, where special guest Josh Lucas nearly upstaged the adorable dogs up for adoption. After playing with some of the dogs and sampling a Dylan's Candy Bar, it was finally time for this girl to head back uptown - and dry off!