After Hours

I have to confess, I’ve been rather lazy when it comes to making the nighttime rounds this recent New York Fashion Week. Chalk it up to a product of the frigid temperatures; a smoky, fire hazard-worthy party at Indochine last Thursday, and the fact that each season my hangovers seem to last longer than they did before.

Why I chose to make up for this nocturnal negligence on a Tuesday before a 9am Wednesday morning show is the kind of poor decision making that can only be explained by too much caffeine and that feeling of “missing out” that I thought I would lose by my 29th birthday, but apparently I’m just not that mature.

Anyway, I began the night at cocktails for the designer Bibhu Mohapatra to celebrate his presentation earlier that day. By the time I arrived at the Trump Soho hotel’s 46th Floor SoHi space, the bar was ten minutes from closing, so being the clear-headed girl I am (I’d like to add that I hadn’t eaten in 8 hours—4 minutes in fashion time, but still) I made a beeline for the champagne. The room has stunning views across the Hudson and all the way up Sixth Avenue, allowing a glimpse of the Empire State Building and the crowd was a mix of retailers, friends and fellow fashion designers like Prabal Gurung. After toasting Bibhu, I joined my friend, the hair and makeup artist Alexa Rodulfo, and a group of Mexican and Venezuelan girls in a large SUV and headed to the Bowery Hotel (the gang’s leader Eglantina Zingg needed to stop by a friend’s event). Even 11 hours later, I still can’t explain what was going on there. A few makeup stations greeted you near the front bar and inexplicably in the back was a Disney bouncy castle into which a Lady Gaga impersonator lookalike disappeared after removing her sky-high pink platforms. Needless to say, I didn’t last very long.

My final destination for the night was the V Man party for its latest issue and cover star Kanye West at the not yet open Mondrian Soho. Held in the an unfinished space called The Garden (there was still butcher paper on parts of the floor) the bash had the feel of louche nightclub, enhanced by the purple-blue light that rendered everyone’s teeth and drinks a glowing unnatural green hue.

“It looks like antifreeze,” said Alexa of her glass of champagne.

“This is really unflattering lighting,” remarked one fashion editor.

Cecilia Dean, Richard Chai, Zani Gugelmann and Tallulah Harlech didn’t seem to mind as they meandered through the multiple rooms. In the back, chandeliers and a huge disco ball hung from the ceiling while a slew of scantily-clad guys and girls (including one who could have been Amber Rose’s doppelganger if she went blonde) gyrated on top of boxes. Kanye caused quite a stir when he entered, but not everyone was feeling him.

“I don’t get the commotion,” sniffed one guest observing the musician. Same here.

Photos courtesy of Billy Farrell Agency