One week before New York Fashion Week was scheduled to begin on Friday, February 9, there were already scores of parties hitting the events calendar. On Tuesday night, Valentino celebrated the opening of its brand-new SoHo boutique on 98 Prince Street with a soirée at its pop-up café located across the street beneath the Mercer Hotel (Jemima Kirke, true to form, was a fixture on the dance floor, while Emma Seligman, Louisa Jacobson, and KiKi Layne were also in attendance). Farther north in the West Village, Martha Stewart rang in Lunar New Year with chef Angie Mar, New York City club legend Dianne Brill, and the luxury flatware brand Christofle. Later in the week, H&M will host a rager for its new SoHo location, while Humberto Leon is throwing a Lunar New Year celebration of his own: a dinner curated by his L.A. restaurant Chifa in downtown Manhattan. French houses are getting in on the fun, too: Chanel will come to town to toast its new Watches and Fine Jewelry flagship, and YSL Beauté is throwing a party in honor of the viral Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick. Prada is also launching its beauty line with a cocktail party on the 9th. Check back often, because we’ll be updating this report from all the biggest parties of the season.
Valentino’s SoHo Pop-up Opening
Valentino has returned to SoHo with a new boutique at 98 Prince Street. Naturally, the brand decided to paint the town pink to celebrate. For the week, they’ve taken over Sartiano’s across the street and rechristened it as Café Valentino. On Tuesday, February 6, guests including Dylan Sprouse, Jayme Lawson, Jeremy O. Harris, Myha’la Herrold (above), and Bowen Yang gathered to celebrate. The color of the cocktails of the night? Pink, of course.
You can always count of Jemima Kirke to actually party during a fashion week party. Earlier in the night, she was wearing a matching blazer—but doffed it for a dance-floor twirl.
Yang, attending with Saturday Night Live writer Celeste Kim, came clad in a green statement coat and shorts.
Christofle & Angie Mar Celebrate Lunar New Year
What could get Martha Stewart, queen of domesticity, and Dianne Brill, queen of ’80s New York clubland, out to the same event? Christofle and chef Angie Mar’s Lunar New Year party, held at Le B. in the West Village (the chef and the high-end tableware company are releasing a limited-edition sculpture by Zheng Lu). Guests packed the intimate restaurant, though at one point they made room for a traditional lion dance. If this photo serves as any indication, however, the kitchen was the makeshift VIP room of the evening.
While waiters squeezed between guests to serve an array of hors d’oeuvres including dumplings and prawns, the dragon had better luck making room for itself.
Brill, the New York legend and makeup maven, also had no problem making her way about. As she was exiting, a handler reminded everyone she was “Queen of the Night,” the sobriquet once bequeathed to her by Andy Warhol.
Vestiaire Collective Celebrates With Jessica Chastain
If you need any last-minute fashion week ’fits, Jessica Chastain is cleaning out her closet. The Oscar winner, accompanied for the night by husband Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, has partnered with upscale resale site Vestiaire Collective to sell off some her red carpet looks. Even the black Cong Tri gown she wore that night (and had previously worn for the premiere of her film Memory) was for sale. She celebrated alongside her stylist Elizabeth Stewart (who is also selling some wares), Vestiaire cofounder Fanny Moizant, and North America CEO Samina Virk with a jam-packed cocktail soirée at hotspot The Nines.
Girl about town Ivy Getty was clearly channeling her inner big cat for the evening. Leopard print never goes out of style—perhaps this can serve as inspo for your next Vestiaire purchase.