It’s hard enough to score a ticket to attend one of the shows at New York Fashion Week, but the toughest and most coveted guest list spots this week are for the VIP lounges, where there are drinks, swag and usually a celebrity spotting or two. Backstage at the Bryant Park Tents, there are several impressive lounges: a swank one from Mercedes-Benz (Fashion Week’s main sponsor); the W’s predictably upbeat space, where espresso and cupcakes are served; and a large room run by show organizer’s IMG in which, depending on when you show up, you just might catch Justin Timberlake grabbing a pair of customized Havaianas or jeweler Judith Ripka toasting designer Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, who’s starring in their new ad campaign. There are also a handful of invite-only rooms nearby, offering everything from champagne to Nintendo games to their guests.
But not all these lounges are just about having a good time. At the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, for example, an immense suite has been taken over for Fashion Week, with fancy snacks and blow-outs by Kevin Lee, the uber-stylist from the Kenneth Salon whose client list reads like a who’s who of everyone stylish in New York. So how do you get on the exclusive guest list? It was organized for out-of-town fashion editors, who were invited to book rooms at the hotel with a special rate that includes a healthy donation to the CFDA … so even if they write a scathing review of a young designer, they’re actually helping emerging fashion talents at the same time.
Another hot insiders’ guest list this week was Target’s party a few nights ago to launch its partnership with Alexander McQueen. The collection is available on March 4, but the retailer set up a weekend-only pop-up shop selling the entire line, with a private party to kick things off on Friday night. Actresses like January Jones and Zoe Saldana came to shop, but the most coveted spots on the guest list went to a handful of influential web writers who were invited to come an hour before everyone else for the biggest selection and shortest dressing room lines.
There are lots of spunky separates to love in McQueen’s Target line — including hot pink patterned leggings that are completely in sync with what’s been going down the runway this week — and, since Target gives 5 percent of its sales back to community outreach programs, there were ample excuses to shop on Friday. Even though 5 percent of pieces that average for around $30 might not seem like a lot, every little bit counts, and — as many guests left with handfuls of bulging shopping bags — every big bit counts as well …
Photos of Kellie Pickler and the W lounge by Ali Goldstein.