F L A U N T
Flashbulbs popping, perfume and cologne melding with the smells of the street, and prayers that your name actually made it onto the guest list. No, it’s not a bad dream. I’m talking about New York Fashion Week! The chic period occurs over the metropolis every early fall, but don’t tell that to the sweaty temperatures that engulfed the city this year. Put on your finest new threads, wipe those brows, and make sure your phone is charged for the Uber late: let’s go to the yin and yang of Fashion Week bashes 2026.
The Ambassador’s Club, Gramercy
The girl by the buffet looks exactly like Lena Dunham. Wait, that is Lena Dunam. To celebrate the collaboration between J. Crew and Eckhaus Latta, the two brands threw a bash at the tony Players Club. Formerly a hangout for thespians of yesteryear (portraits of them lined the wall, including Audrey Hepburn), tonight it was a multi-level shindig which actually was made to look like a college house party.. Playing on the collegiate theme of the collaboration, the bash had everything from beer pong to jello shots (the latter in the form of espresso martini-flavored squares). Aside from the aforementioned Girls star, a wide variety of names made their way through including the comedian Matt Rogers, artists Toro y Moi and Moses Sumney, as well Bushwick royalty Ella Emhoff. Unlike a typical college bash where cheap beer reigns supreme, the drinks came in the form of dirty martinis and champagne, while a line of hungry fashionistas waited for caviar. Aside from a roving caricaturist, there was also a (cute the spooky music) ‘aura booth’ where guests had their auras scanned. I had mine gauged, and apparently my aura is pink; a card given to me says that aura color translates to ‘loving’ and ‘kindness.’ As in, I kind of loved the pigs in the blanket.
The Highlight Room, Bowery
Down an Instagrammable hallway decked out with yellow neon lights is an elevator that leads to The Highlight Room, a penthouse space in the Moxy Hotel that looks out onto the city yonder. Walking in, a blast of early 00s-era pop greets revelers; the Katy Perry courtesy the DJ Ty Sunderland. Christian Siriano regularly hosts wild fashion week soiree for his after parties; last season was at the W Union Square. Tonight, JoJo, as in JoJo “Leave (Get Out) Levesque, performed, as well as a surprise guest: Brandy! Well, a DJ played her hits (including “The Boy Is Mine”) while Brandy herself bopped in the booth. But hey still, it counts. Elsewhere, the likes of Billy Porter, Evan Rachel Wood and Tiffany Haddish roamed the space. As with any party, the typical ice breaker is “How’s your fashion week going?” A typical response across events? Act like you’re extremely in demand and desperately tired, as if fashion week parties are some legal obvligation as opposed to an excuse to have fun. “Oh, this is my fourth party of the night, I can barely stand the attention, darling.”
Bar Leone opening party
Bar Leone, SoHo
Fashion week parties aren’t always about the fashion, you know. Ancillary projects wisely use the busy week to promote other ventures. Case in point: a new iteration of what was once the ShoHo lounge Her Name is Carmen courtesy the restaurant impresario Andres Diaz. Now, the Broome St space is called Bar Leone and is designed as Italo disco crossed with 70s New York (can you smell the cologne yet?). Emphasis on the La Dolce Vita aspect: upstairs, a bevy of impeccably dressed partiers sipped on caviar martinis. Meanwhile, ciao! The actual Italian language ricocheted across its chic walls. Downstairs, the lush lipstick-red space spun disco classics, including remixes of Mina tracks galore. I took my seat along one of the comfy booths that line the wall and took in the scene. This week, the people-watching can’t be beat. Another Negroni, per favore!
Benson Boone
The Palladium, Times Square
Where there is yin, there is always yang. While one may think a Benson Boone concert thrown by Wells Fargo wouldn’t be a particularly hot destination during fashion week, one would be wrong. Perhaps it was his summer of thirst traps that drew NYC fashionistas to the Palladium, located smack in the middle of hell (also known as Times Square). Either that, or it was his catchy tunes sung in his pitch-perfect falsetto style that brought the masses out. The singer’s concert lured out a bevy of party hoppers who wadded in between stuffier fashion week events. Inside, the space was totally Boone-ified: VIP audience members saw the show from The Beautiful Things Deck, named after his marquee hit. Meanwhile, the Mystical Magical Flamingo cocktail, a blend of fruit juices with Tito’s, was another nod to Benson. Yes, he did do a signature flip. And no, he did not take off his shirt.
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