Daily Front Row

2012 November 16

Gramercy Antics Fête W's Four Decades

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Joseph Altuzarra, Alexander Wang
Billy Farrell Agency View Gallery

(NEW YORK) On a night of many a big-ticket uptown gala, and plenty of Thursday night antics ensuing per usual farther south, W's 40th anniversary bash hosted by Tod's at the Gramercy Park Hotel's rooftop provided the parfait crossroads in the middle for fash crowd revelry.

Din downstairs transpired for an intimate posse before heading upstairs for the main event. The crowd ranged from Iman to Iris Apfel (and your Daily j'adores both of those lasses, clearly), including the likes of Narciso Rodriguez, Olivier Theyskens, Prabal Gurung, Nicki Hilton, Alejandro Ingelmo, Jenna Lyons, Cheyenne Jackson, and Joan Smalls (to name merely a few). The glossy's EIC, Stefano Tonchi, made the rounds and signed plenty of copies of W's commemorative anniversary tome.

The progressively more packed shindig conveniently bottle-necked at one of the space's locations for all the libations and sustenance a partygoer might desire. To wit: petite cupcakes accessorized with edible sugar disks bearing W or Tod's on the icing, plus a quartet of cocktails on tap (literally) that spanned the past four decades' worth of arguably most popular bar picks. Turns out that cucumber-chili concoction, repping the 2000's and resembling some stage of a juice cleanse, proved most popular, as it was tapped out by 10:30 p.m. The drink du seventies, the Sex on The Beach, appeared to be the least in-demand, while the '80s bevvie of choice, the Vodka Collins, and the '90s ubiquitous single-chick pick of the Cosmo were still on offer. Interesting!

What better locale for some W reminiscing? Even better when the memory involves some chic crossdressing. "I did a really amazing shoot for W, with Inez and Vinoodh; part of it entailed wearing one of my own dresses," recounted Joseph Altuzarra as he waited on the coat check line. "Shimmying into that dress was definitely an adventure!"

And then, there's the monthly mag experience that got the chicsters waxing poetic. "I like the size, it's always been quite powerful," praised Johan Lindeberg of the glossy's generous dimensions. Also praise worthy for Lindeberg? Tonchi's editorship of the title. 

Richard Chai's desired life by the time he hits the big 4-0 is kinda sweet and decidedly simple: "I hope it's easy and happy!" Given the soiree's swank, verdantly-ceilings environs, your Daily wondered about Chai's past memories in terraced situations. "Too private to say," Chai chortled. Intrigue much? 

The prospect of being 40 years old is equally as vague at the moment to Alexander Wang, apparently. "I don't know if I think that far ahead! I try to live in the moment." But on the mag front, Wang waxed poetic about W's striking monthly first impression: its covers. "The way that W can make a celebrity look on its cover is incredible." Should the mag ever opt to put the designer's own mug on the newsstand, Wang doesn't know how it should look, exactly, but he's got a lot of faith in how it would turn out: "I would leave it all to them; I definitely trust W to know what they're doing in that department!" 

The smoking patio was still hopping past midnight, the brisk temps proving more bearable for the cig-danglers who remained clad in their coats for the bash. One partygoer taking a more PETA-friendly stance audibly lamented the fur-clad masses (yep, it's that time of year) as pelts brushed against her left and right. To each her own, right? 
ALEXANDRA ILYASHOV