Denim Rules at Store Opening

Denim was everywhere at the party to launch Express's flagship store in SoHo. PR and event firm Harrison & Shriftman played off of the denim-centric retailer's jeans-lined walls with a relaxed all-denim and blue theme. The store was packed with a crowd of young hipsters, and those who got there early enough to snag a seat lounged in oversized chairs and couches from Furniture Masters that were covered in denim slipcovers. The rest of the crowd squeezed between cocktail tables covered with denim patchwork tablecloths from Ruth Fischl, who also covered poles in denim and created denim cocktail napkins.
Olivier Cheng Catering and Events served a relaxed menu of finger food to match the decor, including mini hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches and lobster BLTs, on square Lucite trays plastered with the Express Jeans logo. Three bars were set up in the two-floor store, where a special blue drink—ginger-infused lemonade spiked with vodka—was served with blue Litecubes (plastic ice cubes with battery-operated lights inside available from Nexus Promotions).

Denim artists Pablo Power and Christian Mendoza--armed with paint and brushes--were on hand to customize the legs of jeans-clad guests, and DJ Jus Ske from New York Sound & Visual spun an upbeat mix. No store launch is complete without some advertising, so a large screen above the store's check-out counter played commercials for Express Jeans.

—Jill Musguire

Read about the gift bag from this event...