The sleepy days of summer are barely over, but already the fall event season is off to an energetic start. On Tuesday night, Paper magazine and Hewlett-Packard unofficially kicked off Fashion Week with a gala for 900 of their closest friends at the New York Public Library's Astor Hall. The late-night blowout, which marked 25 years since the launch of the magazine and Hewlett-Packard's first inkjet printer, also included performances by the Virgins, Queen Latifah, and Liza Minnelli.
For the motley crew of attendees—the downtown artsy crowd, designers like Betsey Johnson and Isaac Mizrahi, entertainers, and preppy types—Paper's inhouse team, led by director of events and promotions Nicky Balestrieri and vice president of creative services and marketing Drew Elliott, wanted to communicate the message of 25 years of paper and ink. With that in mind, organizers chose the city's largest institution for the printed word as the venue and littered the location with all things paper. In a tongue-in-cheek move, the decor also included a birthday motif with cake, hats, and other party supplies. And so that partner Hewlett-Packard wasn't left out of the event's visuals, the planning team also showcased the technology company's HP Photosmart Premium, a Web-enabled printer.
Creative uses for paper abounded: paper bag luminarias lit by LED candles, origami all over, and vases filled with paper blossoms acting as tabletop centerpieces. As a playful touch, the hosts supplied tassled noisemakers and sprinkled glitter on the floors and furniture. On the interactive side, HP printers allowed guests including Lydia Hearst and Fern Mallis to print out their own party hats as well as mock Paper covers from a photo booth staffed with one of the magazine's in-house photographers.
Shortly after the Virgins and Queen Latifah performed, Paper founders Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits led the crowd in a chorus of "Happy Birthday."
