For the launch of its fashion collaboration with the British-designed Peter Pilotto label, Target tapped Bureau Betak to produce back-to-back parties with co-host Net-a-porter.com in London and New York. The latter fête and private shopping night took place on February 6 at Gotham Hall, where 700 guests were immersed into a world of print and color that represented the Pilotto aesthetic. The focal point was a kinetic installation that combined synchronized music, light, video projection, and LED screens. A bevy of models wearing the collection walked the centrally placed mirrored runway at timed intervals during the event while attendees were encouraged to use social media through Instaprint stations using the #PeterPilottoforTarget hashtag. Two stylish English buffets anchored the space.
For Jason Wu’s fall show, held February 7 at 82 Mercer in SoHo, Bureau Betak shrouded the usually light-filled massive loft space with black drapes and chairs that strikingly juxtaposed the stark, marble-like runway and entrance arches. “Intimate, classic, but with a touch or surrealism,” said Alex de Betak of the set, which complemented a more reserved show that emphasized all things covered-up.
If there’s a large-scale venue in Manhattan, chances are Moncler has used it. For its February 8 Moncler Grenoble presentation, the high-fashion Italian skiwear brand took over the Hammerstein Ballroom to stage a Villa Eugenie-produced extravaganza. The event boasted 10 opera singers from the Pendulum Choir on oscillating pendulums that swayed as they sang in front of a stack of 60 illuminated boxes, each containing a model wearing an outfit from the fall collection. The nearly half-hour performance had a mandate to start on time in order to allow editors to make the dash across the East River to catch the Alexander Wang show.
Diane von Furstenberg took a one-season respite from Lincoln Center, decamping to Spring Studios for her February 9 show, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of her iconic wrap dress. Produced by Bureau Betak, the venue was best summed up in one word: bold. Bold prints and graphics complemented the venue’s soaring windows showing the Manhattan skyline. A performance by singer St. Vincent accompanied the show, which suffered from only one downside: the move in venue meant a reduction of several hundred seats.
