On Wednesday, Washington fashion-followers got a sneak peak of The September Issue, the new documentary about Anna Wintour and the making of Vogue's largest edition ever, at an advanced screening hosted by online retailer Gilt Groupe. The membership-only designer shopping site invited about 200 Gilt Groupe shoppers and D.C. trendsetters to Landmark E Street Cinema at 6:30 p.m. to screen the film, which opened in New York on Friday, and opens in L.A. and select cities on September 11.
After the film ended, guests walked down the street to the after-party at the W Washington D.C., which opened in July. Guests gathered in the hotel’s pink-lit Altitude room, decorated with luxurious black and white furniture and a glowing glass bar. The party also spilled out into a roped-off area of the W’s popular POV rooftop bar. “Where else would Gilt Groupe go besides the W?” said Patton Group event planner Jayne Sandman. “It’s a perfect match. Fashion is very important to the W. And for the Gilt Groupe, there’s no place that would work better.”
Passed hors d'oeuvres such as gazpacho shooters, sliders, and mini blueberry cheesecakes made their way through the crowd, as did the W’s Bliss Spa squad—an aesthetician offered hand and arm massages while free samples of Body Butter lotion were passed out. The Gilt-branded gift bag also included Bliss lotion, as well as W mints, a Davines shampoo sample from Salon One80, and a $25 Gilt Group invitation card. Guests could also take home a copy of this year’s September Vogue issue, as well as a souvenir photo of themselves on Vogue’s cover, taken at the party’s photography station.
Gilt Groupe staged similar screenings and parties in Nantucket and Denver. The after-party for The September Issue marked the first “W Happening,” a series of fashion, design, and music events that the W brand plans to host at its hotels around the world every four to six weeks.
