Fashion Week's Rush to Raw Spaces

Forgive us for missing this in Women's Wear Daily's Fashion Week party coverage—we were too busy with our own. But we wanted to point out WWD's mention of "a DIY attitude sweeping through this season, with most [event planners] opting for rented raw spaces, preferably as close to the West Side Highway as possible." Both Calvin Klein and DKNY held parties in an unfinished venue at 547 West 21st Street. (Calvin Klein's Kim Vernon pointed to the ability to create an experience from scratch: "A restaurant is the dream of Jean-Georges or Keith McNally. That's their dream, this is ours.") And Stephen Gan, editor of Visionaire, booked a West Village dive bar for a party to escape the overdone feel of so many venues. "I feel like things are getting too polished and too slick," he told WWD. "You don't hear the word 'yuppie' anymore, but many of these big restaurants tailor to today's equivalent. I'm looking for more underground spaces that have a vibe closer to the New York I knew when I first moved here in the early 90's." Noted.
Posted 09.22.05