Makeshift decor at the last-minute press preview
Photo: BizBash
Wednesday night was to be the highly publicized launch party for the new Calvin Klein perfume, Secret Obsession, at 421 Broome Street’s Aglow Studios, but the landlord of the building appeared to pull the plug at the last minute. Staffers at Coty, which holds the Calvin Klein fragrances license, scrambled to relocate the press preview to a nearby SoHo restaurant, but canceled the party.
When we arrived at Aglow a little after 7:30 p.m., three security guards stood at the door, making sure no one could get in. A few stragglers mulled around the sidewalk and one told us that everyone had been shuffled off to Barolo on West Broadway. Seven blocks and ten minutes later, we found a scene of confused partygoers in front of the restaurant, trying to get out of the rain. The overwhelmed publicity team handed out bracelets to anyone who walked into the restaurant, but as the crowd increased, they started turning people away.The original party, produced by BMF Media Group, promised a design-heavy affair with performance art and live music. New York Magazine reports that it was ready to go, with booze, models, and the band all in place when the beauty editors were shuffled off to the other location. Guests arriving for the party were simply turned away. The word on the street during the relocation was that “security issues” forced the move, but the handful of guests who arrived early enough heard otherwise. Gossip Web site TMZ has footage of the landlord arguing with police over his right to cancel the event. He appeared to claim that Aglow was never meant to host commercial events, only private, personal ones. Mention of the party in yesterday's Page Six may have caused the cold feet.
The venue previously played host to events like artist Takashi Murakami’s after-party for April’s Brooklyn Museum ball and the 2007 launch of Mariah Carey's M perfume, so this would not have been the first commercial event held there. Aglow Studios publicizes that it’s available several times a month for parties of 200 guests or fewer. Gustavo Nieva, who manages the space, declined to comment on the matter.
At the relocated press preview in Barolo's back room, posters of the Eva Mendes campaign haphazardly adorned a few banquet tables, and we caught two men taking a brand-new television out of a box and setting it up in the middle of the crowd. Editors and members of the foreign press drank cocktails before a small presentation and screening of the television ad (which hasn’t been approved to air). Host Eva Mendes, who left the first venue as soon as the trouble started, did make it to the preview.
In a statement issued earlier this afternoon, Coty had this to say about the events of the night: “As a result of ongoing disputes related to the use of the contemplated space, of which it was not aware until shortly before the proposed commencement of the event, Coty felt compelled to cancel the event as Coty did not wish to be embroiled in a dispute to which it was not a party. Calvin Klein, Inc. was not involved in the production of this event.”
Correction: This story has been updated to acknowledge that Eva Mendes made an appearance at Barolo.
When we arrived at Aglow a little after 7:30 p.m., three security guards stood at the door, making sure no one could get in. A few stragglers mulled around the sidewalk and one told us that everyone had been shuffled off to Barolo on West Broadway. Seven blocks and ten minutes later, we found a scene of confused partygoers in front of the restaurant, trying to get out of the rain. The overwhelmed publicity team handed out bracelets to anyone who walked into the restaurant, but as the crowd increased, they started turning people away.The original party, produced by BMF Media Group, promised a design-heavy affair with performance art and live music. New York Magazine reports that it was ready to go, with booze, models, and the band all in place when the beauty editors were shuffled off to the other location. Guests arriving for the party were simply turned away. The word on the street during the relocation was that “security issues” forced the move, but the handful of guests who arrived early enough heard otherwise. Gossip Web site TMZ has footage of the landlord arguing with police over his right to cancel the event. He appeared to claim that Aglow was never meant to host commercial events, only private, personal ones. Mention of the party in yesterday's Page Six may have caused the cold feet.
The venue previously played host to events like artist Takashi Murakami’s after-party for April’s Brooklyn Museum ball and the 2007 launch of Mariah Carey's M perfume, so this would not have been the first commercial event held there. Aglow Studios publicizes that it’s available several times a month for parties of 200 guests or fewer. Gustavo Nieva, who manages the space, declined to comment on the matter.
At the relocated press preview in Barolo's back room, posters of the Eva Mendes campaign haphazardly adorned a few banquet tables, and we caught two men taking a brand-new television out of a box and setting it up in the middle of the crowd. Editors and members of the foreign press drank cocktails before a small presentation and screening of the television ad (which hasn’t been approved to air). Host Eva Mendes, who left the first venue as soon as the trouble started, did make it to the preview.
In a statement issued earlier this afternoon, Coty had this to say about the events of the night: “As a result of ongoing disputes related to the use of the contemplated space, of which it was not aware until shortly before the proposed commencement of the event, Coty felt compelled to cancel the event as Coty did not wish to be embroiled in a dispute to which it was not a party. Calvin Klein, Inc. was not involved in the production of this event.”
Correction: This story has been updated to acknowledge that Eva Mendes made an appearance at Barolo.
