Mr. Hush Speaks

Nightlife is getting bigger -- it can no longer be looked at as a 10pm to 4am sport. Promoters and their followings are no longer content with just late-night revelry, as brunches at fancy restaurants and roof decks and pool parties service the chic set now that summer is here. Eventually promoters will control the lives of their patrons 24/7, or someone else will. The Hamptons are doing great despite dire predictions -- but it's still mostly a money-losing proposition for those pulling the strings. Owner and promoter types feel the necessity to control their clientele, especially the hot girls, lest some other promoter type entice them away with visions of sugarplum fairies or more Grey Goose. It’s day- and nightlife, and as entrepreneurs start to embrace this concept, more swag and privileges will accrue to the swagged and privileged.

When the summer fades, will some smart promoter type host brunches at Barneys? Will Barneys, wanting the young and beautiful brunching on a winter morning, therefore entice or bribe—or is it pay—for this smart set to come to the store by giving them free clothes? For Barneys and other boutiques, it will be like a live fashion show, a reality not-on-TV gathering of pretty peeps showing shoppers just how good that outfit will look on you. This is inevitable. This generation of the young and the restless and hot will soon get more and more just to be seen at stores. Isn’t that what clubs do? Hire promoters armed with models to make their joints seem chic? Will this same game bring the rich to stores where they’ll be hitting on models, buying suits for themselves and chic little dresses for the waifs instead of vodka? Will the bottle buyer become the bauble buyer as jewelry stores get into the mix? The under-drinking-age models don’t even have to be carded or hidden to play this game. How long before Bumble and bumble and Cutler and other sharp salons consolidate their model-rate customers to weekend afternoon brunch-and-cut soirees?

Into this mix comes Mr. Hush. The chic set, not content to just look beautiful/handsome and get V.I.P. treatment at every club in town, will now have their needs catered to day and night. They will be getting what is essentially a gift bag—or in this case an envelope—for being beautiful and in the right place. The bright folks behind this concept will be handing out swag to the deserving set at the sharp spots in envelopes, which are easy to carry. I got the first of these “swagelopes” from Mr. Hush himself. I can eat, get groomed, test drive a sports car, and accumulate riches courtesy of this handsome fellow. I must say he’s younger, hipper, and much better looking than that Dos Equis dude.

So who are you?
People say I’m a good guy to know. I’d say that’s an accurate description.

What should we know about you?
Know that each month I distribute limited-edition envelopes at exclusive New York City locations.  Each envelope is hand-stuffed with swag, invitations, complimentary vouchers, and cultural news and is given out to 5,000 hush-worthy people.

What makes someone hush-worthy?
It’s a criteria that’s hard to put into words. An intangible cool.

Can you leak a few of the places we might find the envelope this month?
Just a few ... they are places that suit my many moods. Peter Vancek Salon @ Collective Hardware, N.Y.C. Motorcycle Federation, Cipriani Soho, Plaza Hotel, Versani. The rest you’ll have to discover on your own.

What does the envelope look like?
Every month, a different featured artists designs the cover, but this month’s is a self-portrait. I never said I was modest. 

We heard that you’re also planting some “Golden Tickets”? What’s that about?
Well you’ve gotta have some fun, even while you’re working. So I’m stashing “Golden Ticket Experiences” in random envelopes. Dinners for two, complimentary hotel stays, salon and spa days, etc. My advice: Dig deep and keep your eye out for the shiny gold foil.

If I don’t get an envelope, can I still access misterhush.com?
Negative. The only way into the website—which is home to more exclusive invitations, offers, and news—is to receive an envelope with a specific serial number. That number combined with a password inside the envelope will unlock the members-only portal. 

Is there a Mrs. Hush?
I like to keep that hush hush.

Can you give us a preview of what’s inside next month?
An amazing new gadget, a preview of the hottest new celebrity fragrance, a summer haircut, a CD of my favorite new music, and the opportunity to learn how to “fly.” That’s all I can say.

Are you good at keeping secrets?
What do you think?

I’d like to give a birthday shout out to Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum. This is the 10th of June, and the coincidence of their birthdays gave name to their wonderful joint Tenjune. There are very few true gentlemen in this business that I write about, but these two dudes are definitely that. Nice guys sometimes do finish first, and I wish them continuing success.