Fashion Week Party Report: Rocks, Dorothys, Warhols

Last night was the official kickoff for Fashion Week, AKA: a solid week of drink, drank, drunk. Night one:

Fashion Rocks pre-party @ Mansion
The velvet rope is light even though I’m not on the list, and fruity cocktails are chaperoned around the room on giant trays. Models decked out in various rocker gear pose like mannequins, fiddling with prop guitars, drums, and one lonely tambourine. The cavernous main room never quite fills to capacity, even when the headlining Pussycat Dolls lip-sync on stage. The vibe is festive, despite the DJ spinning tired, Jersey-wedding tracks ("Come On Eileen" remix?). Spotted: Miss J from America’s Next Top Model.

Mercedes-Benz gala @ Saks 5th Avenue
The line is long, but the wait isn’t. There’s an obligatory red carpet, a long step-and-repeat, and cameras flashing directly upon entry. The theme is “Wizard of Oz,” and there are dozens of Dorothys (and naturally, many Friends of Dorothy) on hand. The actual party is eight floors up in the women’s shoe department—strategic, in that the shoes on display are meant to have been inspired by the ruby slippers. Slinging trays of champagne and red velvet cupcakes, half the staff runs behind collecting party-going debris from touching any of the shoes. The vibe is squarely uptown—never-before-worn shoes and sparkling frocks are de rigueur. Spotted: Ronnie Kroell from Make Me A Supermodel, Nina Garcia of Project Runway and Marie Claire, and Perrey Reeves of Entourage.

Apotheke Opening in Chinatown
Mixologists mix and hipsters hip in this hid-away apothecary of alcohol. The door is tight, the walls are quilted, and the bathroom sink is Einstein cool. Watermelon margaritas + bongo drums make wasted Warhol impersonators think they can dance. This chemistry lab does not include A/C, so BYO fan. Spotted: Poor-man’s Andy Warhol, gyrating like he’s at Burning Man.